Aujac: Discover Heritage and Hiking Trails

When planning a trip to Aujac, different interests may influence your choice: architectural history, traditional chestnut processing or time spent on hiking trails. Specific highlights range from Saint-Martin Church and Château du Cheylard d'Aujac to a short interpretive loop and multi-day routes. You can tailor your stay to whether you want to explore individual sites or plan longer hikes.

Church, Château and Chestnut Traditions

Saint-Martin d'Aujac Church was built between approximately 1120 and 1160. Its bell-cote was added in 1479. In the nave, four pillars have capitals decorated with stylised leaves with pronounced ribs. The church thus brings together different building phases and a specific design detail: the leaf motifs on the pillars alongside the tower added later.

At Château du Cheylard d'Aujac, the history of castle architecture on display spans from the Middle Ages, particularly the 12th century, to the Renaissance in the 17th century. The estate includes a medieval hamlet with a farm, dovecote, sheepfold, clède and chapel. The château is reached via a five-to-ten-minute footpath; check seasonal opening hours before your visit.

The façades in Aujac also shape the village’s appearance: they feature warm slate hues and light-coloured surrounds made from “grès d’Aujac”. Between Aujaguet and Aujac lie the best-preserved traces of the so-called Roman road known as the “voie caladée”. Alongside the church and château, visitors interested in historic building styles will find further tangible evidence of the village’s architectural and road history.

La Clède Peyric is a farm specialising in chestnuts and their traditional processing in a clède. During a visit, you can discover an authentic chestnut dryer that is still in use, old peeling equipment and a traditional Cévennes beehive. This stop focuses on processing and craftsmanship, while the church and château are primarily about architectural history.

Hiking: Loop, Long-Distance Trails and Landscape

The routes vary considerably in length and time commitment. The 130-kilometre GRP Le Cévenol passes through Aujac. The GRP Haute Vallée de la Cèze is a 52-kilometre loop taking three days over three moderate stages; it also passes through Aujac and returns to Bordezac. When planning, you can compare the stated total distance with the duration and stage difficulty.

A shorter option is the Sentiers d'Interprétation La Cézarenque. A tourism description updated on 29 April 2024 lists it as a 2.3-kilometre loop starting in Aujac. The route passes scattered hamlets and bancels; the landscape reflects how settlements adapted to the environmental conditions of the southern Cévennes. Discoveries along the way include Saint Martin d'Aujac Church. The “orvet fragile” and “chicorée des moutons” can also be spotted on this loop.

The Les crêtes d'Aujac - Bordezac hike first follows the former livestock trail, the “draille des crêtes de la Loubière”, and then an old Roman road hidden in a pine forest. The local hiking trails in Aujac offer panoramic landscapes. Together, the different route profiles provide various ways to explore: a short interpretive loop, a trail with traces of historic landscapes or a multi-day hike.

The Cèze and the Village Landscape

Hiking trails in Aujac provide access to the Cèze and its bathing spots. At Pont de Souillas, there is a bathing spot on the Cèze that is easy for both children and adults to access. Many faïsses in Aujac are still maintained and clearly visible, shaping an impressive landscape.

This gives you several specific starting points for planning your trip: architecture and village scenery, chestnut processing, hikes of varying lengths and the Cèze. Whether you opt for a shorter loop or a multi-day trail changes the focus of your stay. You can combine the history of the church and château with landscape features without treating the different hiking options as equivalent.

Discover more destinations: Remoulins, Saint-Martin-De-Valgalgues, Saint-Privat-Des-Vieux, Cassagnoles, Salindres, Bréau-et-Salagosse, Saint-Jean-du-Pin, Soustelle.

For the broader travel overview: Gard.