Cirque de Navacelles

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This shows the former Oxbow lake in the bottom right of the photo, just near a small settlement. Above them, the road mentioned bellow can be seen.

Here the magnificance of the valley is shown. The rivers meandering erosion is clear.

The Cirque de Navacelles is large cirque landform, located towards the southern edge of the Massif Central mountain range in France. It is located near Saint-Maurice-Navacelles, in the Hérault département.

The cirque is very isolated, with only a few small village communities living in the surrounding area. The nearest notable settlement is Millau, a two hour drive away. Recently, the cirque has seen increased visitor numbers, due to the recent completion of the A75 motorway from Clermont-Ferrand to Pezenas, providing a new non-stop motorway connection between Paris and Mediterranean. This allows easier transport to the area. Furthermore, the famous bridge, the Viaduc de Millau (which bypasses the town that gives it its name) brings even more visitors to the area, many of whom wish to "venture" further into the countryside.

[edit] Fluvial processes in the cirque

After the cirque's formation by glacial erosion (approx. 3 million years ago), a river channel cut through the base of the valley, creating an Oxbow lake within the cirque, a loop in the river that eroded itself through. The lake later dried up, leaving deposits of silt and peat. This created what is the only patch of arable land for many, many miles around.

[edit] Road network

Roads in the area are very poorly maintained and are only suitable for one vehicle to pass on. In order to pass the landform, a dangerous, although exhilerating road which weaves down into the valley and clings to the sheer cliff face on the way back up must be braved. This journey is one of the draws for tourism in the area.