Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu: Water, Trails and History

Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu brings together themes of nature and history. When planning your trip, you can decide whether your priority is leisure by the water, a challenging hike or traces of the past. Lac du Bonheur, the Sentier de Camprieu and the heritage of Saint-Sauveur-des-Pourcils each offer a different focus.

Lac du Bonheur and Bramabiau

Lac du Bonheur is a reservoir in the commune of Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu, above the village of Camprieu. At the lake, you can swim, picnic, fish and relax. Swimming is unsupervised, so check the water conditions on site. Two jetties provide wheelchair users with access for fishing.

East of Camprieu, the Bonheur stream disappears into a natural tunnel and re-emerges as Bramabiau 700 metres away as the crow flies. At Abîme de Bramabiau, there is a very accessible one-kilometre visitor circuit, as well as a guided tour of about an hour along the underground Bonheur River. Check the operating details before your visit.

Hiking and forest

The Sentier de Camprieu is a very difficult 17.5-kilometre hike lasting six hours; it starts at the Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu gymnasium. At six hours, the hike takes up a significant part of your day's schedule. Trail conditions may vary, so you should check them before setting out.

The Sentier de Saint-Sauveur-des-Pourcils passes through part of the large arboretum on the Aigoual massif. The arboretum illustrates the diversity of the forest and the work carried out by foresters since the beginning of the 20th century. The routes offer different focuses when choosing a hike: the Sentier de Camprieu is defined by its length and difficulty, while the other trail centres on forest and forestry themes.

History and heritage

The Sentier des Morts preserves the name of the former route from Camprieu to the cemetery of Saint-Sauveur de Pourcils, used by funeral processions until the summer of 1872. The church of Saint-Sauveur-des-Pourcils was rebuilt each time after being destroyed in 1562, 1703 and 1848. The ruins of the Bonahuc monastery are now called the Notre Dame de Bonheur Abbey.

Bramabiau also has historical significance for speleology: the first traverse covered 1,300 metres underground and is now considered a founding act of modern speleology. Thus, the historical themes range from former funeral processions and religious buildings to the exploration of underground passages.

Find a hotel in Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu

If you are looking for a hotel in Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu, you can choose the focus of your trip according to your interests: leisure by the lake, a very difficult hike or the history of the area. These themes offer different points of reference for deciding whether Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu suits your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Anduze, Saint-Geniès-De-Comolas, Laudun-L'ardoise, Carnas, Rodilhan, Poulx, Beauvoisin, La Rouvière

For the overview of the wider area: Gard.