Artwork: "The Water Tower" by Gilles Clément – "The Division of Waters"

“When you explore this terrain, you realize that you’d have to be a geographer and surveyor to draw this line with certainty. A landscape artist can only experience the impression the landscape conveys; he lacks the measuring instruments.”
Eight million years old, Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc owes its conical shape to viscous, cold lava that was unable to flow. It is at its base that the Loire has its sources, at three locations respectively described as the “geographical,” “authentic,” and “true” sources.
What if the Loire, in addition to the long journey it takes to the Atlantic, also flowed into the Mediterranean? This is the fascinating hypothesis that Gilles Clément formulated following a climb up the mountain after a period of drought, during which he nevertheless observed a steady seepage from the rock. He then imagined that Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc might function in part as a “water tower”: a water-trapping mechanism based on the condensation of water vapor from clouds in desert regions. The water collected in this way would flow down to the foot of Gerbier, toward the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Detail of the basin. Photo: E. Landas (AMCT)
To illustrate this principle, Gilles Clément designed a “water tower” built of phonolites, the volcanic rock found at Gerbier. Its shape resembles a lighthouse with a hollow column at its core. The water condensing on its outer walls is directed toward the hollow center of the tower, collected in a basin, and then channeled—on one side—toward the Loire River and, on the other, toward the Rhône River.

Created in 2017
The dry-stone construction project was led by Bernard Maingard, a heritage craftsman (mason and stonemason), and by the ELIPS association in Chirols.

An agricultural engineer, gardener, landscape architect, writer, and teacher, Gilles Clément (born in 1943) began his career as a landscape architect in the early 1970s by designing gardens in France and abroad for private clients. In 1977, he created the “Jardin en Mouvement” (Garden in Motion), a concept based on the idea of cooperation with nature and inspired by experiments conducted in his own garden. The concept was applied to public spaces as early as 1983: the commission for Parc André Citroën in 1986 gave him the opportunity to apply it on a large scale.

Gilles Clément has designed numerous gardens, including those at the Musée du Quai Branly and the Domaine du Rayol. A thinker and theorist, he is also the creator of several now-famous concepts, such as the “planetary garden,” which views the diversity of life on the planet and humanity’s role in managing that diversity as interconnected and intertwined.

La Chaumasse
At an altitude of nearly 1,400 meters, La Chaumasse is the ideal habitat for cattle, which spend lovely summers there! In the past, the hiking trail was a cattle drive route used for their transhumance from the plains of the Gard to the high plateaus. The landscape is breathtaking: to the southeast, the Mediterranean in the distance; to the northwest, the Atlantic in the distance… Here, marmots peek out, a pair of Montagu’s harriers come to hunt, and the rare clubmosses have found a habitat suited to them… biodiversity thrives.

Access
Between Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc and Lachamp-Raphaël, at the intersection with the D378 at the top of the Col de Bourlatier, the entrance to the GR420 trail is marked by a sign reading “Ligne de Partage des eaux” (Watershed).

Parking is available on a grassy lot along the trail. Parking in front of the water tower is strictly prohibited.
Parking is also available at the Ferme de Bourlatier, located about 100 meters away.
Hiking access is available from the village of Sagnes-et-Goudoulet along the GR 420.

As part of the summer PROGRAM, guided tours are offered by the Park in collaboration with the “Passeurs du PARTAGE DES EAUX” for each artwork along the route (see the “Agenda” section).

All year round daily.

Free access.