Village of Les Peines

History and architecture

Embed this item to access it offline

A hike around the mountainside towards the abandoned village of Les Peines, on a belvedere above Villar-Loubière.

A historic site with a plunging view over the Valgaudemar valley - the village of Les Peines is always a delight.

In Villar-Loubière, don’t miss a visit to the hydraulic windmill, which is listed as a Historic Monument.

Description

We leave from the centre of the village of Villar-Loubière and head for Les Peines via Pont des Peines. Cross the footbridge and continue up the winding path to the ruins of the village of Les Peines. Go down via La Loubière and return to Villar-Loubière by the La Valgaude route.

Departure : Villar-Loubière
Towns crossed : Villar-Loubière

3 points of interest

Le moulin de Villar-Loubière - Florence Chalandon ©
History
Villar-Loubière windmill
As you begin the steep climb towards the Col de la Vaurze, don’t miss the unusual Villar windmill, covered in vegetation. Built in 1838, this legacy from past times has been perfectly preserved with its curious horizontal wheel. It was still in use 50 years ago, milling wheat, but also nuts and rapeseed. It was restored in 1979 and is the last working windmill in the Valgaudemar valley.
Ruines du hameau des Peines - Olivier Warluzelle - PNE
History
Hamlet of Les Peines
High above Villar-Loubière, the remains of the hamlet of Les Peines bear testimony to the harsh living conditions in the Valgaudemar valley at the beginning of the last century. Perched on a promontory, the site offers a spectacular view.

Too often afflicted by mountain river floods, maintaining the stricken land was like the labours of Sisyphus: constant clearance with no end in sight. This disheartened the few mountain-dwellers who returned from the Great War. This prompted the abandonment of Navette, above La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, as well as Les Peines. In the nineteenth century, 92 inhabitants still lived in these high areas, and 14 children attended the school in the hamlet... until the inter-war years.

In 1955, the last inhabitant, who lived as a hermit here, departed as well, leaving only memories behind. Only the conveyor cable between Les Peines and Villar-Loubière is still used to transport wood down the mountain.
Les Arraches vues depuis le sentier du bois des Peines - Jean-Philippe Telmon
Geology and geography
Schist organ pipes
Above the hamlet of Les Peines, some monumental schist sentinels watch over the valley with their stony gaze. The phenomenon of erosion can sometimes be destructive, but its action also forms very beautiful geological curiosities.

These shiny schist monoliths are also known as "organ pipes".

Exposed due to the movement of the tectonic plates, these rock formations are the result of a mixture of sediments accumulated at the bottom of ancient oceans and crystalline formations created in the depths of the earth, which was subjected to enormous pressures and temperatures. Primarily made up of mica and quartz crystals, this metamorphic rock has a flaky and shiny appearance. Extreme weather then exposed the most solid part of these formations. Born of the oceans and the earth, they form abrupt and tortured draperies which are also called «Arraches».