Place: Mondragon (Vaucluse)

Participants: Adults

Workcamp description:

Between the Rhône and the Uchaux massif, the commune of Mondragon decided to buy the Patatin farm and its 14 ha of formerly terraced hills to turn it into a place dedicated to nature. Since 2015, it has been working to turn the farm into a biodiversity reserve and a place of educational discovery for schoolchildren, walkers and hikers on the GR4 hiking trail. It's in this bucolic setting that the commune has entrusted us with the restoration of the dry-stone retaining walls of the farm's cultivation terraces. You'll discover the ancestral dry-stone technique of building a stone wall without mortar, and the biodiversity that these small ecosystems encourage.

Work programme:

• Démontage du mur existant
• Terrassement manuel
• Reconstruction du mur en pierre sèche

Building technique: Dry stone masonry

Special bonus : The work site is in the heart of nature, and during breaks you can enjoy the freshness of the nearby farm!

Event during the workcamp: Rochegude craft and antiques fair

Accommodation: In shared rooms on the premises of the Maison Familiale et Rurale du Haut-Vaucluse in Bollène, a 15-minute drive from the site.

Workcamp life: You will take care of daily life tasks (preparation of meals, cleaning) in turn.

Building work in the mornings, Mon-Fri. Free time in afternoons and weekends, with a choice of group excursions and activities.

Some ideas for excursions: The Ile Vieille wetland in Mondragon, the fortress of Mornas, the ancient theater of Orange, the ancient city of Vaison-la-Romaine, the troglodytic village of Barry in Bollène, the Palais des papes in Avignon, hikes in the Uchaux massif, in the Dentelles de Montmirail, on Mont Ventoux, swimming and canoeing in the Ardèche gorges, at the Sautadet waterfall, in the Toulourenc.

A little bit of history:

The history of the commune of Mondragon, located in the northern part of the Vaucluse department, from the east bank of the Rhône to the Massif d'Uchaux, dates back to the 10th century, when the first fortifications appeared at the top of the hill. This was followed in the 12th century by the construction of a castle, which housed the first lords of Mondragon and then the archbishop of Arles. The castle was first destroyed in 1217, then a second time by the Huguenots in 1562, and finally restored in the 20th century to become a private property.
Mondragon is also famous for its "Donzère-Mondragon canal", dug along the left bank of the Rhône in 1947 to improve river navigation, control the river's power and flow, cool the Tricastin power plant and supply a hydroelectric dam. This major development project helped to change the economic landscape of the commune, with the massive arrival of specialized workers in a traditionally agricultural village.

Conditions of participation

Participation fee: €150

Registration fees: see the website www.rempart.com 

REGISTRATION