Causses

Episode 49, The Touch. The start of season 3. Shot at the causses and La Margaride, Lozere

The Margeride is located in the south-east of the Auvergne, between the departments of Cantal, Haute-Loire and Lozère. So roughly

east of the Saint-Flour / Marvejols line. The area is very sparsely populated: only 14 people live per km2 (as of 2016). It is a

wonderful area for those who love space, peace and nature. Flora and fauna are therefore rather unspoilt. Natura 2000 area.

The Grand Causses (there are three main plateaus – Mejean, Sauveterre and Noir) provide grazing for herds of sheep and cattle on natural grasslands, while two granite

mountains (Lozere and Aigoual) punctuate the landscape at 1,565m and 1,699m and the schistose Cevennes has a series of deep verdant river valleys, providing some protection

from the extreme weather conditions on the plateaus and mountains during the winter months. It’s an area where it is all too easy to imagine life a hundred, two hundred or five

hundred years ago because so little has changed. Recognition of that preservation of a traditional way of life is what led the area to receive a UNESCO listing for

Outstanding Universal Value, protecting the countryside from major development. Click here for a link with information about the Causse de Sauveterre.

Ancient farm 'Boissets' lies on the edge of a cliff just above the Tarn river and village Saint Enimie. This farm and it's fields are very important for many episodes of season 3!

As far as I can see 8 episodes! Most of these episodes have two locations in common: the Stone chaos blocks and the Ferme des Boissets. Boissets features a lot in season 3

The Touch 49, Spirit of Rebellion 50, Insurrection 51, Doppelgangers 52, Trailbreak 53, The Mission 54, The Children 64 and Headhunters 69. Tell crosses the wasteland,

looking for answers, meets all kinds of people and experiences a lot. . It's a big part of Tell's adventures in the quest for the woman and the meaning of the amulet.

The first episode of season 3 is shot around Boissets. The scene where Tell was shot, was located in the stone chaos in the Causse de Sauveterre. The scene: 'The Touch' starts with

Black Knights hunting Tell. You can see some nice stunts. Then Tell meets a boy in the forest, he takes Tell home to offer him shelter. That has a major inpact on Tell's life.

Scene: The boy, with a form of autism, cannot talk and involves his mother. She invites Tell. At the boy's advice, she forfeits his future and gives him a warning.

1988 The farm of the boy and his family the roof in the middle is wonderfully restored 2015

Location: Boissets north. The left of the building has changed a lot. 2015

Scene: The boy wants his mother to predict Tell's future. Tell agrees and the mother takes his glass but seems frightened. She warns him for a ´silver wolf.´

Above you see Arish with a 'silver wolf' on his helmet (The confrontation will be in the next episode ´Spirit of Rebellion´).

In fact, it is not a house but one of the sheepfolds that are found behind. The series used quite a few sheepfolds by making believe that they were places of life.

They went in this farmhouse at Boissets. (The Touch, 49, above you see they run into another sheepfold on this terrain, on this map the place of the exterior).

Spirit of Rebellion 50. The scenes with Luke and his father 2017 as a museum

We think it's next to the stone chaos, rock 1. There is a little bush like this... Near the 'plateau de Margeride.'

The interior of one of the farmhouses of Domaine des Boisetts around 1988. The estate was bought and restored by the General Council of Lozère. The set of buildings,

characteristic of a caussenarde farm, of which construction began in the seventeenth century, was until 2018 a museum of agricultural and pastoral traditions of the

region and a fine example of caussenarde architecture. The estate used to be open to visitors in July and August but closed around 2018.

If you would like to see nice rock formations...there is a place I visited called: 'Chaos Montpellier Vieux.' It is a beautiful area with very nicely shaped rocks. Like stone choas Nimes le Vieux'

in the causse de Mejean, is also a rocky place and different from Montpellier Vieux. It's not the place you can find the Crossbow rocks but it's worth a visit. This year (2019) C. Petit and I

discovered the exact location of almost all the rockformations of the wasteland. It's not that close at the Ferme des Boisetts as we had expected. It is located high in the north of Lozere, far from

other locations. We found them this summer near Truc Fortunio, Lozere. The stones have different shapes in the episodes, we didn´t know in the beginning how many rocks we had to look for...

While we walked around the location, the shapes of the rocks changed all the time, Like magic rocks! Also the height! One formation can easily reach about 6 meters or more and the back only 1 meter.

They filmed on at least 5 different rock formations. For different episodes like The Touch, The Shadow, The Mission, Trailbreak.

When I made a 'still' picture for the website, I saw something in a split second. (It doesn't strike you while watching) I saw a tower between them in the back. I told C. Petit took a good look and

found the place in combination with three hills, which we never been able to trace before. That was another direction, than we first thought. We used to look around Boissets before, that wasn't

the right place after all. See the tower in between them, that brought us more up north. The ground is no grassland but mainly a lot of heathland with stone. I'm amazed the horses could gallop over this.

This is the main rock of episode The Touch. Rock 1 is filmed from all the angles. Seen from above this rock has the shape of a triangle.

1988 Scene: Grania offers Tell a hiding place. Location: in the middle of Rock 1. 2019

Look at the difference of this rock. That is exact why It's hard to identify rocks like these. It depends on the camera angle and what's in front of it.

Below some other photos of this rock. It's in many shots of episode The Touch. Also in some other episodes like the Mission.

Scene: Gessler is keeping an eye on the rock, so Tell isn't able to escape. Gessler discovers Edgar's fascination for weapons. He sends Edgar to distract

Tell and so they are able to surround the rock easily. Here are some photos of the place and it's environment in Lozere. Location: bushes in front of this rock.

Scene: The boy is fascinated by the uniforms and weapons of Gessler's soldiers. It's too late...'the silver wolf' hits Tell. Tell falls into the trap.

I had pointed out to Petit that the three great blue colored mountains, of increasing size, should still be recognizable in the area. It turned out to be a long way from the filming locations.

Where we had never looked before... In a moviestill I recognized a tower, it was only a second. Petit said that is too far out of the direction. Because the stones were still so hard to find,

he Googled in that area and drawned almost the right position. During vacation I went there to have a look in the huge area of forests, stones, stone deserts...and indeed found them there.

Really wow! Special area! So beautiful. We wont give out the exact place, we are afraid of gravity paint etc. Unique area.

C. Petit saw these places were similair. Tell's rock in episode The Touch is also the base of Horst en Benzai.

This location in the middle of Rock 1 is a nice high point of min. 6 meters high! Above the treetops.

These examples helped us finding the right place. And I can confirm this is the same rock. It's unbelievable how many plateaus and levels there are...Even when you see the same

mountains, then It's hard to find out what camera angle they used and what's all in front. The cameraman has certainly good qualities; he can take a good picture of the place as

a whole, by filming the right corners and avoiding disturbing environmental factors, making things look farther and larger. That sometimes confuses you in a search.

Also the place where the boy is thrown off the rocks. You can compare the upper rocks of this rock formation.

On the rock-with the lower tilted rocks is the place Edgar's mother and Tell talk). Where Edgar stood, is the same place the stuntmen stands.

Up on this place, Grania and Tell met. The trees made it hard to check. And also the base of Benzai and Horst in episode The Shadow).

Scene: Edgar visited Tell and he is not alone. Location: On top of Rock 1.

Taken high up from rock 1. (Behind the boy the field of 'The Mission' with the gate to the wasteland). Taken from groundlevel 2019

Tell is on the highest point of rock one, behind him it's 6 meters low. The big rock on the left is the top of the rock (the tower of 3 a 4 blocks) See one row below.

Scene: He took Tell's bow, Tell got surrendered. Then the boy realized he made a mistake, but it's no use. Can this threat still be averted?

Looking down from the top was quit a shock, I didn't realize the enormous heigth, until you stand on top of it. The stuntmen climb and stand on those highest stones.

I made a panorma compilation which was hard because the camera turned 360 degrees and filmed up and below the rocks.

The start of season 3 was quit a shock to me. Scene: Tell: "You should have killed me the day we met. You are too late now." Gessler finally kills Tell.

William's last words to gessler: "The spirit of rebellion is already rising." It's the introduction of season 3. Season three is just started, 23 episodes to go.

23 without William Tell? My first thought was: 'I don't survive 23 episodes without this main character ;) No one likes to see his hero dying.

Edgar fought brave, but he wasn't able to beat them and is hidden behind the rocks and witnessed the terrible truth.

Scene: Edgar brings Tell's body to 'a cave.' A ray of light enters the room...someone appears with a message... Location: ferme des Boissets, other sheepfold, see below.

She brought Tell the amulet, awaked him and told him to cross the wasteland and find her. For a moment I thought I was just ended up in a science fiction series.

When the spiritual lady disappears, Tell's heart starts beating and he opens his eyes. Then he walks out of the Ferme des Boissets.

1988 Night turns into day, the rain changed into sunshine. Tell is at the beginning of a new adventure, Location: west of Domaine des Boissets. 2015

From this moment Tell, tries to cross the wasteland and carries his amulet with him.

The end of 'The Headhunters,' Tell at Morris grave. Episode Trailbreak - Tell is getting chased by Gessler and his man

Boissets is split into more parts. It's such a populair shooting location for season 3, it became much too long.

There it is! The impressive rock, looking different from all sides! A lot of forest has been added.

This rock is most important of all those rocks. Tell is shot in front of it. Edgar, the boy fell off it. It was the base of Basai and Horst.

Below is taken in front of the trees with a tree-less view on the side of it. Those rocks are huge.

If you want an impression hog big and impressive this really is? Look at my husband on the right part of the rock!

I didn't realize the enormous heigth, until you stand there. North has the highest point. The stuntmen climb and stand on those highest stones.

Edgar climbed here The view from above. It's really high, far above those treestops

Not always easy to orientate yourself, especially if there so many rocks around.

Same side zoomed and higher point. The place Tell is shot. And the base of Horst in episode The Shadow.