The cirque is isolated, with only a few small villages in the surrounding area. However, with the completion of the Millau Viaduct in 2004 and the A75 motorway between Clermont-Ferrand and Pézenas, tourism in the region has increased.
Fluvial processes in the cirque
The area is an example of a dissected plateau in which the Vis River eroded a deep channel through the base of the valley, creating an incised meander which eventually eroded through creating a cut-off at the neck of the loop.[2] This left an oxbow lake which later dried up, leaving deposits of silt and peat. This created what is the only patch of arable land for many miles around.