LaFrance - Midi Pyrenees
Aveyron
Tourist Information
| Introduction & History |
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What to do |
| Map & Getting there | Physical Activities | |
| Where to go/see | Further information |
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Aveyron is located in the south west of the Massif Central and offers spectacular landscapes. Its plateaux called Causses have unique flowers and are surrounded by beautiful rivers like the Lot, Tarn, Aveyron and Aubrac which flow through magnificent deep gorges making it ideal for canoeists, walkers and naturalists alike. In the south of the region, sheep dominate and their milk is used for making Roquefort cheese which is matured in limestone caves. With nine sites that carry the title "Most Beautiful French Villages", Aveyron heads the national honours list. Only 141 rural towns are recognised by the national association "Most Beautiful French Villages", created in 1992.
Aveyron lies on the southern border of the central French plateau with the River Lot in the north, the Aveyron in the centre and the Tarn in the south. They flow from east to west and divide the department into four distinct zones.
The cows huddle together and graze the boggy, peaty pastures, divided by dry-stone walls and turf-brown streams. There are few trees: a scatter of willow and ash along the streams and the occasional stand of hardy beeches on the tops with abandoned shepherds' huts silhouetted on the horizon. It is an area that becomes invisible in bad weather but has a bleak beauty, little disturbed by tourism or modernity.
This is the Quercy Blanc (its name derives from the region's whitish soil). Its’ alluring landscapes are reminiscent of those of Tuscany and the tranquillity of the region nowadays masks a more turbulent past. The Quercy Blanc is dotted with hill-top bastides, fortified villages with tiny, arcaded squares and ordered streets, most of which were built during less peaceful eras, namely the suppression of the Cathar heresy and the Hundred Years War. The region between the Tarn and the Aveyron is the plateau of Segala. It is a land of a hundred valleys and extends from the Levezou lakes to the valleys of the rivers of the Aveyron and Viaur. The hills of Levezou create a backdrop of wooded hillsides and pastures to five vast and beautiful artificial lakes covering 18000 hectares.
History Many different cultures have made their mark on the area of Aveyron and the evidence of very early civilisations is shown in the stone monuments and rich architecture of the past, which include dolmens, menhirs, fortresses, fortified castles, abbeys and churches. The Romans were in Aveyron from 118BC. The road which linked Rodez and Millau was littered with villas and grand estates. It also connected to the Via Domitia, giving access to the whole Roman Empire. In fact Millau was one of the largest centres of pottery production in the Roman Empire. The early Middle Ages saw the presence of the the Knights Templar in Aveyron. Rouergue and Rodez were sold to finance the Count of Toulouse’s part in the 1st Crusade. http://www.conservatoire-larzac.fr/ is a French site about the 5 Templar Cities in Aveyron It was during the following period of uncertainty and the movement towards the unification of France under the Capetians that many walled towns were erected. This was to become the main style of construction as the Hundred Years War ensued and Rouergue became British in 1360. The bastides, castles and fortified churches that litter Aveyron today were built to protect the villagers from marauding soldiers, both French and British as there was no authority to stop them. The name Aveyron was adopted during the French Revolution. Many castles were plundered and catholic priests hunted and although there were some counter revolutionary groups in Aubrac, defiance was not widespread. Many Aveyronnaise working class, were attracted by and succumbed to the emigration recruitment campaign to the Americas. It is estimated that 120,000 people left Aveyron between 1850 and 1914 as in many rural parts, farming was not economically viable. The decimation of the population of Aveyron increased during the First World War when 15000 died. The Second World War saw many join the Resistance movement and they tirelessly worked to obstruct the invaders who wreaked their revenge by murdering thirty prisoners at Sainte Radegonde near Rodez before they moved out. Since then a further 45000 residents have left Aveyron as its land is not able to sustain the populace and there is not enough work to attract the young to stay. However the beautiful scenery is attracting hundreds of Brits who are buying property as holiday homes or with intent to settle.
Getting there Cheap flights from all over the UK mean a variety of airports to choose from to suit your location. Aveyron is a vast area of different landscapes as varied as the rivers that flow through it. From the volcanic plateau of Aubrac with its horizons extending towards the infinite sky to the vast plateau of Carladez which links Rouergue and Auvergne, a land steeped in authenticity. Below the plateau, the Lot valley traces its picturesque path through beautiful towns and villages.
Rodez It is built on high above the river Aveyron and is dominated by the massive red sandstone Cathedrale Notre Dame which was begun in 1277 and was one of the first Gothic buildings in Southern France.,The two main town squares Place de la Cite and Place du Bourg are linked by a network of well restored medieval streets. www.ot-rodez.fr/
Millau
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C3-1403485%2C00.htm http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Millau_Viaduct.html
Villefranche
Roquefort It is produced entirely from the milk of the ewes that feed on the vast plateaux) found in the Aveyron. The ripening of the cheeses is in the natural damp, aired caves found under the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. www.roquefort.fr/
Laguiole Aubrac Prounced ‘La-yol’, is a mountain town perched 1,000 above sea level, on the Aveyron side of the Aubrac.
This handcrafted symbol of local identity is displayed proudly in shop windows. Each knife is decorated with a steel bee - the Imperial emblem of Napoleon 1st. Another emblem is the local breed of cattle, which produce delicious meat.
Aveyron has more beautiful villages in France than any other departement and that’s a fact. Nine villages are listed as being “Les plus beaux villages de France” and there are many others of outstanding beauty too.
Conques Its cobbled lanes and steps are lined with ancient, slate-roofed, half-timbered houses around an 11th Century Romanesque church. The Treasury of Ste-Foy-de-Conques contains one of the oldest statues in Christendom, the famous "Majesté de Ste-Foy," a gilded wooden figure encrusted with precious stones. It was an important staging post on the pilgrims’ way to Santiago de Compostella. www.conques.fr/
Sauveterre de Rouergue Belcastel
Sainte Eulalie d’Olt
Najac The pretty village is a single street that tails back from the hill to the valley overlooked by ancient houses.
Brousse le Chateau There is a wealth of historical sites, natural parks and outdoor activities to suit everyone. Most of the towns and villages have their own cultural site and cycling and walking tracks abound. There are tourist information offices in most of the towns and villages with helpful information. Museums Rodez:
Musee Fenaille has exhibits of historical architecture and an
exceptional collection of Menhir statues. It is open all year round. A very comprehensive list of museums http://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/uk/culture/musees.php throughout Aveyron plus their addresses and telephone numbers. The Templar Cities of Larzac
A continuing restoration work of the Templar cities. Four summer Tournaments are held on the site every year. www.conservatoire-larzac.fr The Viaduc de Millau is the largest viaduct in the world. www.viaducdemillaueiffage.com There are many caves to be seen across the region but in particular near to Roquefort. La Grotte de Labeil is a limestone cirque at 700m above sea level the entrance of which was once used for making Roquefort cheese. One can walk through the cave (fully equipped with a Davey lamp) to a subterranean river with iridescent colours. Natural crystals form on the cave walls. www.grotte-de-labeil.com There are similar caves at Montpellier le Vieux. They also have a funicular railway for easy access and so suitable for the less mobile. www.aven-armand.com
Micropolis is an international insect centre in the village of Saint Leons which is the birthplace of French entymologist Jean Henri Fabre. www.micropolis-cite-des-insectes.tm.fr For something a bit different there is a History of Water centre at Saint Jean du Bruel. www.noria-espacedeleau.com The Parc Regional des Grands Causses is an area of outstanding natural beauty latticed with walking paths and a mosaic of different landscapes. From farmland to deep canyons, mighty cliffs and strange rock formations. www.ot-millau.fr Walking The Aveyron Department has 650 km of marked paths for walkers or mountain bikes. There are 61 treks in the Aubrac mountain and 200km in the Tarn Gorges. Grand Randonee, the GR65 can also be picked up in Aveyron.
These four routes join up at Puente La Reina to become Camino Francés (the French Route), which leads to the tomb of the apostle Saint James in Compostela. The Via Podiensis and the Via Tolosana are the two largest routes to cross the Midi-Pyrenees. On the way, these routes are joined by secondary routes that are just as interesting, such as the route at the foothills of the Pyrenees
The Via Podiensis route or
"chemin du Puy" In the Tarn et Garonne: Moissac and in the Gers: the Cistercian abbey in Flaran, Larressingle Aveyron has a woven network of footpaths and wherever one wants to start you are immediately amid breathtaking scenery, unpolluted air and peacefulness. Rambling through the countryside or along river banks there is a wealth of wild life and vestiges of an architectural heritage waiting to be stumbled across. Most towns have excellent tourist information offices where maps and details of local footpaths can be bought. Cycling/Mountain Biking There are so many cycling trails in Aveyron that you can safely mountain bike through the département without risk of running into a traffic jam or a dangerous crossroads and many trails are adapted to cyclists of many levels. Hire bikes are available in St Antonin Noble Val at: NATURE ESCAPADE à Saint-Antonin tel : 05 63 31 41 76 ou 05 63 31 41 87 pour une 1/2 journée au prix de 12€ ou à la journée au prix de 15€. For mountain bike events http://la.caussenarde.free.fr/ and www.cyclotourismeaveyron.org and for details of mountain bike trails and signposted circuits www.tourisme-aveyron.com/uk/sports/terre/VTT_cyclotourisme_aveyron.php Canoeing/Kayaking/Rafting The Aveyron, with its wealth of rivers and lakes offers a wealth of opportunities for canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting. Most towns and villages on the rivers offer some water sports and the tourist information offices have a wealth of information. Fishing,
Golf, Hang Gliding, Paragliding, horse riding and rock climbing can all be
experienced in Aveyron and
www.tourisme-aveyron.com/uk/sports/index.php Karting, Quad Biking and Paintballing can be had at Parc Bouscaillous www.parc-bouscaillous.com
Market Days Tourist offices:
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It
is surrounded by the departments of Tarn in the South West, Tarn-et-Garonne
and the Lot in the West, in the East by Gard and Lozère, and Cantal in the
North. It covers an area of 3386 square metres and its river, the Aveyron is
250 km long. Its source is in the southern Massif Central near Severac le
Chateau and it flows west through the towns of Rodez and Villefranche de
Rouergue and the departements of Tarn and Tarn and Garonne and it flows into
the Tarn River near Lafrancaise north-west of Montauban
The
river Aubrac lies to the south of St-Flour, east of the valley of the River
Truyère and north of the valley of the Lot. It is dominated by the volcanic
mountains of Aubrac which form the north eastern limit of the department and
includes the highest peak of 4760ft. It is a region of bleak, windswept
uplands with long views and huge skies, dotted with glacial lakes and
granite villages hunkered down out of the weather.
Thousands
of years ago, intense geological upheaval split the Grands Causses' vast
chalk plateau, forming the deep chasms of the Tarn and the Dourbie river
valleys. The Tarn springs from the Mont Lozère at an altitude of 1575 meters
and rushes its way down the slopes of the Cévennes. From its source at an
altitude of 1600 metres on the Mont Lozère, the Tarn, swollen by numerous
torrents along its way, has cut a deep swathe into the limestone of the
Grands Causses, forming a canyon between the Méjean and Sauveterre plateaux.
From Ispagnac to Le Rozier, the Tarn has intermittent calm, clear stretches
of water known locally as planiols, with bubbling rapids or rajols. The
profile of the rocks, the sharp features and undulating ground all
contribute to the extraordinary beauty of the gorges as they run between
cliffs towering up to 500 metres above. 
Meandering
for 53 kilometres past towns, villages and hamlets, the gorges reveal a
succession of narrows, cirques and chaotic rocky stretches. Stretching far
into the horizon, the plateaux of Larzac. Mejean, Sauveterre and Causse Noir
straddle the unfathomable depths of the Tarn, Jonte and Dourbie gorges. By
contrast, Le Pays de Roquefort, lying at the foot of the Lacaune mountains
to the Larzac plateau passes through the Rougier de Camares and the Tarn
valley and becomes a land of contrasting colours with a lattice work of
rivers and streams.
Rodez
is situated between the lush Segala hills and the contrasting arid limestone
plateaux of the Grands Causses. 
An
economic and tourism turning point for Millau was the opening of the Millau
Viaduct in 2004; a unique piece of engineering which reaches its peak at 343
metres high and a length of 2.5 kilometres spanning the Tarn river. The
bridge was designed by Sogelerg-Foster and financed and built by Eiffage and
has made Millau a crossroad between Northern Europe, Spain and the Euro
Mediterranean countries.
It
is famous for three things – cheese, cattle and cutlery.
Local artisan Jean Calmels invented the Laguiole Knife in
1829, probably inspired by the Catalan 
Aubrac
was a key staging post on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrims’ trail.
By the 12th century, the pilgrimage to Compostela had acquired International
fame. Pilgrims from all Christendom rallied to the four French routes, which
are as follows: The Via Turonensis, The Via Lemovicensis, The Via Podiensis
and The Via Tolosana.