St Antonin Noble Val nestled in the valley
Visiting an entirely new area is always exciting, if knowledge of the area is also quite limited this only adds to the anticipation of a possible adventure.
The Aveyron region, in the Midi-Pyrénées of the South of France is one such area for me, although aware of the major cities such as Toulouse and Montauban the majority of the region was relatively unknown to me.
An awesome raptor about to be released
A lovely home by the side of the River Aveyron in St Antonin
The itinerary I had been provided with certainly sounded exciting with caving, hiking, climbing, via-ferrata, canoeing, bungee jumping and parapenting included in the progamme. The schedule was an adrenalin junkies dream but the region has so much more to offer; history, culture, art, medieval castles and modern architectural wonders such as the Millau Viaduct are just a few options available to the traveller that wants a full on and varied experience.
Najac and its Castle
It is an extremely beautiful region filled with picturesque towns, steep sided mountain gorges, lush green woodland through which clear highland streams and rivers flow. It is also the South of France so the weather is generally very good, which is likely to be another good reason to make a visit for most of us.
Ziplining near Najac
Carousel in Montauban city centre
The people are friendly and welcoming, offering a genuine smile which is probably slightly sympathetic as they will remain long after you leave! It is useful to have at least a smattering of French, but it is definitely possible to get by without. I even made a point of sticking resolutely to English when making anything other than small talk to test how it worked out.
The leap of faith on a bridge near Ste Eulalie de Cernon
Getting a little fresh air
The Vélorail of the Larzac
There seems to be a great deal going on in almost every village and town. Everywhere I visited appeared to have a festival of some sort taking place. Jazz, dance, medieval and food tasting events were among just a few that were attracting locals and tourists alike, in fact there is enough going on to keep the average traveller happy for several summer seasons.
Ready to serve the famous Capucins
There will be greater detail of the trip in future posts but initially I thought that a photo essay would be a good start, letting the images do most of the talking. Hopefully it will whet your appetite, leave you hungry for more and looking out for more posts about the Midi-Pyrénées region. Enjoy reading and browsing the images, it may even lead you to visit this lovely part of Southern France yourself.
Oh and just in case you are wondering the wining and dining is of course exceptional but showing you that would just be unfair. All will be divulged in good time.
A field of sunshine
A view of the Millau Viaduct from the river below
I’m so impressed… the breathtaking photos… and I’ve seen a lot because I’m living here!
This region is really amazing, not only for the panorama, food & vine, but also for the knowledge, historic and cultural heritage, fauna & flora, and… the people who at first seems hard, but over time becomes the best of friends!
I am glad you liked it Katy and that you feel it satisfactorily portrays the area in which you have chosen to live, good friends are hard to find anywhere, treasure them.
I saw the making of that viaduct on NatGeo a while back — looks stunning from below!
Raymond @ Man On The Lam recently posted..Tongue Thai’ed: Taking a Cooking Class in Thailand
Thanks Raymond it is certainly an impressive construction from most angles took quite a few images might just do a photo essay on that alone haha
Stunning! I am definitely ready to go there now….especially to explore the food and wine….did you find any Petit Verdot and if so, did you bring back a bottle for me?
Erin recently posted..Photo of the Week: Madrid Style Organs with Chick Peas from DN innovación in Taipei, Taiwan
Glad you liked it Erin, and hope you get there soon it is a stunning destination, you will love the food and wine although I my own preference was for the country. No Petit Verdot I am afraid kept to the locally produced wines and they were pretty good too!
How absolutely beautiful, Ian! I can do without the bungee jumping, but that’s just me. Bring on the wining and dining! I can take it ~
Nancy recently posted..Time-out at Termas Papallacta
Thank you Nancy though that wining and dining can be pretty tough, four course lunches and then a long hike not sure how I survived
Wow! I just got back from there. We stayed 10 days in the town of Verfeil-sur-Seye, about 10 minutes from St. Antonin. A wonderful place to explore the region. I can’t wait to go back.
Shannon recently posted..Montmartre Stairwell
Iain,
The Midi-Pyrénées have been on my bucket list since reading the Labyrinth by Kate Mosse!! You pictures are stunning my friend…Wow, you’ve really captured the essence and beauty of the landscapes and villages.
Thank you for such a beautiful post!!!
Jeff Titelius recently posted..Discovering the Hidden Treasures of Rome, Italy
Thank you very much for those kind words Jeff, they mean a lot to me. It is a wonderful part of the World and it is gratifying that you feel this post does it justice, there is a lot more to follow as there was a great deal to experience there. I hope you get there yourself soon and i get to read about the places you visit.