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  Parc Naturel Régional des Grands Causses

Dans le "Midi" :  Aveyron, Tarn, Lot & Lozère

Find usefull information here for planning your next holiday or short break in France

Far away from all the hustle and bustle, at 700km South of Paris, the Tarn river flows from the Cevennes through the departments Lozère, Aveyron and Tarn.   

 

 

            

        AVEYRON and TARN
                 MILLAU and ALBI

In this part of  (Southern France, 'le midi' ) genuine countryside and 'La France profonde' still exist. A district with an extraordinary diversity of landscapes, that you will get to know when hiking and cycling through this far South part of the Massif Central: mountains, limestone plateaus (Causses), lush green valleys, roaring rivers (Tarn, Jonte, Dourbie, Lot, Aveyron, Dourdou). Lots of small villages here instead of large urban areas with dense population. Le Tourisme Vert (green tourism) as they say here. No fast food here, but the French cuisine, honest food in small family runned hotels where you will get a warm welcome.
La Ligne Verte has settled in a small village in the Valley of the Tarn, 60 km from Millau and Albi, called Broquiès. This part of the course of the Tarn is called the "Raspes" and is attractive for those who like quiet, simplicity and unspoiled nature. It lies in the Parc Régional des Grands Causses in South-Aveyron.

Aveyron is also a rich source of (ancient) culture: the district of Templars, medieval cloisters and places of pilgrimage. And... apart from the cyclists and hikers, a renowned district for bird-watching, mountain-biking, (fly-)fishing, but above all a region for those who seek nature, piece, quiet and farsights of mountains, valleys and plateaus, called Causses.

 

Three geographically distinct landscapes are to be found in the Parc des Grands Causses:

http://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/visite_virtuelle/index_uk.htm

 

 

Tarn Valley  
Between Albi and Millau

Millau, the Pont le Rouge and the viaduct
Millau by vandessel.marc@tiscali.be

More pictures of Tarn Valley.


Between Albi, the pink city - with its beautiful old brick-built centre, the Toulouse-Lautrec museum and its Cathedral - and Millau, in the center of Parc des Grands Causses, you will be walking or biking alongside the Tarn river in a steep sided valley. Down in the valley  between two hilly plateaux which rise up to 700m height, you'll get the feeling of being up in the mountains. The river flows swiftly to the West through the valley, also called "La Vallée de l'Amitiée", a very friendly place in which to stay and hike and a bit more to the East the Raspes du Tarn. You'll see and visit old castles in Brousse-le-Chateau, Coupiac, St.Izaire and  pitoresque villages like Ambialet, St.Rome de Tarn and Le Minier. For centuries life and local trade  has centered around these places. Tarn Valley walking and cycling tours
 

From Millau, a pleasant small Mediterranean alike city, also the gateway to the better known canyons of the Gorges du Tarn and a centre for activity holidays, you'll start the Tarn Valley walk under the worlds highest viaduct from where you will be heading further downstream.

From the second half of june the chirring sound of cicades will go all along with you as if in Provence.

 

Pays de Roquefort.

More pictures on Pays de Roquefort.

South of the Tarn river, water acting on the limestone plateaux created caves, subterranean rivers, gushing springs.The most famous of the caves is now still used for the ripening of sheep cheese: Roquefort, king of cheeses, cheese of kings.Pays de Roquefort, walking and cycling tours

Pays de Roquefort also includes the Causse du Larzac with its restored Medieval Templars garrisons from where crusades set oput in 10th-13th centuries, and the Redlands of Camarès with its Cistercienzer Abbaye de Sylvanès. St.Affrique, a small Southern town, is the starting place of many walks in this walking area. The landscape exudes peace and unspoiled natural beauty. Shepherds will be your only company during hours of walking.

 

 

Gorges and Causses,
French canyons

More pictures of Gorges and Causses.


East of Millau the Tarn river and its tributaries carved out 4 canyon like Gorges: Gorges de la Dourbie, Gorges de la Jonte, Gorges du Trèvezel and the most famous of all the Gorges du Tarn. Walking or cycling the Canyons of the Grands CaussesThese Gorges are at the heart ofthe most spectacular walking and cycling area of the Grands Causses Natural Parc. Steep crags of 400m and the typical scenery of limestone plateaux dissected by rivers.You'll  see the Grotte Rose of Dargilan, the unusual scenery of the Causses (Le Chaos de Montpellier le Vieux and Roques Altes). Your walk begins and ends in Millau or at Château de Creissels.

 

Tarn valley, Pays de Roquefort and the Canyons of the Gorges and Causses are part of the Parc Naturel des Grands Causses.
Millau lies in the centre of this nature park and is the centre of activity holidays in France.

East of this nature park you'll find the Cevennes mountains.   

 

Causses and Cevennes
 
The Causse Méjean
Walking the limestone plateaus of the Causse Mejean
 
 
 

The Cevennes Mountains
In the eastern part of the territory of our walking and cycling tours you'll find the Cevennes and the Mont Aigoual. This part of the Massif Central is well known by Stephenson a Scottish hiker who passed this region a century ago and left his traces in the form of a well known GR.
 

 

Cevennes - Mont Aigoual


 

Causses & Gorges
Walking on Causses and Gorges in France
 
 


 

Interesting links:  

 

 About us
VALAC & La Ligne Verte
  Contact
CAUSSES AND CEVENNES If you're about planning a holiday or short break and need a suggestion
ALBI, at 80 km travelling by train from Toulouse (airport) at the outer Western border of our territory at the Tarn river. The city is famous for its architecture, its Cathedral and the Toulouse Lautrec Museum.

Cycling or walking from Albi

 

 

 

 

 Informative websites of Aveyron:

South of Aveyron

St.Félix-de-Sorgue at Sorgue rivir in Sud-Aveyron

Nant in Sud-Aveyron

Paysages d'Aveyron

Gorges du Tarn & Jonte

Aveyron, land of menhirs and prehistory

The Tarn at Le Rozier at the entrance of the Gorges du Tarn

Aveyron Gorges du Tarn

South of Aveyron &
St. Affrique
Abbaye de Sylvanes

Every year a
Festival International de Musique Sacrée
http://www.sylvanes.com

This year the XXVth Festival

Causse du Larzac
The Weather in Grands Causses
Want to know what current weather is like in France?

Weather in France

  
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Walks in
Tarn Valley

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Pays de Roquefort

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Canyons & Causses

 

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