Tarn, Aveyron & Garonne - South West France

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAYS

Tarn's Medieval Bastides

7 nights - From £950/€1050 - 6 days walking between guest houses

This self-guided walking holiday in Tarn explores a number of wonderful hill top villages, known as bastides, many classed as among the prettiest villages in France. As well as exploring beautiful villages such as Puycelsi, Penne, Castlenau, Bruniquel and Cordes-sur-Ciel you'll discover a picturesque landscape of rolling fields and vineyards with expansive views, sunny plateaux, ancient oak forests and deep rocky gorges. You'll stay in delightful chambre d'hote style guest houses.

Historic Villages & Valleys of the Tarn

7 nights - From £820/€910 - 6 day walks based at a single guest house

Hundreds of medieval villages known as Bastides are scattered throughout the Midi-Pyrenees.  From high on rocky hilltops, villages such as Puycelsi, Penne and Cordes have kept watch over the surrounding countryside for centuries.  Our centre based self-guided walking holiday in the Tarn and Aveyron will allow you to explore several of these villages as well as discover the valleys that cut through the countryside giving it a distinctive character of deep rocky gorges, steep wooded valleys and high sunny plateaux. 

GUIDED WALKING HOLIDAYS

Historic Villages & Valleys of the Tarn

7 nights - Single-centre based, day walks

A guided week's walking that explores medieval hilltop towns and the valleys that cut through the landscape giving it a distinctive character of deep rocky gorges, steep wooded valleys and high sunny plateaux.

More holiday details

Tarn & Aveyron

The region which you'll be exploring if you choose one of our independent or guided walking holidays in south west France is an area known collectively as the Midi-Pyrénées. Both of the guided holidays spend some time in the beautiful unspoiled Pays des Bastides area of Tarn.

Hundreds of medieval towns known as Bastides are scattered throughout the Midi-Pyrenees. From high on rocky hilltops, villages such as Puycelsi, Penne and Cordes have kept watch over the surrounding countryside for centuries.  Our walking holidays will allow you to explore several of these towns as well as discover the three rivers, the Tarn, Aveyron and Viaur that cut through the countryside giving it a distinctive character of deep rocky gorges, steep wooded valleys and high sunny plateaux. 

The walking is mixed allowing walkers of moderate ability to enjoy the ever changing views and landscapes and see the beautiful array of wildlife and flowers; the area is particularly well known for its beautiful spring orchids thanks to the limestone and chalky nature of the land. The Autumn brings the deer to the forest at Gresigne as well as wild boar and a fantastic array of birds of prey.

Other features of our guided or independent walking holidays in the midi-pyrenees of France:

There are a large number of historic towns and villages in north west Tarn. Albi is a beautiful town with most of the buildings constructed in red brick. It sits on the banks of the River Tarn and has many elegant shops and eating establishments. There are many places of interest in Albi, which include the huge cathedral and the world famous Toulouse-Lautrec museum, which holds 600 of the artists paintings.

Cordes-sur-Ciel is one of the most beautiful villages in the Midi-Pyrenees region of south west France. Founded in 1222, jewel of the Bastides Albigeoises - the New Towns of the Middle Ages. It is perched on the top of the mountain and offers the most breathtaking views.

The Gaillac vineyard is situated 50 kms east of Toulouse, in the direction of Albi, in the Tarn department. The vineyard stretches over both sides of the Tarn River and to the north up to the medieval town of Cordes-sur-Ciel.

The Gaillac Appellation area covers 2.500 hectares spread over 73 communes, for an AOC production of over 165.000 hectolitres. Today, the appellation comprises one hundred independent producers and 3 co-operative cellars.

Many of the grapes used in Gaillac wines are among the most ancient in Europe. They give Gaillac wine a very different taste to the wines of its neighbours, Burgundy to the north-east and Languedoc to the east and south. The wines are fruitier, softer, and deliciously easy to drink. The whites go eminently well with seafood, bouibaise, chicken, pheasant, quail, turkey and cheeses. The reds are excellent with the spicier dishes of the south of France

Whatever food or drink you like, you will never be hungry or thirsty in the Tarn. Tarn specialities are wide-ranging and full of flavour. Why not try specialities such as Truffles, Cepes, Wild Boar, Veal, Pink Garlic, Echaudés Biscuits, Jambon de Lacaune, Pumpkin Pancakes and cheeses which can all be accompanied by wines from Gaillac.

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