Les Vents Bleus, Donnazac
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Highlights
Wonderful guest house in quiet rural location in South West France. Great food and wine
Selection of spectacular and varied walks through beautifully varied countryside in the Tarn and Aveyron, including hidden gorges, sweeping plateaux and vine-covered valleys
Stunning medieval hilltop towns such as Cordes sur Ciel, plus a host of historic and cultural delights
The Tarn and Aveyron is a haven for a variety of wildlife
Let 's discover the full itinerary!
Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to your guest house in the Tarn.
Days 2 - 7: Choice of Walks
Cordes-sur-Ciel
Explore the beautiful bastides of Cordes sur Ciel, widely considered to be the finest fortified town in France. Climb into the old town to explore the narrow winding streets and see the beautiful Gothic and Renaissance buildings, which are incredibly well preserved and was voted as France's favourite village in 2014. Then start your circular which explores the limestone plateaux to the south of the bastide with great views of Cordes.
Walk: 16km, +350m
Puycelci and the Gresigne Forest
Your walk today starts from Puycelsi, a hilltop town which has maintained a strategic highpoint from prehistoric times, there are both bronze age and Roman remains in the area. The walk drops into the forest of Gresigne which is the largest forest in the Tarn and the greatest oak forest in the South of France. Our walk passes through a conservation orchard, a Roman road and the hunting forests of King François I.
Walk: 19km, +350m
The hills of Gaillac
A circular tour from your guest house which explores the picturesque plateaux and hills of the Gaillac region passing through a mixed landscape of fields, vines and forest. You'll also visit the chapelle de Gradille. Return via the wonderful historic hill-top village of Castelnau de Montmiral.
Walk: 14 -24km, +330m
Vines & Chateaux
This is a circular tour from Cahuzac and follows a local trail through the vineyards and sunflower fields on the undulating hills and ridges of the Gaillac region. You'll pass through a number of small hamlets as well as the chateau at Mauriac which you have the chance to visit.
Walk: 17km, +460m
St-Antonin-Noble-Val
Visit St Antonin Noble Val nestled at the opening of the Aveyron Gorge, this beautiful medieval town was the backdrop to the film ‘Charlotte Gray`. This walk is best done on Sunday so that you can visit the Sunday market before walking up the escarpment and exploring the most beautiful part of Aveyron gorge.
Walk: 12km, +300m
Bruniquel & Penne
A circular trail which climbs to reach the pretty ridge-top village of Penne with its ruined castle. Afterwards you follow the gorge to reach your next bastide – Bruniquel. Like many of the villages you’ll explore, this is also classed as one of the prettiest villages in France. Explore its steep streets lined with historic dwellings. Return by a different trail.
Walk: 22km, +370m Shorter options of this walk are possible.
Najac & Laguepie
Take the train north to Najac from Gaillac or Lagueoie. Climb to its wonderful historic centre which is spread out along the top of a ridge, topped by its castle. Afterwards, follow a section of St James’ Way over hills and then along the Aveyron valley to reach Laguepie.
Walk: 15km, +320m
Albi
Rest day for those who want one and a chance to visit the beautiful city of Albi on the banks of the river Tarn. The city is home to Saint Cecile Cathedral, the largest brick-built building in the world. There is also the chance to visit the Toulouse Lautrec museum which houses over 1000 of his works or just stroll by the river and relax in one of the numerous cafés and bars.
Tour from Penne
A delightful trail circular which heads from the historic bastide of Penne out through pasture and a tiny Kinghts Templar village with its historic church before climbing onto the edge of the plateau that surrounds the village. Great views towards Penne and of the surrounding hills. Afterwards, descend and follow the valley before climbing back into Penne.
Walk: 12km, +350m
Day 8: Departure
Walking holiday ends after breakfast.
At a glance
April - June & September - October
From €955 per person (based on 2 sharing)
Self-Guided
7 nights / 6 days walking
Centre based
Distance: 12-17km per day
Ascent: 300-460m per day
Small guest houses
FULL BOARD except 2 evening meals
Other walking holidays in the Tarn
Similar self-guided walking holidays in south-west France
Tarn
Hundreds of medieval towns known as Bastides are scattered throughout the Midi-Pyrenees. From high on rocky hilltops, villages such as Puycelsi, Najac, Penne, Castelnau-de-Montmiral and Cordes-sur-Ciel 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 towns 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.
Your independent walking holiday in south west France includes a mixture of moderate walks allowing ocassional walkers of average fitness to enjoy the ever changing views and landscapes of the Tarn and to 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.
Please note that you require your own vehicule for this walking holiday.
Holiday Profile
7 nights/8 days: 6 days 2 centre-based independent walking holiday
Dates
Everday of week subject to availability during April, May, June, September & October
Walking Profile & Grade
The days on this self-guided walking holiday are mixed, allowing walkers of moderate ability to enjoy the ever changing views and landscapes and see the beautiful array of wildlife and flowers. Some moderate ascents up and down gorges and hills amounting to about 350m. Most walks are well within the grade. The walks can be varied according to your interests. Paths are generally good, although they can be rough and stony in places. A number of transfers to the start of walks are included in the holiday price. You require your own transport to access most of the walks. It would be possible to do the holiday without a car but the choice of walks would be limited.
This walking holiday is graded moderate. See more information about walking grades.
Accommodation & Meals
You’ll stay in two beautiful guest houses conveniently located for your walks. Chambre d'hote style in historic properties offers an authentic and very comfortable stay. The welcome is warm and generous and the local cuisine and wine is first-rate.
Where is the Tarn?
When to Travel
Our centre-based self-guided walking in the Tarn is available from April to June inclusive and in September and October. We do not run this holiday in the height of the summer due to the high temperatures and the difficulty in securing our top choice accommodation. The climate in the Tarn is classed as warm temperate with an oceanic climate with a Mediterranean influence, characterised by hot and fairly dry summers, sunny autumns, mild winters and springs marked by recurrent rainfall. Ideal walking temperatures are experienced up to mid June, after which it can become very hot. Average day time temperatures are 17.5°C for mid April and 21.5°C for mid-May. By Mid June temperatures have reached 25.5°C on average in the afternoon whilst September highs average 25°C. October is still a good month for walking on average with maximum temperatures of 20°C and lower rainfall than those experienced further south and east in the south of France. April can still be fresh with morning temperatures averaging 8°C. The wettest month in the Tarn is May, whilst September is the driest month. The region is slightly sunnier than the national French average.
Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps
This walking holiday partly follows GR (Grande Randonnee) long-distance trails which are well way-marked with red and white markings. There are also a number of signposts along the trail. The walking follows clear paths for its entire duration. The remaining sections follow local trails waymarked in yellow, whilst other sections have no or little markings. Our walking notes describe the walking trails in great detail (more information here). They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by the IGN at a scale of 1:25,000. Your trail is highlighted on the maps.
Luggage
On this walking holiday, there are no luggage transfers as it is a centre-based holiday. We would recommend that you limit the weight of your bags to 20kg as we generally use small guest houses in historic buildings and some of the rooms are accessible only by stairs.
Travel Info
Self Drive from UK
Channel ferry crossings from Dover are provided by a number of operators including P&O Ferries & DFDS seaways. Crossings are also provided by train with Eurotunnel.
Once in France, the journey from Calais to your first guest house takes about 10-11 hours (excluding long breaks).
Car hire is possible locally in Toulouse and Albi
By Train
Eurostar, TGV and then TER French trains allow you to get to Gaillac train station from where you'll be given a transfer to your guest house in the Tarn near Castlenau. Changes between the Eurostar and TGV are at Lille or Paris. TGV's run from Paris Austerlitz to Toulouse.
Flight Options
There are flights from French and UK airports toToulouse. Operators from UK airports include Easyjet from Bristol and Gatwick, Jet2.com from Leeds - Bradford and Manchester, and British Airways from London Heathrow. There are car hire companies at the airport or you can travel into the city and hire a car from there. From the airport there are shuttle buses that go to Toulouse train station near the city centre. Shuttle bus is found at door B3 on the ground floof and the journey costs about €5.50.
Note: Please check concerning the availability of a holiday before booking any flights
7 nights / 6 days walking
- From €955
- Price per person based on 2 sharing
- Please consult us for single supplements
What's included in the price
- 7 nights FULL BOARD accommodation (except two evening meals)
- All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 5 evening meals
- Full walking notes and maps
What's not included in the price
- Travel to Tarn, France
- Lunches on the day of arrival and departure, plus two evening meals in restaurants
- Any excursions, transfer or entrance fees
- Travel insurance
Payment
- A deposit payment of 30% or at least £250 or 250€ per person must be made to confirm your booking. The balance of payments is due 8 weeks before the holiday date. If the holiday date is less than 8 weeks away at the time of booking, then the full price should be paid.
You’ll stay in two guest houses conveniently located for your walks. Our first choice of accommodation is presented below. They are in historic buildings and offer an authentic and very comfortable stay in a B&B style guest house. The welcome is warm and generous and the local cuisine and wine is first rate.
Les Miquels
Les Miquels is a chambre d'hôte style guest house, located in a small 18th century hamlet just outside the beautiful bastide village of Castelnau-de-Montmiral. The hamlet which was restored by Laurence and Dominique in 2004 has a number of typical buildings from the region including a dovecote, well and bread oven. The guest house is set in 2 hectares of grounds which includes a boules court and swimming pool as well as an area to sit and enjoy the warm Tarn sun after your walk. Their three rooms are located in different historic buildings of the hamlet and have been restored to leave the original features visible. Dinners are served in the old stables which has been converted into a large dining, sitting room and library. |
Extra Nights
Extra nights are possible at each of the guest houses. We can adapt the length of the walking holiday to suit your wishes with enough walks and visits to envisage up to a 10-night stay, or longer if you wish to incorporate rest days. We can also use a third guest house to vary the experience for longer stays. In this case we would book nights at Maison au Puits at the base of Cordes-sur-Ciel. We have also run tailor-made walking holidays combining this holiday with parts of our linear walking trail holiday: Tarn's Medieval Bastides.
City Breaks
Toulouse: The walking holiday is less than an hour from the city of Toulouse. Toulouse is France's fourth largest city, located on the banks of the Garonne River. Founded by the Romans it owes its nickname of "Ville Rose" or pink city to the use of brick used in much of its architecture from Antiquity to the present day. It dresses the façades with warming colours, from soft pinks to the most flamboyant oranges. Toulouse counts three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Canal du Midi (designated in 1996 and shared with other cities), and the Basilica of St. Sernin, the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe, designated in 1998 along with the former hospital Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques because of their significance to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage trail. We can add on a city break of varying numbers of nights according to your wishes.
Tailor-Made Trips
One of our signature trips - a holiday that combines the best of our expertise in walking holidays and more varied travel experiences - is based around the beautiful Tarn.
Walking Through History: Medieval France Adventure
Welcome to the Tarn, Land of Character. Our signature trip invites you to an authentic discovery in a region with a rich landscape: a mix of rolling fields and vineyards with expansive views, sunny plateaux, ancient oak forests, and deep rocky gorges.
The Tarn is also a terroir of Gastronomy: a land of plenty where truffles, sunny wines, and duck delights make dishes fit for kings.
But above all, the Tarn is a Land of History: castles, majestic abbeys, medieval cities – a testament to France’s history. If you want to uncover the essence of French culture through hiking in stunning landscapes, visiting places filled with stories, and experiencing culinary and craft activities, this trip is for you.
Our Expertinsight
“Whilst many of the villages in Provence are crowded with visitors, those in the Tarn remain relatively peaceful and a pleasure to explore at your own pace. You’ll feel like you’ve come across a secret and wonder why no one else ventures to this part of rural France! In terms of the villages, my personal favourite is Najac, lost in the remote Aveyon countryside. A small train trip and you feel like you’ve changed country! It’s very dramatic and worth the walk! This holiday is best undertaken in late Spring or in Autumn when the vines are at their coulourful best. The summer months can be too hot for longer walks, but we can always adapt the days as necessary and find you guest houses with swimming pools!”
Testimonials
Walking with beautiful scenery & medieval villages. Enjoyed all walks. Was very impressed and grateful for so much information. Instructions were very good & easy to follow. Lovely accommodation and owners.
Jenny & Tony F.