VILLAGES AND TOWNS

The area has many picturesque, well preserved or finely restored little towns, villages and hamlets, a number of which are on the French village heritage list. For those who love this scenic beauty all these towns and villages are well worth stopping and strolling around. In the 13^th century a great number of these settlements were built as fortified towns, so called Bastides. These Bastides have a identifiable architectural style: the centre is a big square surrounded by buildings with large arches and arcades. The straight streets of the rest of the town all lead to the central square. The church is always situated on one side of the square, and not on the square itself

In alphabetical order here are a random pick of lovely villages and towns:

Albi
The beautiful city of Albi is at 45 kilometres from the campsite. Albi is over 2000 years old. The city is called “Albi la rouge” (Albi, the red one) because of all the red roof tiles and bricks. The handsomely renovated old town centre has many lovely shops and of course the impressive cathedral St. Cécile. The museum dedicated to the legendary painter Toulouse-Lautrec is housed in the formal episcopal palace, a magnificent, restored, brick fortress

Bruniquel
A charming village at a distance of 10 kilometres from the campsite. It is a pretty, 6^th century village, with a 12^th, 13^th and 17^th century castle. The church and the museum Maison Payrol date from the 13^th century.

Castelnau Castelnau de Montmiral
A pretty, small Bastide town is Castelnau de Montmiral, at 18 kilometres from the campsite. The bastide was built in 1222, the Gothic church dates from the 15^th century.

Cordes sur Ciel
Built on a steep slope and about 25 kilometres away from the campsite, the city Cordes-sur-Ciel is a real crowd puller, and rightly so. The city was built in 1223. During the weekends the French love to visit this attractive city. The walk uphill is rather fierce, but in summer there is a tourist train, which takes you almost to the top.

Gaillac
The city of Gaillac, at 25 kilometres away, is also a Bastide and was founded in the 7^th century. Gaillac is one of the oldest wine making cities in France; wine has been produced here since the year 1000.

L’Isle sur Tarn
One of the largest “arcade” squares of South-West France can be found in L’Isle sur Tarn, 25 kilometres northeast of the campsite. The bastide of L’Isle sur Tarn dates back to 1229.

l'isle sur tarn

Montauban
At 25 km west of the campsite, is a lively medium-sized city. The first Bastide dates back to 1144. The ‘Pont Vieux’, the old bridge over the river Tarn, was built in 1355, and the central square “Place Nationale” dates from the 17^th century. The city has a pleasant centre with small shops, but also large shopping centres and supermarkets. Montauban

Penne
The small village of Penne is a place worth seeing. It is situated at 20 kilometres from the campsite and it is of Celtic origin. On the top of the hill hang the ruins of a castle and the village itself looks like it came straight from a Dickens novel.

Puycelsi
At 8 kilometres away, is a bastide village of Gallo-Roman origin, built on the top of a hill. This hill and the village overlook the valley and can be seen throughout the area from a different angle each time. The village has a mere 200 inhabitants. There is a tiny shop and post office, a small hotel, a couple of restaurants and two pubs. It is well worth to make the described walk through the village and along the fortified walls of the village

St. Antonin de Noble Val
The lively, well-attended Sunday market of St. Antonin de Noble Val, at 25 kilometres away, is well-known in the whole region. The citadel of the town dates back to the 8^th century, the town hall was built in 1125. St. Antonin is a beautiful, lively town, which is well worth visiting even on the days when there is no market.

Toulouse
Toulouse is France’s fourth city in terms of inhabitants and Europe’s aviation capitol. The city is situated 60 kilometres south of the campsite and can be reached within 50 minutes by car. The buildings around the famous Place du Capitole date from the 17^th century and the Saint-Sernin cathedral from the 11^th -13^th century. Besides everything that a big city has to offer, there is also the ‘Cité de l’espace’ Space City, a vast science park, dedicated to space technology and space travel. A must for space lovers.

Markets

The French agricultural fairs are always a real treat. The atmosphere and the scents and colours of the country attribute to this experience. In the Bastide villages the stalls make a colourful sight under the arcades of the squares. The traditional weekly markets are held throughout the year and at harvet time there are special markets, such as the fruit market of Moissac, the garlic markets of Lautrec and Beaumont or the chestnut market of Laguepie. During the months of July and August night markets are organized in several towns with a choice of local delicacies. Monday CAUSSADE the liveliest big market in the region Tuesday NèGREPELLISE and ALBI Thursday MONCLAR DE QUERCY a tiny market Friday GAILLAC a big, somewhat cluttered regional market Saturday MONTAUBAN en ALBI both big regional markets Sunday ST. ANTONIN NOBLE VAL the most colourful market (only in the morning), and MONCLAR DE QUERCY (only in July and August)