La Chouette Hulotte

France is a country where beautiful regions predominate.
During a holiday, you can walk or cycle for hours along the rolling hills and endless vineyards. One of the most impressive regions in France is the Aveyron. This place in the Midi-Pyrenees region is characterised by a beautiful landscape and a wealth of culture.
The Aveyron region is a gem in France. It lends itself perfectly to a beautiful walk along the Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue. During the hike, you will discover twenty-three special castles in the Aveyron. It is a journey back in time. The castles, called 'châteaux' in French, are often still in good condition. In total there are more than a hundred castles in the Aveyron.
In the Middle Ages, this region, called Rouergue at the time, flourished.
One of the beautiful medieval castles along the route is for instance Château de Belcastel. This monument from the 9th century towers high above the green landscape of the Aveyron.

Red landscape:
Very special about the landscape of the Aveyron is that the colour red comes back again and again. This is due to the fact that the earth is often coloured red. This phenomenon is especially noticeable in the southern part of Rougier de Camarès. Also, the inhabitants of Aveyron often use the colour red in the building style of their houses. This colour gives the Aveyron a special appearance and makes a holiday in this French region unique.
Musicality in the abbey of Sylvanes
The large number of monasteries and abbeys makes Aveyron a special place. An impressive abbey is, for example, Sylvanes. This religious building dates from the 12th century and is entirely built in Romanesque style. Inside the abbey, you can admire beautiful arches, vaults and chapels. In summer, Sylvanes is the scene of many cultural activities. For example, you can visit the 'Festival de Musique Sacré'. During this musical feast, French artists perform beautiful songs.
Sports activities in the Aveyron
The Aveyron is also an excellent destination for sports lovers. Because of its location near the river Ayveron, you can undertake all kinds of sportive activities. In the summer months, for example, it is wonderful to go canoeing or rafting on the river. Or choose instead for a lovely bicycle-, walking-, or horseback-riding trip.

Villefranche-de-Rouergue
The royal town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, founded in 1252 by Alphonse de Poitiers, Count of Toulouse and brother of Saint Louis, lies in the valley of the Aveyron, and possesses a remarkable as well as beautiful immovable heritage. Our Lady's Square (place Notre-Dame), protected as a Historical Monument and located in the heart of the town, is beautiful with its medieval arches, beautiful old houses, and the impressive bell portal of 54 meters high, which belongs to the Our Lady's collegiate church (collégiale Notre-Dame). In it, you can admire a choir stool made of carved wood and a stone pulpit from the 15th century.
To explore Villefranche-de-Rouergue is to admire the facade details of its magnificent buildings, such as those of Armand, Combettes, Dardenne, and also Gaubert.
20min

Najac
Is a green village, surrounded by forests that offer beautiful and varied sounds in both summer and winter. The widening of the street to create a huge square reflects its transformation into a bastion in the middle of the 13th century. All along the street, you can admire a large number of old houses, as well as a fountain from the 14th century which is still in place.
40min.

Conques
The jewel of Romanesque art.
The pilgrims descended from the wild and austere land of the Aubrac to the valley of the Lot with an important stop: Conques. By the thousands, they walked on the Via Podiensis in search of themselves. At the end of the path, the beautiful medieval village of Conques with its abbey and its magnificent tympanum remains one of the most important centres of art and spirituality in the West. Thanks to the relics of Sainte-Foy, brought from Agen in 883, Conques became a very important stopover on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella, coming from le Puy en Velay. Even now, many walkers follow this historic route, stopping in the heart of the village where they are greeted by the religious.
55min.

Belcastel
From ruin to most beautiful village in Aveyron.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the only way to reach the village of Belcastel was by walking along difficult paths. There, on the towering rock that dominated the poor houses of the village, one discovered the still magnificent remains of the fortified fortress.
It was in 1974 that Fernand Pouillon, one of the greatest architects of his time, bought the ruined castle and immediately set about renovating it. His dedication and the active goodwill of all his employees and the people of the village, restored the castle to its past glory. This extraordinary initiative had encouraged the inhabitants of the village who, following his example, made every effort to give new life to the whole village by restoring private houses and collective institutions.
28min.

Sauveterre-De-Rouergue
A bastion of merchants.
Under the guardianship of the royal judge, the bastion was built as a small residential area: a central square, 9 plots each with a garden and a well, 4 main streets crossed by cross streets giving access to the gardens.
The population of the bastion, mainly of agricultural origin, suffers from a lack of land: this makes development impossible.
The bastion therefore becomes commercial and administrative, helped by the tax privileges granted by the king. Little by little, different activities appeared: forges, cutlery workshops, millinery, butchers... Galleries and shops reflect the economic vitality of the city.
42min.

Compolibat
Igue du Py and Igue de Rouffiès.
Natural phenomena due to erosion surrounded by a beautiful nature.
10min.

Pont De Cayla
With its picturesque bridge from Gallo-Roman times.
25min.

Bastide L'Evëque (1280)
Is a small bastide town built on a granite plateau, known for its former copper forges, a copper smithy that has been restored to its original state and can be visited.
le Martinet de la Ramonde. Is definitely worth a visit!
25min.

Villeneuve :
Medieval count and then king town with its Central Arches Square, Place de Conques.
Last Sunday of July medieval festivities.
25min.