Days 54-56: Saint Antonin Noble Val and around

Disclaimer: All voyages in this blog are being taken safely in the comfort of our imaginations - based on our plans and intentions for travel in 2020. What is reality after all?

Small cute villages in the south of France have been the focus of our drives over the last three days, as we did two 'loops' from our base at Saint Antonin Noble Val, and then moved on to Arles. In these accounts, you'll find a few pictures and fewer words.

Day 1: the southern loop

This took us in a circuit to Penne, Bruniquel, Puycelsi, Castelnau-de-Montmiral, Gaillac, Cordes and back to Saint Antonin Noble Val. In most cases, it was best to park on the edge of the village and walk through the small streets.

We initially followed the road that wound along the banks of the Tarn, with its steep crags, sometimes diving through tunnels:

Our first stop was ...

Penne

In the curve of the river, Penne is marked by the remains of a ruined Château above the small village:

We decided not to climb up, but to wander through the old streets for a short moment:

Then it was on to ...

Bruniquel

Approaching Bruniquel, there's less to see, but then a castle looms on the edge of a rock cliff on a bend in the Tarn river:

The small town is tucked away behind this escarpment. We wandered through its streets for a while:

then headed up for a quick look in the Castle Bruniquel:

before it was onwards to ...

Puycelsi

This is a bastide - a fortified village or town - set on a small level hill and not, this time, on the river. We could see it in the distance:

and then closer:

and eventually we drove up and into it, parked, and wandered around for a while.

Next was ...

Castelnau-de-Montmiral

This small town is also set on a rise, but coming from the 'other' side, one doesn't realise its position. We parked:

and wandered through the town, admiring the buildings and the old place:

and then finding a viewpoint to look over the surrounding countryside:

Gaillac

The most southerly point on this loop was the larger town of Gaillac, which we approached from across the Tarn river:

We parked near the river and wandered in to one of the squares:

where we had a simple lunch at a patisserie:

In the afternoon, it was off to ...

Cordes-sur-Ciel

We had stayed here twice before, bewitched by the hilltop bastide, and initially by the image of it floating in a sea of clouds. We'd looked into staying nearby again, but eventually decided not to; however, it was important to visit again, to remind ourselves of its positioning:

It's a steep climb up to the oldest part of the town from the lower streets:

(It's possible to park up the top, but that has all the dangers of driving through narrow streets, so we left the car 'downhill'.)

Whichever way you approach the old town, there are many scenic arches through the defensive walls:

(this was quite near where we'd stayed last time); and picturesque corners:

This is the stone marketplace (halle) in the centre of the town:

We wandered back down through some of the lesser gates and streets:

and completed the loop back to Saint Antonin Noble Val, where we headed out for dinner at a recommended local restaurant:

Day 2: the northern loop

Today's drive took us north and then east, through Puylaroque, Caylus, Najac, Sauveterre-de-Rouergue and Laguépie, before returning for dinner about 15 minutes east of Saint Antonin Noble Val.

But it started with a wander through the streets of our 'own' village:

Just outside, there is a cave system (Grotte du Bosc) that we visited for a quick early morning tour:

Puylaroque

From the lookout in Puylaroque, one can again see over the countryside:

and back over the small town:

Caylus

Caylus seemed very quiet:

with some pleasant streets on different levels:

a stone market hall:

some differently-styled buildings:

and interesting carved stones in walls off the main areas:

Just north of Caylus, we found an interesting natural site - a petrified waterfall. This is the Cascade Pétrifiante:

where there was even some water from a small stream falling from tree height:

Nearby is ...

Najac

We again entered this village, which sits along a ridge, through an arched door:

and, along the road, into a small place with a fountain:

But turning the corner, there was an amazing vista down the steep main street:

The mist quickly dispersed:

and we walked down the street and across to the castle at the end of the ridge:

Climbing up the tower, we could look back at Najac, lying along its ridge:

Next was ...

Sauveterre-de-Rouergue

This was a little drive eastwards, to a small fortified medieval town, whose main attraction seems to be an arcaded central square:

This was a pleasant spot for a small late lunch:

Laguépie

The final village before we turn 'home'-wards, was on the Aveyron river:

Looking over the bridge rail, we could see an old mill on the riverbank:

This piqued our fancy, and on the late drive back to Saint Antonin Noble Val, we stopped off for a meal in an old mill: the Moulin de Varen:

This had an outdoor seating area under a verandah:

as well as in-door tables:

As always, we ate modestly:

Before staggering back to the car:

and back to our studio.

Day 3: Saint Antonin Noble Val to Arles

Finally, it was time to leave, so on the road again, heading east, but time for one last stop on the way when we saw this sign:

The village was along the banks of the Tarn again (we seem to be wandering along it a lot):

We parked against and under a rock face:

and admired some of the village buildings (some of them for VERY small people):

We eventually found the church - the Eglise Troglodytique Saint-Christofol:

and went inside for a quick look:

We also noticed a sign for a restaurant and, as we were about two hours into today's four hour drive, thought this a useful place to break for lunch:

The restaurant had a balcony overlooking the river:

It was a pleasant place to eat:

I don't know whether you noticed, but we saw something from the balcony of the restaurant that intrigued us, and after lunch drove towards Millau, seeing this in the distance initially:

and then from closer, crossing our minor road:

It became obvious that we would rejoin the highway and cross this: the Viaduc de Millau. But there's a viewing point first, with a small museum (which we didn't visit) about the bridge's construction:

We did indeed cross it, and it's not as scary as it looks from 'outside':

Speedily now, having spent some time over lunch and bridge views, onwards to Arles, where we'd previously stayed in 1988. We remember it for the amphitheatre, the underground buildings, Van Gogh and the midges. We wondered if they were all still there.

This time, we are staying about five minutes' walk outside the main old city, near the Roman mausoleums, the Alyscamp. We'll see all that over the next few days, but for now it was the priority to find our apartment, which is located in a lovely garden: