local towns

The area surrounding Castelnau de Montmiral is a region of rolling hills patterned with vineyards, of forests, rivers and dramatic gorges, of medieval hilltop villages and pretty riverside towns. The pace of life here is leisurely and relaxed; despite new autoroutes into the area, little seems to have changed in a hundred years. The following list is far from complete, but the links provided may give a sense of what else goes on in the region:

Albi: A lovely red brick town on the Tarn. Home of Toulouse Lautrec Museum and St Cecile cathedral. Upmarket shopping, indoor market, lots of restaurants.
www.mairie-albi.fr www.tourisme.fr/albi

Gaillac: Closest town to Castelnau. Very useful Le Clerc supermarket. Centre for wine. New multi screen cinema complex. Some good restaurants. Great Friday market. Good concerts at the Abbey every Friday in the summer.
www.gaillac.fr

Lisle sur Tarn: Attractive large village on the Tarn. Good Sunday market. Good restaurant. Chocolate museum.
www.lisle-sur-tarn.fr

St Antonin de Noble Val: Pretty bastide town on the Aveyron Gorge. Excellent market every Sunday morning. Arts and craft shops. Good restaurants. Great cinema often with the English version. Centre for kayaking.
www.saint-antonin-nobleval.com

Penne: Attractive village with ruins close to St Antonin. Good value restaurant. Centre for kayaking.

Cordes-sur-Ciel: 13th C Magnificant bastide town perched high up an a rock. Lots of  arts and crafts shops, some good restaurants. Medieval and music festivals in July and September.
www.cordes-sur-ciel.org

Monesties: Pretty village not far from Cordes. Celebrated music festivals in the summer. Lovely lake for swimming nearby.
www.monesties.com

Bruniquel: Extraordinary bastide village with a fortress teetering on a rocky outcrop.

Puycelsi: Pretty bastide village close to Castelnau with spectacular views of the Foret de Gresigne. Lots of musical events in the summer. Centre for walking/hiking. www.tourisme-tarn.com