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Read our Slow France Guide to staying at Maison d’Artiste – The Rustic Retreat and discover……
Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, 6-minute drive
Sun: 11:45 – 21:30
Mon – Sat: 12:00 – 21:30
Walk through a beautiful archway (next door to the oldest town hall in France) to reach this lovely restaurant with a fabulous courtyard for diners – you can star watch at night. They have a very decent menu and also serve freshly made pizzas so it is good for all the family. Worth booking a table to make sure you’re on the terrace courtyard.
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Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, 4-minute drive
Sun: 12:00 – 13:45
Mon: closed
Tues – Sat: 12:00 – 13:30 & 19:00 – 20:30
A wonderful setting by the bridge overlooking the river for this excellent restaurant. They have a good and imaginative menu (including vegetarian choices) and the food is perfectly presented. You sit indoors or on the terrace – worth booking ahead.
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Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, 5-minute walk
Mon – Sun: 07:30 – 2:00
The quintessential French café, perfect for people watching and soaking up the atmosphere. The old stone building has sprawling tables and chairs set on the cobbles, the young friendly staff memorise the most complicated orders and the coffee is good, as is the beer. On market day you can buy a plate of charcuterie or oysters to eat at the table. It’s a popular spot so get here early!
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From the door
There are wonderful walks in every direction, and you’ll find plenty of maps and guides in the cottage. Follow the path through the woods overlooking a beautiful valley and past pretty old houses in the tiny hamlets of Palot and Thoumet. Be greeted by curious donkeys, spot shy deer having a quiet graze.
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Cirque de Bone
5-minute drive
Take the path which leads you to the top of the hill behind the town and around the cliffs. There are heart-stopping views of medieval St Antonin below you and lots of pretty places to stop for a quiet picnic. On the way home you can rest at one of the numerous cafés or bars for a well-earned cold drink.
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The Island
5-minute drive
Children (and the young at heart) will adore wading across to the island in the middle of the river. Take a picnic and spend the day basking by the water in the sunshine, or under the shade of trees. A 15-minute drive from town will take you to Cazals Beach which is lovely and great for young children as the water is very shallow in places.
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Gorges de l’Aveyron
Hire canoes from Kayman Canoë Hire and spend a day winding your way down the gorge, stopping whenever you want for a cooling dip. En route you’ll find ‘Robinsons’ which can only be reached by boat and has tables and chairs sitting in the water. They serve great salads and homemade chips, drinks and ice creams. Watch intrepid jumpers hurling themselves off the high rock opposite and into the water – or join them if you dare!
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30-minute drive
This beautiful village is set on a dramatic outcrop of rock surrounded by forests. Its steep street descends to an imposing 13th-century château and church and is lined with ancient houses. The huge square has a remarkable 14th-century fountain at its centre. There are several restaurants and cafés to visit, along with one of the best bakeries in this area – Maison Delmur.
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A charming medieval hilltop town – puff up to the top of the hill for fantastic views – packed with ancient buildings and home to the stunning ‘Jardin de Paradis’ created by Éric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières. Children will enjoy the ‘scent game’ identifying various scents hidden around the garden. Don’t miss the unique, eccentric house created by artist and sculptor Jean-Jacques Enjalbert – a completely interactive artistic experience.
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Boulangerie Le Cournille
6-minute drive
Tues: closed
Mon – Sat: 07:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 19:00
Sun: 07:00 – 13:00
The scrummiest butter croissants, baguettes and delicious French tarts make this a favourite destination and it’s well loved by locals. It also has a superb selection of French gateaux so cake lovers will be happy.
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Ateliers Occitans
6-minute drive
Tues – Sat: 09:30 – 19:00
Sun: 08:30 – 13:00
A family-run popular shop which stocks a great selection of organic local wines, cheeses, meats, vegetables and spices and herbs along with lots of tasty homemade food to take home.
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Carrefour
6-minute drive
Mon – Sat: 08:00-20:00
Sun: 09:00-1300
As supermarket experiences go, this one is not bad at all – everything looks fresh and is nicely presented. You can stock up on just about everything if you can’t find it at the market, including fish. You can also fill up with petrol here.
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5-minute drive
Sunday morning
It’s worth getting up early for this colourful, sprawling market with a lively, bustling atmosphere. Find fresh cheeses, olives, locally-produced charcuterie, home baked breads, abundant vegetables and fruit and a zillion other fascinating things to see and taste. When you’re finished, find a table at the Café de la Halle for a superb coffee and a spot of people watching. There’s also a mini organic market on Thursday evenings – try olive, walnut and fig breads.
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Cordes sur Ciel
This Saturday morning market is quite small but very authentic and is held throughout the year at the bottom of the medieval hilltop town. It has everything you need, lots of fruit and vegetables and olives and other delicious local wares. There’s a café here too, Le Bistrot Cordais, where you can sit with a coffee and watch the goings on, or drink something cool before walking up to the top of the hill to see the fascinating medieval town and perhaps eat in one of its many restaurants.
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Entre Cour et Jardin
Sat: 14:30 – 17:30
Sun: 11:00 – 18:00
This is one of the best and most beautiful brocantes you will find anywhere. It’s run by a wonderfully knowledgeable lady, Christine, who has amassed a superb collection of vintage fabrics, ceramics, pottery and other treasures. Set over two floors of an untouched medieval house with a big stone staircase, it’s like a museum where you can also buy. If it’s closed you can call the phone number on the door and Christine will happily open for you if she’s there.
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Thurs – Sat: 14:00 – 17:00
Sun: 11:00 – 17:00
A great brocante carefully curated by two lovely people with a very artistic eye. They have a fascinating collection of vintage clothes, ceramics, books and artworks amongst other things, so it’s easy to while away plenty of time here happily.
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Château Bourget
15-minute drive
Sun: closed
Mon – Sat: 09:00-12:00 & 14:30 – 18:00
A superb family-run small vineyard which sits on the hillsides on the northern most lands of the Gaillac appellation facing Cordes sur Ciel. The vines here have been cultivated by the Borderies family for four generations on a very stony clay-limestone soil. They are always welcoming and informative and you can taste everything they produce, including their very good Balsamic vinegar.
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La Cave
5-minute drive
This is a wonderful place to visit if you want to really get to know all the local wines and plan visits to other vineyards. The owner really knows his stuff and will happily give you lots of information. He has a superb selection of wines and spirits – make sure to ask about his wines from Coteaux du Quercy.
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Outdoor pool
5-minute drive
Mon – Fri: 10:00 – 13:00 & 14:00 20:00 (open summer months only)
If wild swimming isn’t your bag then this is a grand spot to spend a few hours with or without your children. The spectacular open-air pools (a small one for young children and a big one for swimmers) have stunning views of the cliffs rising above them. Afterwards treat yourselves to homemade pizza and ice cream at Le Halle Café.
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15-minute drive
Older, more adventurous children who like climbing trees will be in heaven here. Walkways and tightropes suspended from trees lining the riverside mean they can swing Tarzan-like from high branches while canoeists glide along below them. Here they can also organise rock climbing, archery and trekking bike adventures for even more thrills – don’t expect to get away with just one visit.
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10-minute drive
A geological treasure of a cave, discovered in 1936 by local speleologists and open to the public since 1938. Take a 45-minute guided tour and learn all about the underground world of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, discs and other geological rock formations.
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15-minute drive
Mon – Tues: closed (February 1st – May 31st)
Weds – Sun: 10:00-12:30 & 14:00 – 17:00
Mon- Sun: 10:00-18:00 & 14:00 – 17:00 (June 1st – Sept30th)
Mon – Tues: closed (Oct 1st – end of French Christmas holidays)
Weds – Sun: 10:00-12:30 & 14:00 – 17:00
Visit this stunningly preserved former Cistertian Abbey, now home to a collection on Modern art. There are often events on throughout the summer and touring exhibitions by well known artists, so it is well worth a visit. There are also fabulous rose gardens to enjoy.
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Château de Bruniquel
20-minute drive
This wonderful medieval château, built high on a rocky spur, dominates the surrounding river landscape and looks over the Aveyron Gorge. It’s an interesting historical monument and well worth a visit. The village in which it stands, Bruniquel, is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
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Albi Cathedral and Toulouse-Lautrec Museum
The museum and the huge austere red brick Cathedral of Sainte-Cecile (said to be the largest red brick building in the world) were classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2010. The museum, housed in the Palais de la Berbi has an extensive collection of Lautrec’s work and is one of the best-preserved episcopal complexes in France. The cathedral is stunning with lavish interiors, art and sculptures, an ornate choir screen and dramatic and vivid portraits of hell and damnation. You will fear!
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Toulouse
This gorgeous rose-coloured city is well worth a day trip. The city is a living museum of stunning architecture and abounds with people, food, colour and scents. Visit The Space Centre for great exhibits and Le Hall de la Machine – full of street theatre and monstrous mechanical creatures such as the Minotaur who regularly patrols the building and frightens the life out of people.
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