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Lot
The Underground Abyss in Padirac
The phrase “Underground Cave” doesn’t really do it enough credit. It’s too enormous to be called a cave. Legend has it that the devil, in a rage, created this abyss. It’s an underground castle, almost, and satanic intervention seems more than possible, looking at it! More logically, geologists explain that it’s a natural phenomenon. But that doesn’t make it any less spectacular. More than 100m underground, you take a 500m boat trip into a grotto where the ceiling is fully 90m above your head. The climax of the trip is a 75m long stalactite, which seems to want to drop into the lake below. Once the boat drops you off again, you can chose to either climb a stairway to view this amazing site from above, or, if you’re feeling lazy, there’s an escalator. From above, you’d imagine that you’re in a sci-fi movie…
Information: + 33 (0) 5 65 33 64 56
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Hautes-Pyrénées
The Gavarnie Cirque
When nature meets art, you end up with the Gavarnie Cirque. It needs to be seen to be believed! It’s a breathtaking geological display of cliffs, waterfalls, and ice. The thousands of tourists who go there every year can’t be wrong! Several geological factors coincided to create this enormous bowl in the rock. The Pyrenees themselves are formed of three parallel lines: two softer rock formations, which surround a very tough granite centre. Firstly ice, then water, eroded the bowl-shaped valley into a cirque, leaving the harder rock wall behind.
It’s a savage and natural scene, and slightly hostile. It does have a human side to it, however: Charlemagne’s nephew Roland fought the Moors here, before his defeat at Roncevaux. Later, Gavarnie was a point of exchange between the Spanish and the French, and became a sort of natural frontier.
It was only in the 19th century that the site became important for tourism. Victor Hugo himself visited Gavarnie and wrote very enthusiastically about it. The popularity of the are led to almost 2 million visitors per year at one point, until the 1960s when Gavarnie became less fashionable. It’s picking up again now, however, helped by Conservation projects and the Pyrenees festival.
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Aveyron
The Sylvanès Abbey
The Sylvanès Abbey owes its creation to a reformed bandit1 He was called Pons de Léras and one day he repented and decided to go on a pilgrimage with several companions. They ended up in Sylvanès in 1132, built a monastery and established themselves as Cistercian monks. The monastery received generous donations and became an abbey.
Even today, the typical Cistercian building is clearly visible. From the outside, it resembles a large farm, perfectly adapted for the needs of reclusive monks who grow their own food. Once you enter, it looks like a typical church of the period: a 17m high nave, cut in two to form a symbolic cross. Outside the church, the nun’s hall is worth a visit, it’s all that remains of the 13th century cloister. This is where nuns came to study and replicate manuscripts.
When you’re touring the Aveyron, drop in on the Abbey, the villagers have worked hard on its restoration, and it is worth going out of your way to see it.
Information: +33 (0)5 65 99 51 83
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Tarn-et-Garonne
Pigeon Lofts
We like feathery animals in the Midi-Pyrenees region! As well as fattening up geese and ducks, pigeons also receive special treatment. Look out as you drive through Tarn-et-Garonne, alongside the Chateaux you’ll often see a pigeon loft. The pigeon droppings were used as fertiliser in medieval times.
You’ll see hexagonal, round, and square pigeon lofts all over the region. The most interesting ones are in Montauban, Lauzerte, and Montech. A few kilometres from Auvillar, in Vallance d’Agen, there is a festival to celebrate this tradition, and it includes a tour of the most interesting pigeon lofts.
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