The Tarn is a 380 kilometre long river in southern France; it sources on Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains and joins the Garonne River near Moissac. The river is famous for its brutal flooding. The famous flooding of March 1930 saw the Tarn rise more than 17 meters above its normal level in Montauban in just 24 hours, about 300 people died and thousands of houses were destroyed.
The Tarn was navigable from Saint-Juéry up to the Garonne, about 147 km. The river was by far the most important way of transport from the Romans onward, subsequently to be replaced in the 20th century by rail road and road transport. Without the Tarn, the famous Gaillac wine would never have reached Bordeaux, and sail to England from there!
The Millau Viaduct spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau, and is now one of the area's most popular attractions. It is near the canyons («Gorges du Tarn»), a well preserved but fairly tourist destination. Another famous natural area is located near Albi, in Ambialet: where the Tarn makes a 3km long loop around a rocky knoll.
The Tarn is one of the most pleasant tourist destinations in south-west France: nature is well preserved, its treasures its historical and cultural heritage, and the habitants are very welcoming. Its towns, villages and tourist attractions are far from crowded and the region posses good infrastructures.
Touring the south-west, you shouldn't miss:
◊ Albi, its splendid cathedral and Palais de la Berbie, UNESCO world heritage
◊ the bastides albigeoises, medieval fortified small towns and villages
◊ the wine road, its charming villages where you can taste the famous Gaillac wine
◊ the Gresigne forest, famous royal forest in the past, now a Natura 2000 site
Count for 3 or 4 days visit at a minimum, a week to get a good impression or if you intend to do some walking. The Tarn has about 4800 km walking trails, and the mild climate enables us to walk the year round.
B&B Artichaud is a very central place to discover the area. We are located in Castelnau de Montmiral at the edge of the Gresigne forest and on both the bastides and wine roads, not far from Albi. Toulouse is about 70 km south. We love this region, and we like to share our knowledge with our guests.
Artichaud is an eco-friendly guest house, one of the few in the region. Our rooms are spacious and comfortable; we have a large garden, a swimming pool. Our food is great – organic, of course – and we are awarded the official “vignoble et decouverte” label, because of the excellent wines we serve.
We have a special one-week arrangement: walking among bastides and vineyards
Text & pictures: © Bed and Breakfast Artichaud
