GASTRONOMIC WALKING IN THE TARN

Our walking base on the banks of the River Tarn is the *** very stylish Grand Hôtel de la Muse et du Rozier. It’s a lovely, light and airy building (with big picture windows and conservatories), in a tranquil spot, with wooded hills behind and gardens leading down to the river. There’s a heated swimming pool, private riverside beach and trout fishing is possible in the Tarn. English-speaking owner, Sandrine Bonneville, is a mine of local information and will be pleased to discuss routes with you.

There is an extremely varied choice of walks on offer - we provide fully detailed route notes for 13 options ranging from 1-boot to 3-boot levels - with many ranking amongst the most popular in France. Some of the best start directly from the hotel and, by car, you can easily get into the Cévennes National Park too - superb additional walking choices.

During your stay, you will traverse the vast limestone plateaux of the Causses where the lovesick Robert Louis Stevenson and his donkey, Modestine, travelled in 1878. You can picnic beneath the impressive plunging gorges, cool your feet in fresh mountain streams and visit the ancient rock city of Montpellierle- Vieux nestled in the shelter of sheer cliffs. Other regional highlights within a short drive include the Tarn gorges, Aven Armand, the caves of Dargilan, the Cirque de Navacelles, Roquefort with its caves harbouring 5,000 tons of maturing cheese and the royal hermitage of St-Guilhem-le-Désert.

In the evenings, chef Samuel Breux combines traditional country menus with exotic new flavours - always using on the freshest of seasonal ingredients - to produce gastronomic and innovative dishes.

For more infomation about this holiday, including hotel descriptions, travel options and full holiday itinerary, please see our new 'further details' section.