St Antonin

St Antonin is a medieval town with buildings dating back 900 years and history going back much further. You can lose yourself in the warren of narrow, car-free streets where you’ll find wonderful architecture at every turn. Despite this, the town is so compact that you’re never more than a few minutes walk from the us.

The town has a really nice balance between tourism and rural French life. It’s a popular destination, but life still goes on here for the locals much as it has done for centuries. On Sunday one of the best markets in France spills out from the main square into many of the streets, and there are cultural events and festivals to enjoy throughout the summer.

St Antonin is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. There are fabulous walks from the doorstep, and endless road  and mountain bike riding. Kayak trips down the river are deservedly popular and are the best way to see the Aveyron gorge. The river, which is warm and very clean is wonderful for swimming. The cliffs towering over the town are the venue for world class rock climbing and parapenting, and there’s caving nearby too.

The town is used regularly for filming. Most recently we hosted The Hundred Foot Journey starring Helen Mirren, and before that Charlotte Grey starring Cate Blanchett. Last year we came 3rd in a national television competition France’s Favourite Village.

Parking in the town is free and there are a number of nearby car parks.

Walking

One of the nicest things to do in St Antonin is to go for a walk. We’re in a gorge by a river surrounded by countryside which is mostly forested, so it’s a treat to get out on the footpaths.

These are .gpx files for some of our favorite walks, all of them starting (and finishing) from the village. None of the walks start from the front door because smartphones struggle to navigate in the narrow streets. However it’s obvious for each one which way to go simply by looking at the map on your phone. You’ll need a suitable app on your smartphone to use these files.

• Walk 1 is short and easy. It’s not entirely flat, but the hills are small. Despite being so short, it really feels as though you’re a long way from St Antonin. Don’t forget to look over the gate where the route almost doubles back on itself to see a beautiful pigeonnier. 3km, 51m climbing
• Walk 2 is a longer version of walk 1. 5km, 77m climbing
• Walk 3 is mostly by the river. You cross the bridge and follow the river downstream to the first bridge where you cross and return to St Antonin on the other bank. It’s almost enitely flat. 8.3km, 53m of climbing
• Walk 4 is probably my favorite because it takes you to the best viewpoint above town at the Cirque de Bone. But there’s a price to pay – you climb up out of the gorge which is hard work but you don’t need to be super-fit! You also get a sense of how much of the farmland in this area was abandoned; look for the old field boundaries disappearing into the trees. At about the half way mark you’ll cross a gravelly car park where the route goes both right and left. Turn right along the cliff top to admire the views, turn left to descend a series of switchbacks which take you back to the village. After the switchbacks look out on your right for a restored Gariotte (a shepherd’s shelter). 8.6km, 205m climbing
• Walk 5 takes you up to the top of the Roc d’Anglars, the imposing cliffs overlooking the village. It’s a long climb, but it’s never steep. It starts on a road, but you soon turn off onto a shady path. At the top of the climb, the route heads right, but on your left is a launch platform for hurling yourself off the cliff which of course has a great view. The next part of the walk is across the largely abandoned Causse d’Anglars. Look out for another gariotte built into a wall on your right. Then you take a narrow path back down into the valley, but watch out for the steep section at the end, it can be slippery after rain. The walk finishes with an easy stroll along the river. 9.4km, 232m climbing
• Walk 6 takes you around the top of the Cirque de Nibousou and is the steepest and roughest of the walks. However it’s doable in trainers. It’s an easy walk out of the village on the Chemin de Santou, which becomes a track and then a narrow path. It’s when you turn right that the climb really begins up a rough set of switchbacks to an abandoned quarry, with the ruins of the owner’s cottage easy to find. The next section is quite uneven, but the views across the cirque are stunning. After crossing a road you’ll walk along the cliff edge of the Roc Deymié with more fantastic views up the Aveyron valley. The descent down to the village is steep and has a short ladder bolted to the rocks. If you don’t fancy that, you can descend down the road instead, although that’s pretty steep too. 6.9km, 209m climbing