It is perhaps the best picnic area in Europe. Halfway through a French hill, staring at a lively green gorge.
Everywhere around us, in the soft, warm, smoky twilight, there are scammed chateaux, orange tiled farms and sparkling hilltop villages.
Singing bat wheel and night enales. The darker sapphire sky has that unique light that you only get in Provence, the glorious south of France.
Except, this is not entirely Provence.
This is the wilderness of South Aveyron, a hidden department that shares all the sunshine and beauty of Provencal France, but not the crowds or fame, despite being an hour of Rodez and 90 minutes of Montpellier, both connected to the VK.
If you know Aveyron, it is probably because of the powerful modernist viaduct that goes through the Tarn -Valley near Millau, the most important large city.
That in itself the story of Aveyron tells: people know by looking at it from a bridge, then they accelerate south. And so they miss.
And boy, they miss. The morning after our picnic my daughter and I go down from our rented apartment in our Winsome Village, Compeyre, to the idyllic river Tarn, five minutes drive.
Sean Thomas goes to Aveyron, a department in the Occitania region, South France with his daughter – and discovers why it is just as tempting as Provence
Aveyron is an hour from Rodez and 90 minutes from Montpellier, both with airports that are linked to the UK
We want to go kayaking (we can also go for a walk, climb, paragliding, canoeing, this is Adventure Sport Heaven).
It is at the end of July, we have not booked, we expect crowds. There are none. The kayak that Guy hires, smiles lovingly and says: “Of course, here are the kayaks, take your choice.”
We are brought the valley on a beautiful river beach, and there we go on our way, negotiating soft rapids, shooting narrows, with awe to Golden Canyon Walls.
At the very bottom there are small parties of the locals, swimming and paddling in the shallow, drinking wine and beers – the bottles cooled in damned back water. Happy Kids Zipwire overhead, scream ‘Bonjour!’
It is like a Gallic garden of Eden. We seem to be the only foreigners.
But Zuid -Aaveyron is not only beautiful villages and family pleasure. There is a fantastic history – Check the medieval Templar Citadel of Saint Eulalie de Cernon, lost in his dreamy Green Valley.
Also visit the creepy limestone plateaux, known as the Causses – for several megalithic monuments.
Millau itself is a seductive French city, slowly stretched along the Tarn, full of river cafés and sun -drenched squares.
Sean and his oldest daughter Lucy enjoy kayaking on the river Tarn. There is also the option to climb, paragliding, canoeing in this southern French ministry
For their last night in Aveyron, Sean and his daughter share a picnic of French cheeses, charcuterie and baguette
On our last night we opt for a new picnic – they are so delicious.
While we pack our basket with fruit, charcuterie and baguette, our landlord Pascal comes by to see if we are in order. I tell him that we are more than ok.
Then I ask him, “How come nobody comes here?” He laughs like I have dug up a secret.
‘Well, Parisians are starting to buy second houses. The Provence is now too hot and busy; It is cooler here. By the way, did you try the Roquefort? ‘
I assure him that we have indeed tried the beautiful, local Roquefort -cheese.
And then we go on the road with our picnic basket: in the evening, and the night enhances and the vineyards under the stars.
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