Sport and leisure activities
Fans of intense sports will adore the numerous activities available in the Aveyron gorges: canoeing & kayaks, potholing, rock-climbing?, the landscape alone is a challenge !
Why not also take advantage of the activities on offer in the Leisure and aquatic sports centres in the department ?
As a family or with friends, a river trip or outings strolling through villages decked with flowers are some of the many pleasures on offer for less sporty visitors.
And for those passionate about cultural heritage, visiting the abbeys, castles, "castlenaux" and bastides is a must.
Sports facilities in Tarn-and-Garonne
Canoeing and kayaks
This is one of the most popular sports in the Aveyron gorges: it takes 3 hours to navigate the 9 kilometres of the Aveyron. Several clubs or associations offer boat rental.
Rock-climbing
The sheer cliffs of the Aveyron make an impression on even the most adept of intense sports fans.
St-Antonin-Noble-Val has more than 600 listed climbs
Potholing
The valley also possesses several caves and grottoes:
Capucin,
Dame Blanche,
Traçadou,
Gourgue,
The Bosc grotto, an exceptional site due to its variety of colours and immense wealth of mineral concretions, is open to the public all year round.
Potholing and visits to certain caves must be done accompanied by a guide holding a State diploma in potholing.
Rambling
The Tarn-and-Garonne possesses numerous tracks whose levels of difficulty depend upon whether they are in the Aveyron gorges, the Gascogne or Quercy hillsides or in the large central plains.
The most well-known track is the GR 65 or Via Podiensis which links Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle via the bastide of Lauzerte with its Saint-Barthélemy church, Moissac and the magnificent abbey of Saint-Pierre and Auvillar with its Saint-Pierre church and round hall.
Fishing
The amount of waterways in the department guarantees numerous opportunities for fans of fishing:
sections of the canal,
various lakes and reservoirs (Clairefont, Monestier, Bleu), the rivers of Tarn-and-Garonne (the Lère, the Vère, the Tauge, the Gimone, the Tescou).
Each river is a home to specific species of fish: goujon (gudgeon), gardon (roach), ablette (bleak), perch, sander (pikeperch), carp, silure (catfish), trout which won't fail to delight serious fishermen.
Access to the rivers has been enhanced by the installation of a number of boat ramps, particularly on the Aveyron and the Tarn.
With 400 hectares of artificial lakes, 1,400 kms of rivers and 120 kms of streams, the Tarn and Garonne is a paradise for fishermen.
Horseriding
There are more than 10 centres offering a wide range of levels:
introduction for beginners,
riding lessons,
hourly rides,
pony-trekking,
stabling,
horse shows and gymkhanas.
In Tarn-and-Garonne, the passion for horses is also evident in the existence of stallion breeding stables and riding hostels, which welcome trekkers, but above all by the number of ponies present in the fields, delighting the smallest visitors!
Cycling holidays
For cycling enthusiasts, some superb circuits exist, either steep or on the flat, for example, at Caylus and Saint-Antonin Noble Val or around the lake at Parisot ?
As a family or with friends, bike rental either alone or with a guide, enables you to appreciate the region's beauty, for a couple of hours, a day or even several.
Amongst the most unusual cyclepaths is that which follows the old canal towpath, particularly between Castelsarrazin and Lamagistère.
The "green" cycle-path (vélo-voie verte) continues along the Montech canal, between Montech and Montauban. This green path is part of the project to link Bordeaux, Toulouse and Sète along the canals. The cycle route in the Aveyron valley is also worth a visit
Mountain biking
The mountain bike circuits in Tarn-and-Garonne include shady routes, steep and stony slopes as well as off-road earth tracks with undergrowth perfect for speed addicts.
Mountain biking is an ideal way to combine sport and exploration ; in a few hours you can experience the amazing view from Bruniquel castle, follow the course of the Aveyron, visit an old wash-house or make a stop at the mill in Etournels.
Paragliding, hang-gliding and microlighting
There are more than 10 clubs in the Tarn and Garonne affiliated to the French Micro-lighting Federation (FFULM); the activities on offer are as follows:
aerostat,
autogyro,
auxiliary motorisation,
multiaxe,
paramoteur,
pendulaire (microlight trikes).
The clubs in Tarn-and-Garonne, affiliated to the French Free Flight Federation, authorize paragliding and hang-gliding, sports which give an unsurpassed view of the varied landscape.
Leisure centres and aquatic sports
The Aveyron, the Tarn and the Garonne feed numerous lakes and reservoirs, the majority accommodating various leisure activities such as pedal boating, swimming and sail boarding...
The main leisure centres in the department:
Leisure Valley at Lafrançaise,
Malivert leisure centre at Molières,
Monclar-de-Quercy leisure centre,
Lomagnol Leisure Village and campsite, at Beaumont-de-Lomagne,
Bressols leisure centre,
Chênes de Montaigu-de-Quercy lake and leisure centre,
Saint-Nicolas de-la-Grave Open air leisure centre and campsite ,
The lake at Parisot,
Faillal leisurepark,campsite and pool at Montpezat du Quercy.
Themed excursions and rambles
Boating on the Garonne Canal
The "canal of the two seas", consisting of the famous Midi canal (built between 1666 et 1681) listed a World heritage site by Unesco and linking Toulouse to Sète, and the Garonne canal (1838-1856) linking Bordeaux to Toulouse, is one of the major tourist attractions of the area.
Imagine sailing from Toulouse to Montauban, via Castelsarrasin, Moissac and arriving at the port of Valence-d'Agen a tranquil journey ideal for exploring the department, only interrupted by 33 locks and several odd quirks such as the canal bridge at Cacor, on the Tarn or the water slope at Montech (an experimental installation unique in the world)
Along the canal numerous marinas propose boating activities as well as cruises, enabling tourists to thoroughly explore the waterways; amongst the most renowned are:
Montech marina,
the Jacques-Yves Cousteau Port at Castelsarrasin,
Moissac marina,
Valence-d'Agen port
etc,
Themed excursions
For old or young, Tarn-et-Garonne offers educational visits which enable visitors to gain an insight into the daily life and necessary know-how of the inhabitants.
For example, educational farms are the ideal way to combine pleasure and education as a family:
Saint-Martin farm at Labarthe,
the Gaziana vineyard at Labastide du Temple,
Tome du Ramier,
Verger de Varennes.
Strolling through "castelnaux" and mediaeval "bastides" is a wonderful way of discovering the charms of the south-west.
It?s worth a detour to see villages listed "Plus Beaux Villages de France" (most beautiful villages in France): Lauzerte, Auvillar and Bruniquel on the pilgrims' way Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, along the banks of the Garonne and the Aveyron.
To travel back several centuries into the times of Richard the Lionheart or Queen Margot, exploring castles is a must.
Finally, for those passionate about history and religious monuments, a stop-over at the abbeys of Moissac, Beaulieu-en-Rouergue or Belleperche is essential.