Castel de Cantobre Gîtes - Aveyron - Self Catering Vacation / Holiday Rentals
Where The Cévennes National Park meets The Grand Causses Regional Natural Park
The gorges and valleys of southeast Aveyron make deep cuts into the wild limestone plateaux (Causses) of the Grand Causses Regional Natural Park and the better known Cévennes National Park creating an area of outstanding natural beauty and a feeling of being in a land that time forgot. Still standing are fortified villages later maintained by the Knights Hospitaller but originally built by the Knights Templar who probably also helped in the fortification of Cantobre (watch the new aerial video). It’s an area rich in wildlife of all sorts, from wild boar, deer, beavers, eagles and four sorts of vulture, to orchids and other wild flowers. We have seen more species of butterflies in and around Cantobre than are in the whole of the UK.
Our solar powered gîtes are open all year
Both of our 3 star Cantobre gîtes or self-catering holiday rentals,The Griffonand
The Egyptian(named after the local vultures) have stunning views of the gorges and valleys and are perfectly situated for a wide variety of visits and activities. We used to come to the area for our holidays, we know it well; it’s now our home and we are on hand to help you with your luggage and shopping when you arrive and to make your stay more enjoyable.
You could spend a holiday here without having to use your car
Hiking in the hills, walking down to the river Dourbie for a swim in the crystal clear water or a spot of sunbathing or maybe fly fishing for the local zebra trout; alternatively just stay in our secluded garden with 360° views of the surrounding countryside or relax on your gîte’s terrace with a bowl of olives, a glass or two of wine and our bird watching telescope.If you did want to drive somewhere
45 minutes north takes you to the Tarn Gorge, the northern boundary of France’s Mediterranean climate. Also a favourite route for cyclists, 30 minutes west down the Dourbie Valley is Millau, a big centre for outdoor sports such as paragliding, canoeing, caving and climbing (we also have our own climbing wall at Cantobre) with an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, and it’s our nearest big town with hypermarkets and a large outdoor market, it’s also home to the Millau Viaduct, the world’s tallest bridge. 5 minutes to the south takes you up the Dourbie Valley to the 10th century village of Nant with restaurants and bars, our nearest shops and market; in summer there are free music events every week. Another 25 minutes southwards takes you out of the causses and the mountain air and into the Languedoc, France’s largest wine production region; another 45 minutes and you’re at the Mediterranean coast!Lots of family visits to go on
Boat trips down the river Tarn, caves and caverns with stalagmites and stalactites, visiting Roquefort cheese caves, the reptilarium, wild animal parks and Micropolis, a whole centre about insects; there are even Knights and jousting tournaments; all are favourites when our young grandson visits.
We have become more ecological, with solar panels to provide electricity and an air source heat pump to power our underfloor heating. Using surplus solar power in summer, the heating system is put into reverse to cool the floors of the gîtes.
Why bother camping? In the high season our biggest gîte is hundreds of euros cheaper than a camp site mobile home.
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Our rental price includes lots of things you really don’t want to have to bring with you, click here to see
We have now published lots of local walks and cycling circuits as personal google maps and the GPX data files are available to download to your own GPS device or smart phone.