Cantobre

Cantobre

What is Cantobre?

On the western edge of the Cevennes National Park at the junction of the Dourbie and Trevezel rivers stands Cantobre built on the site of a 12th century Castle. The south-facing village is situated some 580 meters above sea level, which gives it clear hot sunny days with cooler pleasant evenings.

The castle was destroyed during the religious wars of the 17th century and the present village has evolved over the centuries as a home for the peasants who worked the terraced hillsides and in the local small mines. The village suffered in the middle of the last century from de-population brought about by the end of mining and the general movement from countryside to town.

In the second half of the last century water, telephones and reliable electricity were brought to the village and over the past 30 years the village has again blossomed with the 25 houses of the village being steadily rebuilt, renovated and modernized. The whole village still retains its ancient aspect, which is tightly controlled by the ’Batiments de France’.

The village skyline is dominated by its 12th Century village church, which, standing at the apex of the village, overlooks the village square with its restaurant and bar. The village remains a working community with the village gardens spilling down the hillside below the village towards the Dourbie River.

The village has no shops, however, several visiting tradesmen who supply its daily needs serve the village. The local small town, Nant, is only a 10-minute drive away and is amply served with shops, bars and restaurants. The nearest large town, Millau, is 25 Km away through the Gorges of the Dourbie and has all the facilities you would expect from a town dedicated to the tourist. Millau has a large weekly market on Fridays, a flea market on Sundays and in the summer a food market each Monday evening when the local population gather in the town centre to eat the local specialties. There are a large number of restaurants and bars in Millau and it has a number of supermarkets.

The location of Cantobre is ideal for the tourist who wants a special holiday amid the spectacular scenic countryside of southern Aveyron and Languedoc. The opportunities for sightseeing are endless with new vistas and delights around every bend in the road. Go just 20km south and you drop down from the heights of the Central Massif into the world’s largest wine growing region of Languedoc/Roussillion with over 950 wine producers giving numerous opportunities for sampling their wares. Go 20km north and you meet the river Tarn with its famous 300meter deep gorges and its ancient spectacular towns and villages.

Southern Aveyron is famous for the quality of its local produce. Near by Cantobre is Roquefort famous for its cheese and a visit to its caves, in which the cheese is matured, is a must.

Cantobre is located in an area of high limestone plateaus and deep river valleys and there are numerous caves, a number of which are open to the public. In the area rivers disappear underground only to reappear elsewhere.

Historic sites abound. In the middle ages the area was a major crossroads for armies on the way to the Crusades and near Cantobre lie a number of preserved fortified villages built by the Knights Templar and Hospitallar. The villages, which are still living communities, stage jousting and feasting displays in the summer to give visitors a taste of old Aveyron and life in the Middle Ages.

All our local villages, like all villages in France, have their local fetes where visitors can mingle and join in the festivities with the locals.

The location of Cantobre in southern Aveyron makes it possible for the holiday maker to visit the famous cities of Avignon, with its papal palaces, Nimes, with its Roman ruins, and Albi, the red city, with its famous cathedral, all of which are within a couple of hours drive of your holiday home.

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