Around Valon

Waterfalls, reservoirs, villages and footpaths: our guides to the Truyère gorges and the Carladez, starting from Valon.

The Saut du Chien falls running down granite rocks between the trees, in Montézic, Aveyron
Nature & Walks

Saut du Chien, the waterfall you can see from Valon

The waterfall on the far bank, its two viewing platforms above the ravine and three ways to get there.

 Lake Montézic, the upper reservoir of the power station, held back by its rockfill dam
Industrial Heritage

Montézic, a water battery under the plateau

A pumped-storage power station 400 metres underground, explained simply, the Montézic II project and the guided tour.

 The Truyère gorges at Valon, broom in flower in the foreground and the Couesques reservoir below
Nature & Landscapes

The Truyère gorges, seen from Valon

A river pushed aside by volcanoes, a chain of dams, birds of prey and the best viewpoints.

 Lake Sarrans seen from the Laussac peninsula, between the wooded slopes of the Truyère gorges
Lake & Swimming

Laussac peninsula, on Lake Sarrans

The lifeguarded beach on Lake Sarrans, the Romanesque chapel and the long loop from Thérondels.

 A monkey bridge strung between two rock faces on a via ferrata
Outdoor Sports

The Bois des Baltuergues via ferrata

Monkey bridges, a 70-metre pillar and woodland: the only via ferrata in northern Aveyron.

 Entraygues-sur-Truyère seen from above, its roofs along the river between wooded hills
Villages & Heritage

Entraygues-sur-Truyère, between the Lot and the Truyère

Gothic bridge, castle of the Counts of Rodez, rue Basse and Entraygues-Le Fel wine, 25 minutes from Valon.

 The keep and ruined walls of Valon castle, above the Truyère gorges
Villages & Heritage

Valon castle and its keep

Seven centuries of history, 111 steps and a terrace over the gorges, a few minutes' walk from the cottages.

 The chapel of Valon in front of the terraced Coultades slope, above the Truyère gorges
Nature & Walks

The Coultades trail, through the terraces of Valon

21 stops among the dry-stone terraces that gave our cottages their name.

 The village of Valon and its keep on the rocky spur, seen from a distance above the Truyère gorges
Hiking

The Valon castle loop, via Le Fraysse

12.7 km from the village: a viewpoint, farms on the side of the gorge, a climb through the woods and a return along stone walls.

 The Monaco tower, a basalt town gate in Mur-de-Barrez, next to an old house
Villages & Heritage

Mur-de-Barrez and the Monaco tower

Why the princes of Monaco ruled the Carladez, and the view of the Cantal volcanoes, 12 minutes away.

 Messilhac castle, its Renaissance façade between two square towers, in the wooded Goul valley
Villages & Heritage

Messilhac castle, in the Goul valley

A Renaissance façade from 1531 and the set of The Princess of Montpensier, 22 minutes from Valon.

 The Siniq stream running through Brommat between stone houses, on the “Au fil de l'eau” trail
With Children

The Sentiers de l'Imaginaire in the Carladez

Six free, easy walks created by local people, with sculptures, huts and trails for children.

 The curved wall of Sarrans dam with its power house at the foot and the reservoir upstream
Industrial Heritage

Sarrans dam and the Tréboul bridge

A 105-metre wall, a free viewpoint and the drowned village that reappeared when the lake was drained in 2014.

 The moss-covered basalt blocks of the Lacroix-Barrez lava flow, at the edge of the woods
Nature & Walks

The Lacroix-Barrez lava flow

A field of 4-million-year-old basalt blocks and an easy loop with its stone giant, 6 minutes away.

 A white alpaca with a ginger topknot, in a fenced meadow
With Children

The Bornottes educational farm

Over a hundred animals, self-guided visits and workshops for children from age 4, in Le Fraysse, 12 minutes from Valon.