We decided to take a meandering drive out of Toulouse north towards our next destination which had been hastily chosen the night before when we had decided to move on. The area we were driving through was Tarn and while I had heard of it before I knew little about it but apparently a drive between Gaillac and Montauban was meant to be pretty good.
It wasn’t long before were enjoying some lovely countryside views as we cruised our way up to Gaillac. I think if we had been about 2 weeks earlier we would have been treated to some amazing views of fields of sunflowers but unfortunately they had died and were awaiting harvest and didn’t look quite so spectacular with their browning drooping heads. Still the rolling fields divided randomly by hedges and woods were still beautiful.
Gaillac was the first of the small towns and villages we passed through and as we crossed the river on our way into the town we were greeted with an amazing red brick church.
It turned out this was indeed just the start of a drive through some spectacular scenery and villages and we drove up and down the hills stopping often for photos and to admire the views.
We probably took about 4 hours to drive a trip that could have taken just over an hour direct and with my foot down but it was definitely worth it and our final destination was Najac which was apparently the most spectacular of all the villages in the area.
Arriving at the campsite we realised we were at the bottom of the hill below the town of Najac and looming up above us was the remains of an old castle. The campsite was huge and we were fortunate enough to get a campsite right on the banks of the river and after a quick walk around we decided to extend our stay from 3 nights to 5. It was so nice having a bit of space and being able to look straight out onto the water from our van.
We had been pretty active over our two weeks or so in the Pyrenees climbing up and down mountains so we’re both keen to do a bit of unwinding. While the campsite was busy the sites once again were divided by hedges which meant a decent amount of privacy and also the French custom seems to be to leave others alone to enjoy the experience too which was nice.
The temperature while we were there ramped up too and most days was pushing 32 from about midday until 6pm when the shade would come over. There was a general hustle and bustle about the campsite until about 10pm when the light would turn to dark the temperature would start to drop and everyone went to sleep.
The town was as I had said up a steep hill behind the campsite and having seen so many pretty villages and towns in France we were keen to see the prettiest. It certainly didn’t disappoint. Stretched lengthways along the top of a ridge there was one Main Street running up and down the middle with houses to each side. There were a church and castle on one end which you see rising up even further above the houses.
The houses and shops themselves had all been beautifully maintained and each would have probably deserved its own admiration and photo. The place was touristy and there were no grocery stores or the ability to buy many practical things apart from a tabac which would regularly fill up with people having coffees or beers. It really did have a nice feel about it.
There were at least three markets there while we were there and one of which was a night market and so as the heat abated a little we hiked up the hill to arrive to an incredibly vibrant market with hundreds of people packing out the main square. There were food stalls and music playing and while the square was full of trestle tables to sit at there wasn’t a spare chair anywhere. Luckily just as we were wondering what to do a couple vacated a table outside the tabac so we grabbed it and ordered ourselves a couple of beers and watched the goings on while munching on our mussels and chips. Mmm.
We of course managed to fit in a couple of hikes but our experiences in the Pyrenees were always going to be a little tough to follow and while they were nice the heat probably got to us so in the end we enjoyed heading back to laze around next to the river.
It certainly felt like we were back in the heat of summer again and the campsite and Najac definitely provided a lovely place for a little relax before we headed off again exploring. T
