We had a one night stop in Castres to break the drive to Aignes where we had arranged to meet friends. We picked it pretty much because it was half way and Lonley Planet said it was worth a stop. The drive from Najac to Castres was filled with picturesque villages and the sun was out which made for a beautiful drive. It was also a little on the hot side so perfect day to be exploring via the confines of an air conditioned van.
On arrival in Castres we went straight into town to admire the main site which was a street of houses which backed right onto the river, kind of like Venice. It was very pretty but once we had walked to a small garden which backed onto the art museum and the museum itself there was not much else to see. We had some time to kill still before the campsite opened so we thought we would check out the museum. Its claim to fame was that it houses the most Spanish art in all of France. The standout was definitely the Goya and Picasso exhibition which had some pretty cool pieces from both the artists. Apparently they were both keen on bullfighting and Goya was a great inspiration for Picasso.
Other than that we sat back at the campsite and enjoyed our spot along the river under huge plane trees which helped with the heat. The campsite did have a pool but when it is that busy that it is hard to find a spot in the water without others touching you is not my idea of fun! I would rather sweat.
Castres was a nice stopover to break the drive but not somewhere we would be heading back to anytime soon. S
