Karen Armstrong enjoys the thrills and spills of an adrenaline junkie and relaxes with fine food and wine in the charming region of Aveyron in France.
ADVENTURE, history, beautiful landscapes and of course good food and wine is all you could wish for on a great holiday and the Aveyron region has them all.
The town of Millau has a wide range of sporting activities to satisfy any high-octane adrenaline junkie. Millau and its surrounding villages have many personalities, providing something for everyone.
Labelled the capital of outdoor sports when you visit this beautiful town you may certainly feel inclined to don a crash helmet and discover your inner Lara Croft or Indiana Jones.
Millau lies at the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park and if you want to explore, you couldn't do any better than to look up adventure company, Roc en Canyon which provides safe, supervised sporting activities, including white-water rafting, paintballing, canoeing, and rock climbing, to name a few.
You can also try adventure trailing, a combination of zip wires, rope bridges and rock climbing, this is not for the faint-hearted but you will feel really proud of yourself afterwards.
These activities would be great for group parties and provide something a bit different for stag and hen weekends. For more information go to www.roc-et-canyon.com But don't worry if you want to escape from it all, enjoy tranquil scenery and perhaps enjoy a glass or two of local wine. Millau's museum and bustling marketplace will give you a great insight into the town's history and economy.
Known as the glove-making capital of Europe and if you take a stroll through Millau's narrow streets you can pick up a fantastic pair of handmade gloves, and be the envy of all your friends.
The huge sheep farming industry in Millau not only provides the leather for its glove-making but the ewes' milk is used to make another of the town's most famous exports, Roquefort cheese. This is available in all the town's restaurants and is worth sampling, as is aligot, a traditonal potato and cheese dish. And don't forget to sample the various wines from local vineyards.
The Millau viaduct is definitely worth taking a look at if only for its architectural splendour 340 metres high and 2,460 metres long over the Tarn Valley. The bridge was opened by Jacques Chirac on December 14 last year.
The bridge provides the shortest and fastest route between Paris the Mediterranean and Spain. Hotel la Muscadiere, a three star hotel in the centre of Millau, hasa great central location with helpful and friendly staff. For more information call +33 (0)5 65602053.
Rodez the capital of the Aveyron region is an hour's drive from Millau and both towns can be visited in one weekend. Flying into Rodez you may be forgiven for thinking it is just countryside but Rodez is a bustling town with a population of 50,000.
The Notre-Dame Cathedral dominates the city's skyline. The building once formed part of the city's ramparts and the people of Rodez feel justifiably proud of their Gothic cathedral.
Have a wander round the old quarter and visit the Museum Fenaille, which houses a collection of menhirs (ancient carved standing stones). Then relax nearby in one of Rodez's many tea rooms or bars and watch the world go by.
The Hotel Biney on the Rue Victoire Massol is full of French charm and is located centrally. To book go to www.chateauhotels.com. For more information on the Aveyron region go to www.tourisme-aveyron.com. RyanAir flies from London Stansted to Rodez Airport four times a week. So, in just no time at all you can leave behind rural Essex and be discovering everything the Aveyron region has to offer. For more information on flight times and fares go to www.ryanair.co.uk.
