Aveyron, France - Land of Contrasts

In the south east of Aveyron, close to the viaduc de Millau - the world's tallest bridge - is the national park of the Grands Causses. At one time, this was one vast upland plateau but, over the millennia, the rivers Tarn, Jonte and Dourbie - have sculpted precipitous gorges 1,000 feet or more through the soft limestone. A dramatic sunburnt landscape of scrubland plateaux littered with bizarre rock outcrops, of steep pine-coated valley walls; the Grands Causses is truly a vast adventure playground: a paradise for climbers, cavers, mountain bikers and walkers.

Meanwhile, just an hour's drive to the north is the Aubrac plateau. A wild, windswept area reminiscent of Dartmoor or the Yorkshire moors: peaty grasslands, ancient broadleaf woodland, scattered boulders, fast-flowing streams, chequered dry stone walls. Since the middle ages, the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella has taken the faithful through this region, and the 17km route section across the Aubrac is now one of the few footpaths in the world to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

For day walkers, this section is the basis of a wonderful 20 km circuit that incorporates open moorland and the ancient Aubrac forest. Elsewhere walkers in the Aveyron walkers are drawn to trails that wander along the dramatic valleys of the Lot, Truyère and Aveyron rivers; the vast blue lakes of the Levezou plateau, the rolling plains of Segala and the arid plains of Larzac.