We enjoyed glorious summery weather over last weekend. Having spent hours every day working on the garden, we took Sunday off and went for a walk instead. The local authorities have revamped the Aveyron’s riverbanks and established a circular walk downstream from the centre of Villefranche-de-Rouergue.

It was not a long walk, about 5.5 km. This was just as well, since it became quite hot, even in the morning. This walk is not advisable if the river is in full spate. The banks flood easily and can be dangerous.

Natural environment

This was the perfect time of year, since the Judas trees were in flower, and purple wisteria festooned the garden walls.

Small white butterflies danced along in front of us, and a lovelorn frog croaked on the opposite bank. Ducks glided on the calm waters. A black cormorant paddled along the river’s surface, its wings flapping madly, before it gained enough momentum for take-off. I was excited to see what I initially thought was an otter in the water. It turned out to be a black dog chasing a ball.

The first part of the walk borders houses, gardens and orchards. Further along, on the outskirts of the town, the banks are heavily wooded. A nightingale’s liquid notes competed with the buzz of a distant brush cutter.

Built environment

Pigeonniers, or vestiges of them, stand in what were once cultivated fields and water meadows. Before the Revolution, only noble families could have a dovecote. Afterwards, anyone could have one. People built them in their fields as stores for tools and seeds as well as homes for pigeons, which provided meat and fertiliser.

Sometimes, the upper floor was habitable. The one below even has a fireplace and a chimney, not visible from the river side.

Between the 14^th and the 20^th centuries, Villefranche counted no less than twenty-three water mills in operation. Most of them milled grain, others produced walnut oil, pressed oak bark for tanning, sawed planks and even made paper. The one below, le Moulin de Teulel was first mentioned in the 15^th century and now produces hydroelectric power.

Further downstream, we came upon this curious structure. An information panel told us that it is a hotel for insects. We didn’t see many guests, but maybe they were out foraging in the sunshine.

Halfway round, you cross the road bridge at the spot called la Madeleine. This was once a huge fairground, where important cattle and horse fairs were held. Large events still take place there, like the vide-greniers (jumble sale) that was in full swing on Sunday.

At this point you part company with the Grande Randonnée which is a pilgrimage route de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.

Market gardens

The railway line runs along the left bank. Its advent in the late 1850s spurred light industrial development in Villefranche, notably food production and preservation.

Vegetable plots with rich alluvial soil have long occupied the land beside the river. After the foundation of the bastide town in the 13^th century, every family that settled there received two plots of land: one in the town to build a house and a larger one beside the river to grow vegetables, fruit trees and vines.

These jardins vivriers, or kitchen gardens, are still in use today. On Sunday morning, people were tending their crops, picking early produce or chatting with their neighbours. I love the idea of the continuity of this scene, which has probably changed little across the centuries, apart from the clothes and the buildings.

As we approached the end of the walk, we spied a cormorant perched on a piece of wood trapped on a weir, no doubt a favourite fishing spot. It paid us no attention. Apologies for the very poor shot, the best I could get with my phone camera.    

Arriving back in the town, you get a lovely view of the river and the hills upstream and le pont des Consuls, the original bridge of Villefranche, completed in 1321. The wider road bridge has long since superseded it.

You can find this walk (Sentier des Patrimoines), and a selection of others in the area, on the Tourist Office website.    

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