To the Canal du Midi , France

Day 13, Sunday 17th May 2026

Today we wandered down through some lovely countryside and some historic villages. The lower altitude resulted in some warmer weather so we drove further than usual, 171km, to end up on the banks of the Canal du MIDI near Castelnaudary.

We had a peaceful night on the terrace parking in Roquefort and we were the first to leave at 8am. It was not surprising that the roads were very quiet on our way to Saint Affrique. We found a parking spot and went in search of a boulangerie for breakfast…delicious.

We then went to explore the towns’ historic center. We admired the church (but could not go in) and strolled through a few streets. Unfortunately the town appeared down in its luck.

Able to buy lots of products via this dispenser 

Another pretty village along the way

Boules competition in full force

We moved on and stopped briefly in Lacaune, situated in the heart of the Monts de Lacaune. As well as being recognised as a spa resort due to the hot spring in Bel-Air, the town offers a casino. The region's altitude and climate favor the production of recognized cured products. We stopped at the self serve, but as didn't need any of the local produce, we continued on.

All that you need for the aperitif 

We did go and see the local market around the church on the way out of town.

Our next stop was Brassac,  a small town in the west of the Regional Natural Park of Haut-Languedoc. We went to have a closer look at its most important monument - the ancient bridge across the river Agout, flanked by two castles. The stone bridge dates from the 12th century and incorporates two large arches and two smaller arches.

The warning hooters on top of buildings in France..

We then drove to Castres, but a huge brocante (flea market) was in town and the parking was impossible so we kept going. Unfortunately we can’t see everything!

The small town of Sorèze is in the south of the Tarn department offered a Motorhome parking area, so we made our way there to stop to have a break.

The town itself contains a large number of ancient houses, many of them in colombage (half-timbered) and numerous of the 'encorbellement' style (a house with the upper stories protruding over the lower stories. Explanations for this design vary widely: reducing ground level surface area to reduce taxes, protecting lower levels from rain, or enabling waste thrown from the upper stories to land some distance from the houses are the most common). As we walked around we read the 'information boards' on various buildings, highlighting the notable people who once lived in them. The most important monument in Soreze is the abbey-école, with a history dating back to 754 and the founding of a Benedictine abbey. It was most notably an important centre for education: a Royal Military School (from 1776), then later a college well known in France for the military leaders, philosophers and politicians that attended the school until it closed in 1991.

We like these little shutter catches

A bit of art work

The Canal du Midi was not far away so we descended into the valley. Finally we had blue skies and sunshine after a week of cold and wet weather… finding a new spot, as we had previously stayed around here in 2022, we enjoyed the warm weather, sitting outside, watching the canal boats pass us by. We may even stay tomorrow and enjoy a walk along the canal path. 

Briefly- the Canal du Midi is a 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) it is one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times. Built between 1667 and 1694, it paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.

171km today