It was a truly memorable day - a day of inspiration, of minor mishaps and mis-directions, and of hidden gems of creativity. My destination was Castres, located about 30 miles south of Albi at the southern end of the Tarn Department. My route followed the Path of Human Rights, a 44 km greenway following a railway constructed in 1869 to transport people and coal between Rodez and Castelnaudary. The greenway was originally named “The Train Path” but was changed to the Chemin des Droits de l'Homme, or Path of Human Rights. I could not find the reason for the name change, but a chance to cycle the "Path of Human Rights" was a compelling enough reason to choose this route to Castres.
The greenway, or voie verte, begins in Puygouzon a few miles south of Albi, and I let RidewithGPS route me to the starting point. “Puy”, which refers to a volcanic hill, is found in the name of many towns and villages in this region so it was not surprising that I would have to climb a little to get to Puygouzon. What I didn’t expect was being routed off-road down a short but steep single track into what appeared to be a car lot – but fear not, I quickly found myself in a parking lot full of vehicles and the start of a wonderful cycle path.
The greenway is a wide, well-maintained swath of crushed stone finished with compacted sand, a choice of material that was made to preserve the character of the surrounding rural landscape. Walkers, runners, and cyclists - alone, in pairs, with dogs – were out enjoying this clear and bracing fall morning. Information placards along the route described the local history and agriculture as well as the flora and fauna. Signs urging parental caution were posted ahead of busier road crossings. It is clearly a greenway that fosters discovery and enjoyment of the Tarn countryside for everyone.
Near Puygarong, the path is lined with hedgerows and trees that offer glimpses of the surrounding towns and countryside while still maintaining a sense of traveling through an idyllic woodland. There were occasional paths and small farm lanes where I dismounted, tossed Vivien George on her side, and tramped off-track to get a better view and/or photo. At one point, my cycling cleats were so caked with soil still damp from yesterday’s rain that I had to stop and clean them, drawing a bit of blood in the process. No worries, it was a carefree day and I was enjoying every minute of it.
As I made my way south through the more rural region of the Southern Tarn, views opened up onto landscapes of rolling hills decorated with cropland, trees and small villages, sometimes framed by the mountainous terrain of the Massif Central to the south and east. And there was big sky, a big blue sky, that kept me grinning from ear to ear.
Caution sign at the busier intersections urging parents to cross first and then watch their children. In fact, there was only a small handful of what I would consider busy intersections until the route neared Castres
Looking southeast you can just begin to see on the right the higher hills of the southern section of Massif Central - at least I think that's what they are
I detoured off the greenway to visit the medieval town of Lautrec, home of the family of Toulouse-Lautrec and another one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France.” I climbed to the edge of the village and walked up a steep and narrow cobbled street where I found myself at the Collegial Church of Saint-Remy. After a short trip inside, I headed for the central square, a large open area surrounded by half-timbered buildings. Surprisingly, it was completely empty save for a couple emerging from what appeared to be a fabric store. In fact, the whole village seemed to be eerily lacking in activity - despite the fact that we were in the midst of the French lunchtime.
I headed off in the direction of Café Plum and found a small café located in an open courtyard populated with tables and local diners. I ventured in and enjoyed a cold Schweppes and a piece of chocolate cake to go with my bread and cheese sandwich. The courtyard was filled with dappled sunlight and a variety of curiosities, ranging from some type of makeshift strobe lighting system to a giant tick embracing a stone fireplace. The large inside space included a stage area with colored lighting and a drum set, and as I looked around I noticed posters announcing open air concerts and variety performances. In fact, Café Plum is a cultural hub that draws people from Castres, Albi and even Toulouse for their “music, storytelling, puppetry, theater, debate, discovery stage, literary encounters.” Adjacent to the café, and within the courtyard, is an independent bookstore housing more than 3,500 works by French and foreign authors. I had unknowingly stumbled into a place that fosters “artistic creation” and interactions between artists and the public. How apropos that I discovered this gem while cycling the Path of Human Rights.
Central square of Lautrec - I imagine it looks much different on market day. Vivien George is leaning against a large grill that reminds me of the public ovens I saw in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val
After I left Lautrec, I ran into a couple of snags getting back to the greenway. First, there was a fairly busy road that I thought took me directly to the greenway, only to see the path running underneath the road as I crossed the designated intersection. After a couple of futile re-routes, I thought I had the solution until I found myself in the driveway of house, exactly where googlemaps indicated I was supposed to be. Luckily, a woman emerged from the house and told me the path was just beyond her open gate and down the hill. And there it was, only one more gate to cross and I was back on the greenway with less than ten miles left to Castres.
At some point during the day, the repeated dismounts and the laying down/picking up of Vivien George had dislodged my rear light, leaving it somewhere along the path. Although my tour was ending, I did have a 7 am train to catch Friday morning and wanted a rear light to increase my visibility. Thus, I took a rather long detour to a bike shop located in one of those high traffic commercial districts located off the highway on the edge of cities. Not fun. The upside was that the bike store guys were a delight and we had a lot of fun being cycle geeks. I found a not-too-expensive light that would do just fine and retraced my way back to Castres.
The greenway lies just beyond the second, hard to see wire fence. It took a short while, but I figured out how to open the gate, saving me from having to toss everything over the fence.
I had been discouraged from going to Castres, told that it was a rather dirty, industrial town. While Castres does have some interesting sights and tourists do go there, I actually found the fact that it is not a “tourist town” refreshing. And I had a great hotel and a most satisfying dinner to cap off a a most extraordinary day of cycling and discovery.
These old buildings of Castres that line the Agout River once housed tanneries and cloth dying industries.
Main square in Castres, with statue of Juan Juarés at the far end. One of the first social democrats, Juarés is a noted historical figure of the French left. He was assassinated by a French nationalist at the outbreak of World War I
