Just east of Castres rises the westernmost extremity of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc , cut by deep river valleys and covered with marvellous woods. This is Le Sidobre
, an area renowned for its granite: huge boulders litter the woods,
often carved by the millennia into zoomorphic or other shapes - Les
Trois Fromages and l'Oie, for example - that give them commercial value
in the eyes of the tourist industry. Exploration is best done on foot:
the GR36 footpath passes this way.
LACROUZETTE , 15km from Castres, is
the main town and the capital of the granite industry. The demand for
tombstones being impervious to recession, the town continues to
prosper, though it's not the most beautiful place. However, if you're
on your way up the Agout and Gijou valleys to Lacaze and Lacaune, the Hôtel Relais du Sidobre
, 8 rte de Vabre (tel & fax 05.63.50.60.06; €34-46; restaurant from
€12.20), makes a convenient and pleasant stopover. For something more
unique, head for the chambres d'hôtes of the luxurious fourteenth- to sixteenth-century castle in Burlats , 10km northeast of Castres (tel 05.63.35.29.20, fax 05.63.51.14.69; €46-61).
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