Camping Lac aux Oiseaux

Bannac lake's a lush spot for fishing, pedalo boating, strolling and birdwatching: about 30 wetland species have been spotted here; there are a few dozen pairs of heron, and you should also see egrets, reed buntings and ospreys. Grass snakes and lizards are among the cold-blooded critters around the lake, and salamanders and natterjack toads among the amphibians. Canoe, waterski or jetski on the Lot river from Cajarc, 14 kilometres from the site's local town of Martiel. 30 kilometres away from Najac, have more of the same along with paddleboarding (not, perhaps, all at the same time) on the Aveyron river, or bypass the rivers entirely for hikes, hang gliding, climbing and mountain biking around the magnif Aveyron Gorges. History? Loc-Dieu Abbey five kilometres away is the 12th-century abbey where paintings from the Louvre (including the Mona Lisa) were hidden centuries later in World War II. It's a short drive from here to the historic town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, and from there east to Belcastel or south to Najac to the south.