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Aveyron property guide

Aveyron is a French department of Midi-Pyrenees region and is named after the Aveyron River.

Latest properties in Aveyron: click here

Climate:
There are three main climatic influences according to the season. During the spring and the autumn the west and south-west winds influence an oceanic climate. During the winter the north winds bring a continental climate. And during summer the climate is influenced by the Mediterranean. But the altitude and the relief also have influences.

As a whole the climate is under the influence of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. With the rise of the altitude the climate turns rainy on Aubrac and dry mountain on eastern Grands Causses. Because of the climate variation there is a rich flora and a lot of landscapes.

Geography:
It is located in the south west of the Massif Central and offers magnificent landscapes. The plateau Causses has unique flowers and beautiful rivers like the Lot, Tarn, Aveyron and Aubrac and they are ideal for canoeing and naturalists. In the south there are a lot of sheep which milk is used for making Roquefort cheese that matures in the limestone caves. There are positioned nine sites that carry the title "Most Beautiful French Villages".

A lot of sports can be practiced there like horse riding, fishing, swimming in the Lacs du Lévézou and hiking or camping. There are also a lot of crafts and many hand made objects. Saturday markets are also very popular.

Aveyron is a rural department positioned in the South of Central Massif and is the most northern department of the region of the "Midi-Pyrénées". It is positioned on the southern border of the central France plateau with the river Lot in the north and Tarn in the south.

The area covered is 3386 sq meters and the river Aveyron is 250 km long. The highest point in the department is peak Mailhebuau at 1469m also named Plateau of Aubrac.

There are three major geographical areas. In the north and north-east are the mountains of Aubrac and the plateau de la Viadène. The altitude descents toward the Lot Valley. In the center and west is the plateau of Ségala followed by some hills and valleys. Eastward of it is positioned plateau du Lévezou and in the region of Villefranche the relief is not that hilly. On the east and south the Causses represent some high limestone eroded plateaus with a lot of grottos and potholes. On the south the rivers have formed canyons like the famous gorges du Tarn.

The inhabitants of department are also called Aveyronnais while the inhabitants of Rodez are called Ruthénois that comes from the first Roman settlers, the rutenii.

History:
There have been many cultures on the area of Aveyron and early civilizations are shown on the stone monuments and the rich architecture of the past like dolmens, menhirs, fortresses, fortified castles, abbeys and churches.

The Romans were in this area from 118BC. This part is also connected to the Via Domitia that gives access to the whole Roman Empire. Millau was one of the largest centres for pottery production in the Roman Empire.

Many people from the working class about 120,000 left Aveyron between 1850 and 1914 and went to America because farming was not very profitable.

The population decreased during the First World War when 15000 died.

Aveyron is part from the 83 original departments that were created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790.

Gastronomy:
This area is famous mainly for its cheese. Here you can find the world famous Roquefort cheese. There you can also find many other local products. People in this area are quite good craftsmen and this is the reason for the popularity and quality of the products.

Useful information:

Tourism office in Aveyron
www.tourisme-midi-pyrenees.com

Gites in Aveyron
www.rent-gite-in-france.co.uk
www.cottages4you

Hotels in Aveyron
www.hotelclub.com

Car rental
www.hertz.co.uk

Maps of Aveyron
www.ign.fr
www.maps.google.fr

Travel from the UK
By air:
Easyjet flies from London Gatwick to Toulouse.
Ryanair flies from Dublin, Liverpool and East Midlands to Carcassonne, and from London Stansted to Rodez.
www.ryanair.com
www.easyjet.com

Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Aveyron. We have a large network of estate agents in Aveyron. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, villa, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Aveyron matching your requirements. To find out more about our selection of properties for sale in Aveyron do not hesitate to contact us.

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