Najac

Najac occupies a narrow spine of rock in a loop of the Aveyron, and because the ridge is barely wide enough for a street the village runs about a kilometre in a single line of houses, ending at the fortress on the highest point. The castle was rebuilt from 1253 for Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Louis IX, to hold a region that had backed the Cathars; its round keep is about forty metres and its archers' windows, at over six metres, are among the tallest in any French castle. Templars were imprisoned here. The village keeps a thirteenth-century church built as a penalty imposed on the townspeople.

What you'll find

• The single-street ridge - a kilometre of houses along a rock spine.
• The royal fortress - a forty-metre keep with exceptionally tall archer windows.
• The Aveyron loop - the river encircling the ridge below.
• The penalty church - a thirteenth-century church built as punishment.

When to go

April to October; the fortress closes over winter. The village is quiet even in summer compared with better-known Aveyron sites. The walk from village to castle is long and uphill.

Practical notes

The single street means a long walk end to end and the fortress is at the far, high end. Parking is limited. Facilities are few and close early.

Nearby

Cordes-sur-Ciel lies south; Villefranche-de-Rouergue is north.