Camon © Stéphane

Camon © Stéphane Meurisse ,Tourisme Ariege Pyrenees Get 20% off your first course: Quote: NEW20 Online French Classes: group courses or private lessons Learn to talk confidently like a French with a native teacher Merens horses at Haras Picard du Saint Make your relocation to France easier with our courses tailored to your needs Voie verte Camon © Charles Ripon, Ariege Pyrenees Tourisme Mirepoix and the fortified community of Camon – listed amongst Les Plus Beaux Villages – stand on the flat land in the eastern part of the department, but head west and the landscape soon becomes increasingly craggy. For dramatic views and deep gorges, take the scenic route from Tarascon-sur-Ariège to the market town of Saint-Girons and neighbouring Saint-Lizier with its Romanesque cloister and narrow cobbled lanes, a stop-off on the Santiago de Compostela routes. Here in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of the Ariège Pyrenees, you can see black Mérens horses, a small sure-footed local breed ideally suited to the mountain terrain. Once close to extinction, the Mérens has been saved in recent years, largely thanks to enthusiasts like Jean-Louis Savignol at the Haras Picard du Saint in Lasserre, which offers both riding excursions and accommodation merens-ariege.com Cro-Magnon man was moved to paint the forbears of today’s Mérens horses on the walls at Niaux. See them for yourself and you could find yourself reaching for a paint brush too. ariegepyrenees.com Better understand French art de vivre Etiquette, national and regional traditions, cuisine... live your dream life in France frenchcoffeebreak.com Book Now 32 | The Good Life France The Good Life France Cassis | 33