Parc des Expositions et des Loisirs

Millau, in the south of the Aveyron, is a town on the river Tarn at the foot of the Grands Causses, the high limestone plateaus of the south of the Massif Central, and its exhibition and leisure park is the place where the town stages fairs, markets and sports events. Few details of the park are documented, and the facilities change from year to year, so what follows describes what a visit to Millau offers, and the best way to learn what is on at the park is to ask the tourist office or look at the town's calendar of events.

The town has a long history of craft and industry. Its most remarkable archaeological site lies a few kilometres away at La Graufesenque, where in the first century AD there was one of the largest pottery workshops of the Roman Empire. Its potters produced vast quantities of the red-glazed tableware called terra sigillata, or samian ware, which was exported across Gaul, Britain, Germany and as far as Italy and the Near East. The Musée de Millau et des Grands Causses, in an eighteenth-century town house, the Hôtel de Pégayrolles, displays a large collection of this pottery, including the moulds, the kilns and the stamps with which the potters marked their wares, as well as exhibits on the glove industry that made Millau famous in later centuries. Millau was for a long time the French capital of fine leather gloves, made from the skins of lambs from the surrounding plateaus, and the craft survives in a few workshops. The town also has the Pont Vieux, an old bridge over the Tarn of which a pier and a tower remain, and the quiet streets of the old centre around the Place du Maréchal-Foch, with its arcades.

Outdoor activities are the other major attraction. The Tarn and Dourbie rivers have carved deep gorges into the limestone, and Millau is a base for canyoning, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking and mountain biking. The town is also one of the capitals of free flight, with paragliding and hang-gliding from the edges of the plateaus. Visitors come to see the Millau Viaduct, the great cable-stayed bridge, which stands a few kilometres south of the town, and to explore the Gorges du Tarn, which begin upstream, with their villages and viewpoints.

The food of the area is another reason to visit. Roquefort, the blue sheep's cheese, is matured in caves about twenty-five kilometres away, and the plateau of Larzac, to the east, is the home of sheep farming. The market of Millau, held on certain mornings of the week, sells the local cheese, charcuterie and fruit.

The park is on the edge of the town, with space for large events, and it is reachable by car. Ask the tourist office about fairs, shows and festivals. The area suits families, outdoor lovers and anyone exploring the Aveyron.