Gorges du Dourdou de Conques, near Rodez
Less than 20 kilometres north-west of Rodez, the Dourdou river has carved a dramatic limestone gorge that feels a world away from the city — steep wooded cliffs, emerald swimming holes, and the medieval village of Conques perched impossibly above it all. This is one of the great short escapes from any city in southern France.
The gorge and its swimming holes
The D901 road from Rodez to Conques follows the Dourdou through a corridor of oak and chestnut forest, with several signed pull-offs leading to flat rocks above natural pools where locals swim from June to September. The water runs cold and clear even in August — the pool beneath the Pont de Conques is the most popular and easily accessible.
For a proper hike, the GR65 pilgrimage trail descends into the gorge from Conques and follows the river for 8 kilometres downstream before climbing back to the plateau — a circular route of about 14 kilometres with 450 metres of ascent that takes four to five hours at a relaxed pace.
Conques: the gorge's crown jewel
The village of Conques itself, clinging to the cliff above the confluence of the Dourdou and the Ouche, is one of the most perfectly preserved Romanesque villages in Europe. The Abbatiale Sainte-Foy — a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Camino de Santiago — contains a tympanum carved around 1130 that art historians rank alongside Vézelay and Autun for its ferocious expressiveness.
The abbey treasury holds the golden reliquary statue of Sainte Foy (late 9th century), studded with Roman cameos and medieval enamel, which is simply one of the most extraordinary objects surviving from the early Middle Ages. Even if you have seen a hundred Romanesque churches, Conques will surprise you.
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