The other day was the boys midweek day off (No school Wednesdays at his school) and we had a whole shitload of errands to run. So to keep him happy we promised to see some Roman Ruins at a place called Montmaurin that were on the way.
Well as Remarkable as it may seem, an outdoor area covering a few acres, that sees on average 40 Visitors a day in the HEIGHT of the tourist season has been closed off due to.. You guessed it Covid.
I'm all for social distancing, It gives me an even better reason to keep to myself and practice my Anti-social behavior. But to close off an area this large with this few visitors seems a bit excessive. We saw 2 cars during the entire time in the area and One group of hikers.
So to bolster the boys morale and prevent an Apocalyptic breach of protocol. I.E. Breaking The promise of something fun to do for a few hours in exchange for 6 hours in the car.
Our Day Out To The Roman Ruins Gorges de la Save
We hit the Gorges de la Save, Roughly 5 minutes away from our original destination. A Picturesque and almost savage Remnant of Prehistory, which has been left mostly untouched.
On arriving at the small parking area there was a nice large fence panel roughly propped up, showing a happy walking dude on the sign with the words 'non' spray painted on it.
Well certainly that sign can't mean no entry, the guy with the spray paint must have just made a mistake, or maybe it was a modern art exhibition. Besides as everyone knows, Signs only count if someone is around to enforce them, Or CCTV, I hate CCTV...
So considering there were no padlocks or anything there, it only took a moment to move it aside so we could have a nice walk about and marvel at the scenery.
The scenery is to be honest awe inspiring, There are so many sheer and eroded walls of Limestone and small caves and caverns that your eyes struggle with where to look first, add that to the running water and the flora and fauna at every turn and it feels as if you have stepped into a movie set.
We had a good walk around for an hour or so, enjoyed a bite to eat and quietly left everything exactly as it was found. Even the boy at 6 years old seemed at a loss for words and was nearly silent the entire time.
Something about the place made you listen, waiting for some sound or birdcall, or just the steady rush of the water as it cruised past. The closest I can get to describing it, is it felt Still, Calm, Like you were sat in the middle of eternity looking out.
Its the sort of place that has weight to the air, a tangible and very real presence that sticks straight to your bones.
It damn sure leaves a lasting impression, so once everyone was bundled back in the car we carried out the rest of the days errands, everyone feeling happier.
Most Importantly- Mission accomplished, we did something fun, The boy was rewarded for his good behavior, and all in all we turned a necessary trip, into something to remember.
Its certainly worth the visit and there's so much to explore in the gorges I think it could easily fill a few days of anyone's time. It will definitely be getting a return visit from this Family.
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Back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Now the Fun bit-
A Brief History of the Gorges de la Save
The area around the Gorges de la save has been lived in and around since prehistory, in that small radius of just over 4 kilometers there are signs of continuous human habitation since the early stone age.
In Roman times, There was an old Roman road that ran through the Gorge, servicing a settlement in both Montmaurin (Which is One of the largest known in Aquitaine-Gaul) and La Hillère Which is believed to be a Roman Spa as its positioned right at the entrance of the Gorge.
Hence the ruins we originally planned on visiting, but now I am glad they were shut, we can always make another trip.
During the Medieval era 3 chapels were built one after another, in pretty quick succession. The sight became a Pilgrimage destination, due to fact that the natural spring at the site was considered to have healing powers.
Can't honestly say why they had to keep rebuilding it unless the subcontractors where shit at their job, but that's how the story goes.
Once the Middle ages arrives a number of Fortified buildings started cropping up, many of them last mentioned in Documents during the 13th and 14th centuries, and just as many of them already in ruins even at that time.
Then the site was mostly forgotten by time, some fortified towns and castles remained inhabited in the surrounding area for a century or two, but mostly small quarries and stone masons worked the land in the interim.
By the time the 18th century rolled around there was very little left on this side of the gorge, except for numerous Limestone quarries along the outskirts. The last quarry was shut in 2007 thankfully.
There's a lot more to the story, of course but that would take a book to get into the details.
Now its a safe haven for wildlife, plants and trees and a relaxing place to stop, meditate and soak it all in.
Its definitely worth the time to take a stroll, sit down and most importantly, listen.
That's the place there! look a MAP!!!
All photos taken on an Honor 10 Phone , except the map, I borrowed that.