Discover Lamothe-Capdeville

Lamothe-Capdeville offers a range of options for planning a trip: the 18th-century Château d’Ardus, the PR1 and PR2 routes, and the natural swimming pool at Plage d’Ardus on the Aveyron. You can focus your stay on architectural and local history, a tour through the countryside, or time by the water. The route descriptions also highlight different aspects: for PR1, the key details include distance, duration and difficulty; for PR2, the churches, hamlets and route down into the valley take centre stage.

The Château d’Ardus and its architectural history

The Château d’Ardus is an 18th-century pleasure palace; it was built in 1780. The château features a round music room, decorated by Ingres père, and a dovecote dating from the construction period, with glazed-tile ornamentation. The two details have distinct decorative features: the room centres on its decoration, while the dovecote stands out for its tile design. On 11 October 1971, the façades and roofs of the château, along with the music room and its furnishings, were partially classified as historic monuments.

The PR1 and PR2 routes

The PR1 discovery trail, “Les Coteaux d’Ardus,” is 4.7 kilometres long, takes 55 minutes and is of moderate difficulty. It starts at Plage d’Ardus and leads through hilly countryside with traditional cultivated land. The trail also passes through natural areas where orchids are plentiful. A viewpoint, a rest area and discovery points add to the route. In this way, the trail combines specific information on distance and duration with a variety of landscape features and landmarks.

The PR2 “De St Saturnin à Notre Dame” is designed as a there-and-back route. It runs between the two village churches, connects the hamlets of Ardus and Cos, and follows high paths down into the valley. Unlike PR1, its route can be understood primarily through this sequence: village churches, hamlets, high paths and valley shape the route. PR1 provides distance, time and difficulty information for comparison; for PR2, the there-and-back format and the places it connects help with orientation.

Plage d’Ardus on the Aveyron

Plage d’Ardus is a natural swimming pool formed by the calm waters of the Aveyron. The designated area covers 5,000 square metres, and the maximum depth is two metres. The swimming area is marked off and supervised in July and August. Facilities at the beach include benches and a shaded lawn, a boules court and a picnic area. There is also a landing stage for anglers and step-free access. The site therefore combines the swimming pool with places to sit, play and have a picnic.

Cos and Saint-Saturnin

The original church of Saint-Saturnin de Cos dates from the early Middle Ages and was confirmed in the bull of Urban II in 1097. Cos, also known as Cosa, has been known since the 1st century BC. These dates refer to different historical reference points: the early Middle Ages and 1097 relate to the original church and its confirmation; the 1st-century-BC date refers to Cos under the name Cosa. This local history adds its own historical reference point to the architectural details of the château and the churches that frame the PR2 route.

Discover more destinations: Dunes, Boudou, Albefeuille-Lagarde, Vazerac, Barry-d'Islemade, Roquecor, Varen, Castelsarrasin.

For the broader travel overview: Tarn-Et-Garonne.