The route covers an important part of the cultural heritage of the region, which was ruled by the counts (almost always called Raymond) from Toulouse in the Middle Ages. The count's route mainly takes in the (fortified) towns and castles. You follow the roads that follow the course of the rivers enclosed in gorges, such as the major rivers Aveyron and Tarn. The region in which the routes are located is called Rouergue. This rugged area along the southern edge of the Massif Central is becoming increasingly depopulated.

You start the route in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val and stop in Najac.
Where the Tarn gorge is given a little more space, the flat-roofed houses of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val have been built. The Benedictine abbey where the relics of Saint Antonin were stored has disappeared. However, the historic town still has one of the few remains of Romanesque civil architecture. On an atmospheric square stands the 12th-century Hotel de Ville. It is now partly used as a folklore museum and partly as an archaeological museum. Although the old streets around the Place de la Halle are attractive, the area is especially worth a walk. From the town, ten signposted routes lead to, among other things, the high-lying Roc d'Anglars and to the Bône cirque. If you follow the flow of the Tarn, you will reach the turnoff to Penne. Penne, with its steep streets and romantically situated castle ruins, would be visited much more by tourists if it were not so hidden in the greenery.

After Penne you drive to the Cháteau de Cayla. This family home of the poet-writers Maurice de Guérin and his sister Eugénie de Guérin (19th century) is set up as a museum. Maurice de Guérin contributed to romantic literature with his work and became especially famous for his poem 'Le Centaure'. After the brother and sister had moved in Parisian literary circles, they sought peace and quiet in their birthplace to be able to write.

You drive east to Cordes. This hilltop town is worth the climb. Around the city walls and behind sturdy gates, the streets are full of Gothic houses. The beauty of the buildings is due to the 14th century trading prosperity. Leather, dyes and linen, that's what Cordes was all about. At the turn of the last century, Cordes was no more than a dreamy, dilapidated village. The restored town now attracts a stream of tourists. Striking buildings are the Maison du Grand Ecuyer with gargoyles and the Maison du Grand Veneur with hunting scenes on the facades. Both houses are on the Rue Voltaire. The central market hall was used at the time to trade fabrics from hand to hand. From the Terrasse de la Bride behind the market hall, you can admire a beautiful view.

Your next place of significance is Albi. The colours of the city of Albi show that the extraction of natural stone in the immediate vicinity was not possible. The vast majority of buildings are made of brick. The compact city centre can keep you occupied for hours. The Sainte-Cécile cathedral with its imposing tower looks like a castle from the outside, but inside a turbulent interior surprises you with a magnificent choir wall. The vaults of the cathedral are painted in Renaissance style. They are paintings of excellent quality. This divine 'fortress' was built by Bishop Bertrand de Castanet. He had many enemies and therefore wanted to feel safe in both his palace and 'his' church. That palace, the Palais de la Berbie, is located next to the cathedral and is the second tourist attraction of Albi. It houses a museum dedicated to the painter and graphic artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). Mainly his early work, but also the well-known coquettish and ironic graphic work is present. The artist's fragile, one-and-a-half-meter-tall figure is kneaded in wax and stands in the wax museum south of the cathedral. He stands among other illustrious Albigensians, such as the bloodthirsty bishop Bertrand de Castanet and the local saint Salvy.
Next to the building is the birthplace of the graphic artist, refurbished as Lautrec's youth house. Albi is a wonderful city to wander around. The medieval Pont Vieux, the Renaissance town hall and the intimate church of St.-Salvy are just a few of the other sights.

The next stop is the 16th century rebuilt Château de Bosc, beautifully roofed with slate. It includes a beautiful library, an armory, a large salon and a family museum. The armory is decorated with Aubusson tapestries and the family museum contains drawings by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec's father and uncles. The painter often visited the family estate and many objects remind us of him. Not far from the castle, the idyllic Viaur river flows through a pleasant, wooded area. An impressive train viaduct, the Viaduc du Viaur, hangs over the water. It was made by Bodin, a pupil of Eiffel.

You are now approaching the end of this trip. Najac is a textbook example of the fortified places in the medieval Midi. Its strategic position on a hill in a loop of the Aveyron was used by the counts of Toulouse, among others. There is only one access to the hilltop. Three successive walls had to stop the enemy. A 13th-century church at the foot of the castle houses a double church treasure: a reliquary cross of silver and a wrought-iron candle gate. To have a magnificent view of Najac, it is best to drive out of the town past the castle. Then you can enjoy a drink, if possible, on a terrace.