Le Sidobre is a granite plateau east of Castres, where millions of years of weathering have sculpted enormous boulders into extraordinary shapes. Some balance impossibly on single points, others stack in towers or split into perfect geometries. The effect, scattered through dense forest, is of a landscape designed by a surrealist sculptor with a crane.
Several marked trails wind through the woods past the most spectacular formations. The Peyro Clabado, a 780-tonne boulder balanced on a tiny pedestal, is the most photographed, but the Chaos de la Resse — a tumbled field of enormous rounded rocks along a stream — is more atmospheric. The Lac du Merle, a small lake surrounded by granite chaos, makes a good picnic spot and swimming hole in summer.
Le Sidobre is also the centre of France's granite-quarrying industry, which gives the area an unexpected industrial dimension alongside the natural beauty. The Maison du Sidobre in Vialavert has exhibits explaining both the geology and the quarrying tradition. The plateau is best explored by car with stops for walking — the trails are short enough that you can see several formations in a day.