Explore the south of France, the Pyrenees and northern Spain

Based in the south of France for 25 years, I am an author who specialises in history, landscapes and gastronomy on both sides of the Pyrenees.

There are three main ways to explore my website: (i) use the interactive map (ii) browse the list of selected articles (iii) choose a topic.

Clickable map of locations covered in articles by Colin Duncan Taylor.

Although it scars 11 square kilometres of the Pyrenees, you are only likely to spot the Trimouns quarry if you climb a mountain on the north side of the Ariège valley. This high-altitude site supplies 40% of Europe’s talcum powder, but what do we do with it all? READ MORE
Opened in 1928, the main station building was grandiose in both its style and dimensions. In 1970, a runaway train destroyed a bridge on the French side of the mountains and Canfranc fell into ruin until it was bought by the regional government. It reopened as a 5-star hotel in 2023 and its facilities now include a Michelin-starred restaurant housed in a pair of refurbished railway carriages. READ MORE
Around 71 BCE, the Roman general Pompey built a monument in the Pyrenees to celebrate 877 victories in south-western Europe. Only a handful of Roman trophies survive, and this is the oldest. READ MORE

Presentation of the 2026 Tribute of the Three Cows, an annual ceremony which claims to be the oldest treaty still in force in Europe today.