This was my second visit to Commarque (once on foot hiking, once by car) and both times I was immediately struck by what was almost theatric staging of an imposing ruin trailing down a monumental hillside. Almost a thousand years on history peaking out from the mist# of time. This time I was pleasantly surprised by an on site food truck serving a hot lunch of burgers and fries in such an isolated location. Not only tasty and welcome on a chilly day, but also very reasonably priced given the circumstances.

Feels like a bit of trek to get here but definitely worth it. Whilst huge chunks of the castle are ruins there are some parts inside that have been refurbished and a huge effort has been made by the family to allow visitors (there a video explains all that which is worth watching). There are nice grounds with picnic benches and a small takeaway food outlet with limited choices so eat beforehand or take your own which I suspect lots of families do. Troglodyte caves are also on the site which can be visited too. Everything was translated into English which much appreciated. Merci !

This is an excellent castle which took us a good 2-3 hours to visit with our three-year-old son. The castle is predominantly ruined, but has good railings so is safe for young children. The man at the kiosk encouraged us to pay for a guidebook saying there was no information inside, but that turned out to be rubbish (there were plenty of signs in french and some in English), so we were glad we hadn’t shelled out.