Introduction and History

The Lot is a departement in south west France formed from the district of Quercy and part of the old province of Guyenne. It has an area of 2017 square miles and is bordered by Correze in the north, Dordogne and Lot & Garonne in the west, Tarn & Garonne in the south and by Aveyron and Cantal in the east. The departement itself extends over the western portion of the massif Central and slopes towards the south west with a maximum altitude of 2560 feet on the borders of Cantal diminishing to 213 feet where the river Lot flows out of the departement.

Ranges of hills cover the east and west but the north, centre and part of the south give way to dramatic belts of limestone plateaux known as causses that are for the most part barren and arid with deep clefts and chasms, locally known as igues, caused by the rainfall. There are the Causse de Martel in the north, the Causse de Cahors in the south and the most beautiful of all the Causse de Gramat (or Rocamadour) between the Lot and the Dordogne where the Gouffre de Padirac is a stunning igue 7 miles north east of Rocamadour. The altitude of the causses is much lower than those in Herault and do have some cultivation, mainly vines but also some cereals and potatoes.

The river Lot flows westwards with a length of 300 kilometres. It rises on the Mont du Goulet in the Cevennes at a height of 4918 feet. It flows through gorges between the Causse of Mende and the Aubrac mountains and the flatter causses of Sauveterre, Severac and Contal before it enters the plateau of Quercy before it flows into the Garonne in a wide fertile plain St Aguillon.

The river Lot is navigable the whole distance with the help of locks and its principal tributary is the river  Cele, a pretty babbling river over washed stones and pebbles giving a peaceful and tranquil valley to explore.

Visiting the Lot valley, where there are few main roads and almost no traffic, and sleepy medieval villages is like stepping back into the pages of a history book with peach, faded green and sepia illustrations.

Typical of the region are the pigeonniers (dovecotes). Those with sufficient land kept pigeons which provided meat for the table and, above all, dung for the fields. The most exotic is to be found at Lavergne, between Gramat and St Céré. It is in the form of a gateway – all that is left of an old manor. Many old farms still have little square towers pierced with holes for the pigeons.

The valley of the Lot is warm and fertile; wheat, maize, oats and rye being the chief cereals but also in an abundance is tobacco, potatoes and truffles from the prolific french oak forests.

As well as the scenery, the region is famously known for its food, in particular the Cabecou cheese made from soft and light unpasteurized goats milk and

Black Truffles, also known as black diamonds, are one of the rarest and most expensive foods in the world. The fragrant fungus grows around the roots of oak trees and is routed out by specially trained pigs and dogs. The sublime flavor of truffles is best appreciated when sliced and slipped under the skin of a chicken before roasting, or shaved into the centre of an omelette, or used to enhance dozens of other dishes.

For dessert, you must try the "pastis",a sort of tart with puff pastry and apples, walnuts, the "pescajournede Segala (a buckwheat pancake) or "cabecous" (little cheeses from the goats of the Causse de Gramat.)

The most valued wine is that grown in the Cahors region and full bodied wines have been pressed here since the 7th century. There are many excellent vineyards to discover, such as Vin Tsar, with an interesting story to its’ name. Chateau Latuc with medal winning wines, Chateau La Grezette with classical Cahor wines and a fantastic location and Cote de Duras and Buzet

Along with fruits and nuts like walnuts, chestnuts, apples and plums that the provide the ingredients for the local jams, livestock farming sees sheep being the main commodity along with pigs, horned cattle, horses, mules and goats. Many bee-hives can be seen as the bees feed on the nectar of the prolific wild flowers and alpine plants in the causses.

The land is not only given over to agriculture but it yields many minerals. Zinc is mined as well as iron and coal. There are large quarries yielding limestone and various mills on the horizons carry out oil works, spinning, cloth making, tanning and brewing. Overall the departement is self sufficient and highly productive.

History

The area is steeped in history, and since prehistoric times has been a main route for penetration and settlement of the country. Here, all the ages have left their mark. Numerous caves and countless prehistoric stone monuments reveal the ancient occupation of Quercy. The Roman occupation has left town ruins (Luzech, Vayroc, Capdenac) and other traces(Arc de Dinae at Cahors). The land of Quercy was subject to various invasions by Barbarians (Visigoths, Franks, Arabs and Normans). Development of the feudal system brought prosperity to the area and many abbeys (Figeac, Marcilhac, Catus, Creysse, Carennac and Cales), castles and monasteries were built, the ruins of which can still be seen today. The Albigensian Crusade, followed by the Hundred Years War brought great destruction to the area. Numerous caverns were fortified (Chateau des Anglais at Bouzies) and castles were built everywhere. (Cabrerets, Autoire)

Prior to the Roman Conquest of Gaul, the Celtic rule was decentralized, uncivilized and chaotic. Julius Caesar invaded in 58BC to protect Roman holdings along the Mediterranean and to extend the Empire (and his own ambition). They remained for five hundred years planting ideas of citizenship, a common state, learning, good lines of communication, trade and cities and towns instead of mud hut habitations.

After the decline of Rome the country was open to invasion by Franks and Goths and after the death of the Merovingian King Clovis in 511 the Frankish kingdom was parcelled out amongst his heirs. It wasn’t until the Carolingians that the country became stabilised and it was during this time, in 781 that the huge area known as Aquitaine,or Guyenne as it was called then, which included the Lot, was made an independent kingdom by the Emperor Charlemagne.

In 1137 the dauphin of France, the soon to be Louis VII, married Eleanor of Aquitaine and so gained control of her vast duchy. She was repudiated in 1152 and remarried Henry Plantagenet who was to become Henry II of England and so Aquitaine was incorporated into the Anglo Angevin Empire and from then on became an area of bitter conflict during the Hundred Years War.

Many of the castles, villages and towns were built by the English (Aquitane being British in the 13th Century on the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitane to Henry II). The medieval Bastide towns, often built around arcaded market places, have remained largely unspoilt.

Richard 'Coeur de Lion' the Lionheart sallied forth from a, now ruined, hilltop stronghold in Penne d'Agenais.

Of the larger towns Moissac is of great architectural interest having a Romanesque abbey and cloister, Agen and Cahors (sited on a loop of the river Lot, which is spanned by the 14^th Century ‘Pont Valentre’ a remarkable mediaeval military bridge) & Villeneuve-sur-Lot are some of the existing towns.

From the north of Agen up to Villeneuve sur Lot and up and across towards Bergerac, Duras and Marmande. It is here that the Hundred Years War started. The area is characterised by sleepy market towns, bastide villages and stunning views of rolling countryside crossed by the Lot and the Garonne rivers.

The French finally took control of Guyenne in 1451 and by 1453 the English, under Henry VI had lost all their French lands,(except for Calais which they finally lost in 1558). Ten years on from the war and Louis XI had regained most of the power and lands that had been lost and was able to concentrate on converting his country from a haphazard number of independent fiefdoms into a unified and powerful kingdom.

In the Middle Ages this was as wealthy an area as any in France. In his history of rural France, George Duby describes how, after the Hundred Years War, the limestone plateaux of the Causse were brought back into cultivation at the same time as the area around Paris and before Provence. This was thanks to the richness of the cloups – the strange, deep depressions in the Causse at the bottom of which fertile soil collected.
Following the renaissance period, the Quercy was affected once more by religious wars and Richelieu transformed the country by wiping out feudalism with his programme of "Nationalisation".

In 1790 the Department of the Lot was created and then in 1808 it was divided into two :Tarn & Garonne and the Lot.

In the Second World War, the Resistance was very active in the area and the Lot was the land of the "maquis".

Two revolutions changed the Lot from relative prosperity to relative poverty. The arrival of the railways and the modernisation of agriculture: It was the railways that caused the most hardship for the railways took the traffic from the rivers and the busy Toulouse Paris road thus creating an area thrust into relative isolation. The changes in agriculture made the little enclosures of the Lot uneconomical and the economic upheavals of the nineteenth century have left a refuge from the modern world that remains unspoilt, tranquil and unique.

Map of The Lot

Getting there

By air

There are many cheap flights leaving the UK regularly for airports within easy reach of the Lot. The international airport of Toulouse/Blagnac, Fifth largest French airport in terms of passenger traffic carried, is 1 hour from Cahors via the A20. The airports at Bordeaux, Bergerac, and Rodez have regular services to the UK.
www.toulouse.aeroport.fr
http://www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr/
http://www.pays-de-bergerac.com/english/pages/pays_de_bergerac/practical-information/pratical_information_airport.asp
http://www.travel-library.com/airports/europe/france/rodez/rodez_airport.html

Car hire is available at the airports.

By rail

With Eurostar from London to Paris. The Paris-Toulouse line serves the following stations. Cahors, Gourdon and Souillac (5 trains per day). The Paris-Rodez line serves Gramat and Figeac.

The airport shuttle bus goes to Toulouse train station every twenty minutes and there are regular trains to the Cahors and Rodez areas.
www.sncf.fr
www.tgv.com
www.navettevia-toulouse.com

 By road

Calais: 900km, Paris : 500 km via the motorway, then the RN 20.
A20 Brive-Souillac open since January 1999. Opening of the Souillac-Cahors section due late 2001. Toulouse: 110 km by the A20 via Montauban. Bordeaux : 210 km via the motorway, then the D911Clermont Ferrand : 270 km via the motorway, the RN20 and B roads

Where to go/What to see

St-Cirq-Lapopie

Spectacularly situated on rocky cliffs 80 metres above the river Lot, the little medieval town of St-Cirq-Lapopie is considered to be the prettiest in the Quercy. The warm, honey-coloured buildings and air of calm tranquility that has attracted visitors throughout the ages, some of whom never left like the Post Impressionist artist Henri Martin and the poet Andre Breton. St-Cirq-Lapopie was the first village to be classified as an historic monument, and the 15th and 16th century houses that line the Grande Rue are rigorously preserved and protected.

The 16th century church is the most prominent building, with a stout bell tower and turreted watchtower, and the picturesque Ruelle de la Fourdonne houses the theatre and the museum.

The street names are a testament to the crafts that brought the wealth to St Cirq Lapopie like metalworkers, hide merchants, woodworkers and button mould makers.

Masses of flowers cling from the balustrades and with the sun glinting on the warm stone and the myriad coloured tiles, St Cirq Lapopie makes a spectacular picture as it clings to the cliffs overhanging the river. Along its narrow cobbled streets can be found many little artist and artisan galleries and studios as well as small eateries offering lovely views across the valley.

Tour de Faure was in medieval times the river port for its neighbouring village of St Cirq Lapopie. The two villages lie on either side of the river linked by a bridge.

http://www.quercy-tourisme.com/st-cirq-lapopie/english/saint-cirq_english.html#home
http://www.saint-cirqlapopie.com/

Rocamadour

A spectacular monument to verticality on a sheer cliff face.  It clings precariously 490 feet above the Alzou canyon .

After Mont-St-Michel, Rocamadour is the next most popular destination for tourists and pilgrims in France, and is both an ancient and sacred place. In 1166 a very old, mummified body was discovered buried in front of Our Lady's Chapel. Legend has it that the body is that of St. Amadour, the biblical tax collector Zacchaeus who was married to Veronica who wiped Christ’s face on his way to Calvary. Driven from Palestine because of persecution they finally were given shelter in France. After the death of Veronica, Amadour lived as a hermit in the wilds of Quercy and built a chapel in homour of Mary.

Henry Plantagenet is reputed to have knelt at the statue’s feet in the chapel and was cured of an ailment. This story further elevated Rocamadour's reputation as a holy site, and the construction of a great religious centre was undertaken to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims.
Rocamadour stretches up to the sky in three tiers. At the foot of the cliff the little village is squeezed together on the lower slopes in parallel lines of honey-coloured buildings. The 13th century Porte du Figuier is one of four fortified gates that once defended the medieval city and turns onto the main street lined with souvenir shops and cafés.

The Great Staircase leads - by way of 216 steps - to the Parvis de St-Amadour, the spiritual heart of the village where pilgrims traditionally crawl on their knees in penitence. There are a number of shrines and seven churches within a small area the most notable being Our Lady's Chapel, which houses the Black Virgin - Our Lady of Rocamadour. This small primitive statue of the Madonna and Child is unusual in its simplicity and strange blackened colour. Hanging from the vaulted ceiling of the chapel is a simple 9th century bell that is supposed to possess a miraculous power. Legend has it that the bell was able to ring of its own accord when a shipwrecked sailor asked for help, and was saved by the Virgin Mary. It is said that in return, sailors would agree to undertake a pilgrimage to Rocamadour to give thanks.
From the holy city a winding path leads up to the ramparts of the 14th century château which affords wonderful views.

http://www.rocamadour.com/

Figeac

Legend has it that the origin of Figeac was due to Pépin the Short in 753 for while resting on the banks of the river Célé he saw two doves forming a cross in sky above him. He took this as a sign to build a monastery in gratitude to God for his many battle victories and over time the town that grew up around the monastery became an important stopping point for pilgrims travelling to Rocamadour and Santiago de Compestela.

In the 14th century Figeac won the right to mint its own coins, and became an important financial  and tanning centre. The architectural and cultural changes that happened during the 14th century are still very evident in modern day Figeac with curving lanes and irregular little squares and many of the tall stone houses have open sided wooden galleries that were used for drying skins.

http://www.quercy-tourisme.com/figeac/

Figeac is the birthplace of the renowned Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion who first broke the code of Egyptian hieroglyphs. The medieval house where he was born now houses an Egyptology museum. 

Joseph Kossuth has dedicated a replica of the Rosetta Stone made out of black granite from Zimbabwe to him and that can be found underfoot on the Place des Escritures.

http://www.ville-figeac.fr/

There are many more surprises in Figeac, including two long stone needles built on the hilltops of Lissac to the west and Cingle to the south. Built in the 12th or 13th century, no one is sure what their original purpose was.

Beauregard

This is a  small bastide founded by the Abbot of Marcilhac. It’s glory is in the centre where there is a small square with a 14th century covered market or halle.

The halle is a particularly fine example, boasting an impressive lauze limestone roof and its original stone grain measures. The town's church underwent a major restoration in the 19th century and houses relics of St. John.

It is a village that time has forgotten and chickens, sleepy cats and dogs lounge in the sunshine totally unfazed by visitors.

There are many prehistoric stone monuments in the area including four dolmens. The Dolmen de la Borie du Bois, off the D55, is the second largest dolmen in the département.

Also on the D55 close by is a remarkably restored windmill, Moulin de Vent, in a tranquil setting with picnic availibility.

A couple of miles away is St. Projet where there is an ancient fortress that became a refuge during the religious war that was the backdrop for the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre for La Reine Margot wife to Henri VI.

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/S/ST/ST_BARTHOLOMEW_MASSACRE_OF.htm

Cahors

Cahors from a distance looks like an island in the middle of the river Lot but it is, in fact, enclosed by a huge meander in the river. It has been a university town for foue hundred years and was the birthplace of Leon Gambetta, the statesman who brought about the downfall of Napoleon III and whose name adorns the streets of so many towns in France. The sun-bleached limestone buildings with their rich red roofs landscape are protected on the northern side by fourteenth century fortifications. It is the administrative centre of the Lot and the main street, the Boulevard Gambetta, is broad, leafy promenade and lined with plane trees, busy shops and cafes.

The medieval heart of the city is sandwiched between the boulevard and the river. The cathedral of St-Etienne in Place Chapou where the market is held, is uninspiring but has a highly decorative northern doorway depicting Christ in majesty surrounded by angels and apostles.

One of the most photographed monuments in France is the Pont Valentré spanning the Lot on the western side of Cahors.   

It is a magnificent example of medieval military architecture. Its construction began in 1308 and over the course of the next 70 years the bridge, with it's three imposing towers, was built while the Hundred Years' War was in full swing. The Valentre Bridge was a garrison for the defending troops, complete with armoury, stores and kitchen.

The towers included a portcullis, gates and arrow slits which made the bridge an impregnable independent fortress. It can be crossed on foot but traffic is banned.

http://www.mairie-cahors.fr/
http://www.quercy-tourisme.com/cahors/

Mont St. Cyr overlooks the town and from its top the view over Cahors is amazing, showing the striking contrast between the old and new buildings of the town. The walk up is accessed by steps up a narrow street just by the gardens on the St. Louis Philippe bridge.

Cahors is also famous for its dark ruby red wine, known to the English as black wine due to its colour and tannin content. Cahors wine can be served young and slightly chilled or left to mature into a full-flavoured roundness.

http://www.terroir-france.com/region/southwest_cahors.htm

Cajarc

The area of Cajarc in the Lot, had been famous for its saffron from the middle ages until the end of the 18th century but the social and cultural changes brought about by the French Revolution, when "aristocratic" cuisine became unacceptable, led to its decline. However it is now building a new reputation as the centre for Quercy saffron because in 1998, Aspec, an association charged with preserving the heritage of the Cajarc area, decided to research the history of saffron in the region and to encourage its revival. Quercy saffron is now considered to be high quality, and sells at around £21 a gram.

On the penultimate Saturday of October every year, they hold their fête du saffran in Cajarc, with visits to a saffron field, and a market selling saffron and other products incorporating the spice, such as pates, cheese, biscuits, jams and even an aperitif. They hold a saffron competition, and the evening ends with a supper of six courses prepared by local restaurateurs - all, of course, featuring saffron.

The main road encircles the town with its selection of shops, restaurants and bars, but it has an interesting old town in the centre with a peaceful church square. It has a Saturday market, selling vegetables, cheese, meats and flowers. The famous film, Charlotte Gray, was partly filmed here.

The town of Cajarc has until now been renowned as the holiday home of the late president Georges Pompidou, and in 1989 an art gallery Centre d’Art contemporian Georges Pompidou was opened.

Slightly out of town the cliff rises to 509 feet and the view over the valley and Montbrun Castle is stupendous.

It is called Saut de la Mounine (little monkey’s leap) and legend has it that the Lord of Montbrun was so enraged at his daughter’s love for an unsuitable man ordered her to be thrown from the cliff. Her executioner dressed a small blind monkey in female clothing and flung it from the cliff instead and the Lord of Montbrun having regretted his brutal action was overjoyed that his daughter was alive and well.

http://www.mairie-cajarc.info46.com/cajarc/index.htm

Limogne

This pretty market town is in the Causse de Limogne, an undulating dry stony landscape of holm oaks and juniper. There are a number of megalithic burial chambers and many lovely ancient stone crosses.in the area as Limogne was a crossroads for east-west pilgrims on the route to Compostella and north-south trade. Limogne has a smattering of commodity shops, a lively corner café sheltered from the heat by a shady plane tree and an interesting bleached limestone church which dominates the lively Sunday market.

It is also in the centre of truffle country which brings in traders from far and wide.

The town also hosts regular antique markets that the locals from the surrounding countryside flock to.
http://www.tourisme-limogne.com/html/cadre%20accueil%20anglais.htm

Lalbenque

Lalbenque is the nearest town to Limogne and the apparently flat countryside hides narrow stream-cut valleys with isolated watermills and fortified farmhouses. Varaire has a communal outside  laundry and a small church with a peaceful cemetry. At Bach the GR 65 swings slightly  northwards passing through Vaylats and its accommodating convent before heading towards Lalbenque.

Lalbenque is famous for its truffle auctions and restauranteurs from all over haggle in the local hotel or outside in the street if the weather is fine.

Of note is the delightful church and its community square surrounding the boule park with seating under shady plane trees.

http://www.lalbenque.net/
http://www.mairie-lalbenque.info46.com/lalbenque/index.htm

What to Do

Caves

The area is riddled with prehistoric caves and troglodyte dwellings.

Chateau de Diablo can be seen embedded in the rock at Cabrerets and from there Grotte de Peche Merle is only a short distance. There is road access but the short walk from the church at Cabrerets through the pine woods is lovely’

The world-famous Grotte de Pech-Merle is about 3 km from Cabrerets. Discovered in 1922 by two teenage boys, Pech-Merle rivals Font-de-Gaume at Les Eyzies as the finest prehistoric cave still open to the public. The cave contains 1200 metres of galleries with many dazzling geological features and over 500 Upper Palaeolithic drawings, paintings and engravings most of which are 16,000 to 17,000 years old. The images cover a third of Pech-Merle's passageways, and about eighty of them are of animals and humans.

A tour of the cave begins with the Chapel of Mammoths. This arched gallery, carved by an underground river, contains the magnificent 'black frieze'. The frieze includes mammoths, bison, horses, and wild oxen arranged around a central horse. There are few caves where large numbers of mammoths were drawn, and many of those at Pech-Merle are particularly clear. A little further on is the Hall of Hieroglyphics. Here the ceiling is covered with finger drawings including animals, strange symbols and unusual heavy-breasted female figures. Next is the Hall of Discs, named after the upright concentric circles of calcite formed over time by dripping water. Embedded in the limestone floor of the upper gallery you can see the footprints of woman and child made at least 12,000 years ago. After the Hall of Discs the tour concentrates on interesting geological features including rare cave pearls, before re-entering the prehistoric section via the Bear's Gallery.

Beyond this is Pech-Merle's most famous work, a pair of beautiful spotted horses. The horses stand back to back and the right hand horse's head is drawn onto an appropriately shaped protuberance in the rock. Perhaps the shape of the rock provided the inspiration for the work, no-one will ever know. The composition of the overall piece is quite intriguing. The wall around the horses features six feminine 'negative hands' while above the horses is a rare picture of a fish - probably a pike.

The Centre de Préhistoire Amédée Lemozi, next to the Grotte de Pech-Merle is a museum dedicated to housing a fine collection of objects found at around 160 prehistoric sites throughout Quercy. Opened in 1981, the museum was named after the priest who first made the world aware of the treasures at Pech-Merle and who also founded the first museum of prehistory in Cabrerets. Within the museum two exhibition rooms, a large cinema, a library and extensive archives provide visitors with a fascinating insight into life during the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages.

http://www.quercy.net/pechmerle/english/introduction.html

The Grotte de Bellvue was discovered in 1964 near the village of Marcilhac-sur-Célé.

This cave has an abundance of stalactites and stalagmites the most impressive of which is known as Hercules' Column. The convoluted rock formations are white and varying shades of red, and the way that they catch the light is quite mesmerizing.

http://www.grotte-bellevue.com/

The Gouffre de Padirac is a natural chasm 75 metres deep formed when the vault of a limestone cave collapsed into the underground river below. The tour begins with a descent by lift (or stairs for the more energetic!) 103 metres to the river and then proceeds with an underground boat trip which takes visitors to the cathedral-like Grand Dôme which is 94 metres high. The tour lasts about one and a half hours and covers 2km.
http://www.gouffre-de-padirac.com/

There are a few windmills in the area that have been carefully restored and on certain days are open to the public.
http://www.quercy.net/institutions/aramq/aramq_moulins.html

Museums

In Cahors the Wine Museum shows a collection of traditional tools used for wine making. This museum is also a place of information where you can learn the art of tasting wine.

La Chantrerie 35 rue de la Chantrerie - Phone: 05 65 23 97 32 26

The oldest vineyard in Cahors, estates and chateaux, close to the Pont Valentré bridge and the Chartreux fountain.
Tastings and sales.                                                   
Open from Monday to Friday
from 8am to midday and from 2pm to 6pm.
Route de la Chartreuse
46004 CAHORS
Information: (0)5 65 35 , 47

The Champollion Museum is situated in the house where Jean-François Champollion was born. It houses a permanent Egyptology collection. The pavement in Place des Escritures is a replica of the Rosetta stone sculpted by Joseph Kossuch.

Musée Champollion
4 rue des Frères Champollion
46 100 Figeac France

Tél : 05 65 50 31 08

http://www.ville-figeac.fr/musee/coll-perm.htm

 Saint Cere. This museum presents Jean Lurçat's paintings, ceramics, céramiques, drawings and furniture, as well as some of his best tapestries.

http://www.quercy-tourisme.com/saint-cere/english/lurcat.html

Quercy Rail:

Every day from Easter to the end of October
All year round for groups with a booking

Guided tour of approximately 45 minutes
Henry IV's house - Barbacane - Arc de Diane -
Pont Valentré bridge - the old town - Cathedral
http://www.tourisme-vacances-lot.com/htgb/frameset5.htm

Train Touristique which does regular trips from Cahors to Capdenac Gare, Chateau Bonaguil, St Cirq Lapopoie and Cajarc.
http://membres.lycos.fr/ddonnat/cfthq.htm

Chateau de Bonaguil

Bonaguil certainly is a magnificent castle perched on its plateau with heavenly views and it was designed to scare off the boldest of the owner and builder’s, de Roquefeuil's, enemies.

Fortunately the noble, magnificent and most egotistical lord built his castle so far off the medieval beaten track that no-one bothered to attack it, and it's survived over the centuries in a very well preserved state.

It's open to the public all year, don't miss it if you're in this area.

http://www.fumel-fr.com/bonaguil/

Canoeing/Boating on the Lot

The Lot River rises in Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains. As it approaches the point where it joins the Garonne, it slows down and meanders its way through superb scenic valleys and is overlooked by many delightful villages perchés. Canoes can be hired at most ports along the river Lot: at Cahors, Albas, Puy L’Evêque, Montayral, Catus, Fumel and St. Cirq Lapopie.  At Plan D’eau at cajarc and Montcuq there is canoeing and water skiing. 

On the Cele Les Amis du Cele cater for all sorts of sports: canoeing/kayaking, orienteering and potholing.

Tel: 33 05 65 31 26 73
http://www.amisducele.com/index.html

At Luzech there are also windsurfers and motor boats for hire
http://www.quercy-tourisme.com/luzech/#distractions

Boat trips along the Lot to Cahors set out from Bouzies (4kms) although it is worth the tranquil walk from Bouzies through the Defile des Anglais to the locks below St. Cirq Lapopie which echoes of a time past when transport was the glory of the Lot valley.
http://www.quercy.net/lieux/autres/bouzies.html

Horse Riding

Horse riding is an interesting and enjoyable way to discover the surrounding woods and countryside. There are many stables to hire horses for short or long term.
http://www.rideinfrance.com/Rides/perigord_quercy.htm

Walking

An unlimited number of tracks and trails, including the GR65 (the pilgrims walking trail extending all the way to the Pyrenees and onwards to Compostella in Spain).

The GR65 will offer hours of undisturbed country walks taking one through quiet and undisturbed tracks thronged with wild flowers and alive with busy insects and singing birds.

http://www.csj.org.uk/routes.htm#le-puy-route
http://www.csj.org.uk/other-websites.htm

Fishing

Fishing is very popular in the river Lot. Licences can be purchased from fishing shops in most local towns.

There are many types of fish to be found in the local waters, including Trout (Truite), Crawfish (Écrevisses), Gudgeon (Goujon), Perch (Perché), 'Cat Fish' (Poisson chat), Black-bass, Pike (Brochet), Pike (Sandre), Eel (Anguille), Shad (Alose), and Salmon (Saumon).

Details can be found at the web site www.pechelot.com

Fédération du Lot, Des Associations Agréées Pour La Peche et La Protection du Milieu Aquatique
182, Quai Cavaignac
46000 CAHORS
email: peche46@wanadoo.fr

Cycling

There are many trails and tracks throughout the Lot and Cele valleys of varying grades of difficulty. Many of the towns have hire facilities and most of the tourist information offices have lists of availability.

Wild Life

As for mammals, the mountains provide sanctuary for both boar and wildcats, though both are largely nocturnal but are still hunted by the locals on a weekly basis.. The wolf is now extinct in central France, although its somewhat mythical presence is conveyed through stories that are still told today, such as the tale of the 'Bête du Gévaudan', a 'beast' that allegedly killed 50 women and children.

There are many deer that saunter across the roads looking for food and the red squirrel is a frequent visitor to locals’ gardens and the air is full of distant cowbells.

The Animal Park at Gramat has a variety of animals: 150 different species, 1000 European animals. Rare species living in a natural and typical land on the Causse (limestone plateau).

http://www.gramat-parc-animalier.com/pge_accueil.htm

 Cremps - Domaine du Pech Petit - Retirement Stables
Stroll around paddocks where 90 horses, ponies and donkeys live peacefully in a pleasant rural setting.
http://amazone2000.free.fr/maltrait.htm

The number of the different types of birds in the Lot valley is incredible. One group of Dutch birdwatchers who were camping noted over fifty varieties as diverse as tree sparrows, linnets, chaffinches and wrens to short toed tree creepers, red backed shrikes and cirl buntings. It is a bird watchers paradise.

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/lotvalley-mb-0604.html

 The air is redolent with fragrant smells of a profusion of wildflowers. Theer are many different varieties of orchids including some that are quite rare. Poppies, honeysuckle and sunflowers are in abundance attracting lots of butterflies.  Different varieties of fritillaries, scarce tailed swallowtails, painted ladies, peacocks, holly blues and tortoishells can all be seen gracefully dipping and diving into the flower cups.

Throughout the region there are many forests, mainly pine and oak and it is in the oak forests that truffles are found, a commodity which greatly helps boost the economy of the region.

Truffles multiply by spores and observation of these under a microscope is the only absolutely certain way to distinguish one species from another.

 The black truffle or rabasse grows in a strange symbiotic relationship with the roots of several trees but oaks are the most productive, particularly the evergreen Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) and the deciduous White Oak (Quercus pubescens).

The truffle develops over many months and harvesting can begin as early as 15th November although tradition has it that the best truffles are to be found between mid January and mid Februar

Further Tourist Information

Tourist offices:

Weather in Lot