A Day in the Lot

Tuesday 9 September

Another day of thunderstorms forecast but lovely and sunny in the morning so we set off to the north east and into the department of the Lot. St Antonin was covered in a blanket of mist early today but the warmth of the sun soon dispersed it.  Our drive took us up quite high into the area called Quercy which largely rolling hills, farmland and small forests - lots of sunflower fields here.

Quercy landscape - rather nice

 Our first destination was a Plus Beaux village called Lauzerte which sits high on a hill and has far-reaching views over the countryside.

Looking over the rooftops, Lauzerte

  The drive was really enjoyable - no traffic and good roads - and we were very impressed with the immaculately preserved townhouses that line the streets of Lauzerte.  The commerce signs above the doors are also very lovely in Lauzerte.

Not sure if he is selling religion or wine!

It is a village on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela and we saw a number of walkers arriving in the town as we sat in the square and had coffee.

Coffee in the square, Lauzerte

  Getting out of the village and down the hill proved to be a bit of a mission with our GPS once again failing the one-way street test.  Fortunately the local drivers were very patient.

This little wooden house looked a bit out of place amongst its fine stone neighbours in Lauzerte!

We headed north towards Cahors, hoping for a riverside park along the way for our picnic lunch.  This did not eventuate and we turned up a hill into the town of Montcuq where we found a little park with tables and benches  under shady trees - just the thing.   Some enthusiastic petanque players entertained us with a lively game and a delightful very elderly couple came and sat beside us, chatting away in French that was a bit difficult to understand.  The old man gave us some peaches - from his garden I think - we tried to give them an avocado in return but they were not keen.  Such delightful and friendly people.

Lunch stop - Montcuq with a game of petanque for entertainment

Cahors was not too far - downhill again as it is on the River Lot.  We drove through the centre of town but found it to be very busy and without any real points of interest so we continued on along the river through some old villages and past some towering stone cliffs.  At some points there is no space between river and cliff so the road passed through tunnels carved in the rock. After about twenty kilometres we crossed the river and climbed the hill to the drop-dead gorgeous village of St Cirq Lapopie - probably one of the most famous villages in France.

View from St Cirq Lapopie down to the River Lot

I have been here before but never fail to be stunned by the beauty of the location and the medieval architecture of the houses.   The ruins of an old chateau rise out of the rocks and look down on the village.  Today there were a few bus tour groups in the village when we arrived, making it seem very crowded (it is not very big) but they soon left and we were able to enjoy the atmosphere and charm of the place more readily.  Not that tour buses shouldn't come here - it is a place that is very worthy of inspection!  A couple of black clouds in the distance were the only sign of thunder today and we basked under brilliant sunshine all day.

Chateau ruins, St Cirq Lapopie

Our drive back to St Antonin was yet another scenic delight - the quiet country roads are a pleasure to drive on - very stress free, even though there is an occasional village with seriously narrow streets to negotiate.  We arrived home very thrilled with our lovely day out, and cooked a nice dinner which we enjoyed al fresco, with a nice drop of Pouilly-Fuisse vin blanc, in our courtyard garden.

Pretty streets of St Cirq Lapopie