DORDOGNE - Rocamadour

Rocamadour is one of the places that had been recommended to be in advance, and a little further away from my base at La Boiseraie, but I was so glad I made the effort.

I got a bit confused to start with as I knew it was a medieval village built into the rock face, but everything seemed really flat. A quick visit to the tourist office revealed that I was actually in l’Hospitalet which is the village above Rocamadour, and to get down to the medieval city you can either walk (not likely once I’d seem how steep the path was), take a lift or the little train. I opted for the lift which I soon discovered is not cheap – 2.50€ one way down only as far as the Sanctuaries. Although I thought it was a tad expensive, it is a feat of engineering – basically a cable car type thing that travels through the rock, so I was glad I’d done it.



From the outside, the Sanctuaries looked just like a very tall church, but as I got nearer I realised that it is actually a small community of seven churches and chapels surrounding an inner courtyard. Guided visits are recommended, but there wasn’t one scheduled for another few hours, so I decided to explore on my own, and discovered several beautiful vantage points as well as a souvenir shop selling old fashioned postcards and various religious souvenirs.

From here you can either take a different lift down to the medieval city (2€ one way) or walk down the Escalier des Pèlegrins (pilgrim’s staircase). I actually thought these steps might lead down to the crypt so I was halfway down when I realised where I was! The staircase is very wide and the steps uneven so this is not to be attempted by anyone who is the least bit unsteady on their feet.

The steps bring you out about a third of the way along the old medieval street, just before the Port Hugon. Here you will find a whole range of speciality shops specialising in local produce such as foie gras, wine and even a whole range of sausages including mushroom, goats’ cheese and even deer!



Of course there are also all manor of other shops selling medieval themed souvenirs, fused enamel jewellery, clothes and shoes. There is a good choice of restaurants and snack bars, so I plumped for a huge sandwich and a chapter of Agatha Christie in the sun with a fab view of the whole town right up to the château at the top.

After a delicious mandarin ice cream, I decided to make my way back up. I was really keen to try the little train, but they run every 15 minutes and I’d just missed one so I relented and took the lifts up again. It wasn’t until I was back in the car that I released that I hadn’t visited the château or the ramparts, so that will have to wait until my next visit.