LOT & DORDOGNE - Cahors

Marseille to Sarlat in one go is about 6 hours, so I knew I’d want to break my journey en-route. My first stop was for coffee and a croissant at about 10h30, and then I pushed on through to Cahors which had been recommended to me by Florence. At first sight, I wasn’t that impressed, but once I’d parked, I quickly realised that I’d skirted the edge of the town which was lovely.

Cahors is one of those places that really changes as soon as the sun shines, so it was a shame that the weather was a bit iffy – warm but cloudy spots. The main sights are well but discreetly marked, so I managed quite happily without a map. My first port of call was the Cathedral, which was beautiful, but unremarkable except for two things. The first was the cloister which was one of the most beautiful I have seen.

The second was the garden at the back of the cathedral where there is even a wicker nun to illustrate how the gardens would have been tended in times gone by. It was whilst reading the sign about the cathedral garden that I realised that it was actually just one of many gardens on show this weekend in and around the town.

I discovered a nice little tableau close by – I’m still not sure if the blue motorbike was part of the props or just someone inconsiderately parked!



One of the things I enjoyed most was just wandering through the streets which were full of people and interesting little boutiques. There was an indoor market for fruit, vegetables, artisanal bakers, butchers and cheese, and this is obviously a popular wine area as there were also ‘Maison des Vins’ everywhere.

By pure chance my visit coincided not only with the garden exhibition, but also with market day where you could find almost anything, and also a day of song and dance at one of the bars/cafés tucked away in a side street off the main square. The street was filled with balloons, people singing and families enjoying the show – what a treat!

I still had a way to go, so at 17h, I decided to press on. Little did I know that there was still more to see and do even in the car park!! I’d parked in the underground car park at the site of the old amphitheatre, which had joined in the garden celebration by decorating the exposed remains in the style of a Roman garden. From here my plan was to head straight to Sarlat, but when I saw the sign for the Pont Valentré, I couldn’t help myself, so ignoring the very insistent GPS lady, I headed out to the bridge.



The sun was in just the wrong position to get the shot I really wanted, but I managed to make do and get something I was happy with. The bridge itself is seriously impressive and it is worth taking the time to walk across. The views over the river are superb and I found myself imagining the sound of horses hooves racing over the cobbles.

My one regret is that nearly all my photos now feature other people also taking photos!

DORDOGNE - Forêt des Singes

I came across a leaflet for the Forêt des Singes when I was in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac earlier in the week, and as I’d planned to visit Rocamadour anyway, I couldn’t help but be tempted!

Literally translated as Forest of the Monkeys, it does exactly what it says on the tin. The grounds cover about 20 hectares and are home to 130 Barbary Macaque monkeys who live here in total freedom. One of the really great things is that when you arrive, they give each visitor a handful of special popcorn so you can feed the monkeys. You’re not allowed to leave the paths or touch them, but they approach you and one was even happy to do a bit of sunbathing on the bench next to me!

There are guides all through the park to give information and they do regular feeding displays and educational talks for the kids that I found fascinating too! Along the route are information panels with multiple choice questions to give you a bit more of an insight. The park was much busier than I’d expected, and there was a wide range of visitors, and young and old seemed equally excited to be able to hand feed the monkeys.



As well as woodland paths and open spaces where the monkeys gather and the guides give demonstrations, there is also a beautiful panorama over the surrounding countryside and château opposite, a ‘cave’ where you can walk through and see the waterfall from behind, and a gift shop/café.

However, the highlight for me was watching the baby Macaques exploring their surroundings and mums keeping a tight grip on one leg so they don’t venture too far. It is absolutely incredible how human their behaviour is. It’s a shame my camera batteries died before I’d finished the visit otherwise I could have taken hundreds of cute photos here.

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.

DORDOGNE - Gouffre de Padirac

This has to be one of the most beautiful caves I have ever visited, and a visit I will never forget. I’d seen mention of it in my guide book, but for some reason I’d decided to do the Gouffre de Proumeyssac instead, so it was only fate that I saw the sign as I was leaving Rocamadour, and it was only about 12km, I decided to take a look.

The first thing that struck me was how different the outside was to other caves I’ve visited. There is a huge building that reminded me of an old fashioned cinema, a popular auberge opposite for café or lunch and beautiful landscaped gardens opposite with a picnic area and shady seats.



Unusually, you can also see the ‘gouffre’ which is the hole in the ground that leads down into the cave from just outside the entrance. It is huge – much larger than any others I have seen – and the descent is actually down via this hole either in a glass sided life of by about 500 stairs.

Once you get inside, there is a walk of about 300m which is via a dimly lit corridor. The rocks are more a deep ravine than the range of stalactites and stalagmites that I have seen in other caves, but you can’t help but be impressed by the sheer scale. However, the real fun begins when you get to the embarkation area, as the visit starts with a ride through the cave pools on a small flat bottomed, gondola style boat. What a spectacular thing to do and I was so glad I didn’t know how terrified I would be in advance as I might have missed out (I don’t like boats!).



The water is so deep and clear, it is absolutely stunning. After about 500m, the visit continues on foot and this is where the amazing rock formations are to be found with huge calcite sculptures that resemble jelly fish, mushrooms and even broccoli! There were above 300 steps on the walking part of the tour and they climb to a height of about 80m, so it is not recommended for those with asthma, heart conditions or walking difficulties which meant that some of our group had to wait at the gondola station. The caves are so full of water, that bizarre bus shelter type things have been put up at various points, but I still managed to get quite wet.

However, for me the most impressive thing has to be the huge pools with their natural damns of calcified rock which look so inviting, that I was almost tempted to take a dip! This is one of the more expensive cave visits at 9€, but worth every penny in my opinion.