ACTIVITIES
• AMENITIES
• LOCAL
INTEREST •
A
LITTLE FURTHER A FIELD
 Thank
you so much. We have just returned from a wonderful holiday.
Your house and property and the whole area are absolutely
beautiful 
Scards
ACTIVITIES
•
BACK
TO TOP
Boating
The
forty mile stretch of the river Lot downstream from St.
Cirq Lapopie has recently been reopened to pleasure boats,
which you can hire for the day. There also boat trips available
from Cajarc, Bouzies and Cahors
Canoes/Kayaks
You can hire canoes and kayaks at numerous places both on
the river Célé and on the Lot. The closest
places are by the bridge over the Lot at Tour de Faure or
on the river Célé between Cabrerets and Sauliac-sur-Célé.
Some places offer ‘one-way’ trips.
Brocantes
During the summer there are some lovely ‘brocantes’
in the local towns and villages – ask if there are
any during your stay.
Cycling
Not
only great fun but also an immensely popular French sport
and widely practiced in the valley, despite all the hills.
Bycles can be hired locally.
Fishing
There
is wonderful fishing on the river Lot. If you fancy a lake,
there is a small one very close by (2 miles) at Nougayrac
and a very large one at the Lac du Bannac (approx 15 miles)
on the right halfway between Limogne and Villefranche-de-Rouergue;
about a mile after Marroule.
Holiday
fishing permits for the river Lot and Lac at Nougayrac,
are available from the shop in Cénevières
and the PMU café in Cajarc. For the Lac du Bannac,
permits are available onsite.
Horse
Riding
The
nearest riding stables are at:
•
Ferme Equestre du Pech Merle Cabrerets
05 65 24 76 51
•
Centre Equestre Didier Fraysse Limogne
05 65 31 67 91
Tennis
There
is a tennis court in St. Martin Labouval. It’s free
to use and you just turn up and play.
AMENITIES
•
BACK
TO TOP
Bars
There
is an interesting bar in Cénevières –
Le Paradou. It’s nothing particularly special, but
it is close. It is also very popular in July / August, especially
on a Friday night when they usually have a very loud live
band. The quality of the bands is mixed but the quantity
of sound is consistent! Children tend to appreciate it as
there is a pool table inside, a table tennis table outside
and boules / petang courts opposite. They also do frites!
Markets
The
local markets are wonderful and a great way to buy your
fresh produceand soak up the atmosphere – or better
still park yourself at a café table and watch it
all go by with a coffee or beer!
•
Cahors -
a large market in the Cathedral square on Saturday mornings,
there is a slightly smaller one on Wednesday mornings
• Limogne -
a good local market on Sunday mornings; also a splendidly
useful start to your first day!
• Cajarc -
this varies in size but is generally on Saturday afternoons
• Villefranche-de-Rouergue –
good market in the colonnaded medieval square by the church
on a Thursday morning
Shops
Daily
essentials are available in Cénevières which
is about 3km. The croissants are good but in the summer
months it is probably best to place an order to be sure
of availability. There is also a boulangerie / pâtisserie
in Tour de Faure.
For a wider range of shops there is Cajarc which is an enjoyable
10 - 15 minute drive along the beautiful and superbly scenic
river or the main towns of Cahors, Figeac and Villefranche.
We generally do our main shop at Carrefour in Cahors on
the route de Toulouse. For intermediate shopping we use
the Ecomarche or Casino in Cajarc.
LOCAL
INTEREST •
BACK
TO TOP
Fêtes
During
the summer months every town and village holds it own Fête.
Watch out for the signs advertising where and when.
Tourist
Train
Quercy
Rail run a tourist train between Cahors and Cajarc –
see the pamphlet for details.
Places
of interest
Cahors
A visit to Cahors is an absolute must. A large tourist office
in the centre of the town will help you to plan your visit
to all the interesting sites Cahors has to offer, including
the medieval quarter and the famous Pont Valentré
noted for its outstanding architectural design and fascinating
folklore.
St.
Cirq Lapopie
The unforgettable village of St. Cirq Lapopie is just five
minutes or so away and is an absolute delight. Set perched
on a hill overlooking the River Lot, you will find apart
from the history this village has to offer, many gifts for
family and friends. The narrow streets are lined with dwellings
that offer local artisans' work from leather goods to jewellery,
together with cafes and restaurants in which to stop and
refresh oneself before ascending to the highest view point
over the villages, roads and river below. Best to avoid
the weekends in summer.
Grotte
du Peche Merle
Close by to St. Cirq is Cabrerets where the famous Grotte
du Peche Merle is found. Here you can witness one of the
most beautiful legacies left to Europe by the painters and
engravers among our prehistoric ancestors. Human figures,
mammoths, bison, horses and other animals are found on the
walls of these caves and human footprints can be seen at
the bottom of a dry pool! As well as Stalactites and Stalagmites
cave pearls or pisolites have formed - specks of grain or
gravel carried down by the water and coated with calcite
and polished by the running water that continues today.
Château Cénevières
This relatively small family château is only a few
minutes away and is well worth a visit. Usually one of the
grandchildren will be your guide.
Le Musée de Plein Air de Quercy - Cuzals
This is a fascinating place to spend a few hours and experience
a little of what local life would have been like during
the middle-ages.
A
LITTLE FURTHER A FIELD
• BACK
TO TOP
Albi
Just over an hour or so south is Albi, the ‘Rose City’,
so called because of its pink granite stone and famous for
among other aspects, its cathedral and the Toulouse Lautrec
Museum.
On the way take time to checkout Cordes.
Rocamadour
Approximately an hour north, Rocamadour is a cliff-hugging
medieval village and historic shrine that is perched on
a limestone cliff rising 490 feet above the river Alzou.
Looking out over the gorge, Rocamadour is devoted to the
Virgin Mary and has remained for over nine hundred years
a symbol of faith and hope; telling a story of religious
belief and human endeavour.
For
those less energetic the village, built into the hillside,
can be visited by using the little train that travels up
and down, stopping at the shops and cafes. Leading from
the village to the spiritual heart of Rocamadour is the
Grand Escalier with 216 steps! The Abbots' Palace, formerly
the palace of the Bishops of Tulle has been well restored
and well worth a visit. Probably also best to avoid the
weekends in summer!
Toulouse
The university city of Toulouse offers everything one would
expect from a large city and is well worth a visit. With
its beautiful historic centre, Toulouse is one of the most
vibrant and metropolitan provincial cities in France. It
is immensely pleasurable to sit at one of the cafe tables
in the great square of Place du Capitol enjoying a crisp
salad lunch and a glass of wine and watch life go by! The
lanes of shops spiral out from the main square and are great
fun to explore. The tourist office is just behind the Place
du Capitol and with so much to do and see, allow a full
day (or more) to do Toulouse justice.
Other
towns within a 45 minute drive that are worth a visit are
the medieval Figeac and Villefranche-de-Rouerge.
Click
for more Photos |
