The River Lot, though less well-known than the Dordogne, also flows through beautiful and varied landscape.

North of Figeac, chestnut clad hills topped with small pastural stock farms provide a marked contrast to the country further west. From Capdenac in the east of our area, the valley is fairly narrow; the river meanders through fields of maize, strawberries and tomatoes, bordered by walnut trees and poplars. It is particularly beautiful in Autumn when the poplars along its banks resemble fountains of gold. Pink, grey and apricot cliffs rear up out of oak and juniper-clad hillsides, surmounted by the silhouette of picture-postcard villages such as Cénevières and St. Cirq Lapopie. Here, stretching far to north and south are the causses, thin stony pastures for small flocks of sheep, with its mysterious, ghostly air of a lost civilisation. For though the ground is poor this area boasts some of the finest domestic architecture bespeaking ancient wealth. Huge stones are used as gate posts in the stone walls.

At Cabrerets, sight of the justly famous cave paintings of Peche Merle, the river is joined by its charming tributary, the Célé, whose tranquil and unspoilt valley is well worth exploring. In fact so beautiful are the Lot and Célé valleys that it is remarkable that they remain utterly unspoilt.

Cahors is the administrative centre of the Lot region and is attractive not only because of its cathedral and old town - now gradually being restored - but because it is not primarily a tourist town and offers a genuine glimpse of real French life. After Cahors, the river twists and turns through vineyards; from the height of the valley flanks, from villages like Belaye, the geometric pattern of the vines running down to the broad loop of the river provide a wonderful panorama. This is the region of vin de Cahors, favourite accompaniment to the delicious foie gras and confit dishes served in the moderately-priced restaurants.French Affair has a good range of villas available in the Cahors region. Please click here to find your ideal villa in Cahors.

In the east of our area, the Aveyron river flows through Villefranche de Rouergue and then winds through limestone gorges to the village of Najac, which dominates this stretch of the valley and onward past St. Antonin and Bruniquel. East of here lie several wonderful hilltop villages or bastides like Cordes en Ciel, striking monuments to the dramatic history of this warm welcoming landscape; while to the south, wide, open countryside swept by fields of corn and pierced by rows of vines provide the traveller with an exhilarating sense of freedom.

Places of interest

The Lot has fewer castles than the Dordogne, nevertheless they are worth visiting. They range from ruins like the Château de Roussillon, to private homes like the Château de Junies where the chickens and goats of the owner scratch around in the garden; and the Château de Cénevières with its beautiful renaissance facade high above the river. If you speak French, you will enjoy being guided around by the owner whose ancestors bought it from the previous owner as he was carted off to the guillotine. Or Mercuès which boasts a first class restaurant from whose terraces you can enjoy fabulous views of the Lot valley. Château de Grezels is the setting for theatre and music as well as courses on the appreciation of food. Other châteaux worth visiting are the Château at Assier, Bonaguil, Laroque Toirac, St. Jean de Lespinasse, and La Capelle Marival. In the Tarn you must visit the Great Cathedral and Toulouse Lautrec museum at Albi.

The Lot is also rich in Romanesque churches and Abbeys like St. Andre de Arques where there are frescoes, Marcilhac beside the river Célé below towering cliffs, Saint Sulpice, Duravel, Figeac, Goujounac. Visit the fortified mills on the river Ouysse. The open air museum at Cuzals and the Pre-history museum at Cabrerets are good. There is also a butterfly park, a monkey park and eagle sanctuary at Rocamadour, and a zoo at Padirac with examples of the wild life that you might find in the Quercy, including rare species.

Food & Wine

The vineyards of the Lot are situated in the area west of Cahors, the aoc area falling mostly in the valley, and slightly to the south of the valley. It is a very dark wine, high in tannin, which helps to preserve it, and for this reason it gained wide international markets from medieval times onwards. Most producers will welcome you, and are happy for you to taste their product without obligation to buy. Local favourites are Château de Chambert and Château Eugenie. In the Tarn, the wine is named after the town of Gaillac; its wines are lighter and growing in reputation. As in the rest of the south-west of France the cooking is based on the generations of farmhouse family tradition with volailles - chicken, goose, duck, guinea fowl and turkey - taking central importance. In some of the more expensive restaurants you will find that the modern ideas, like Nouvelle Cuisine, have been grafted onto old traditions. In the less expensive restaurants you will feed excellently on the splendid peasant cooking with local specialities like the mique, a sort of herb flavoured dumpling, and pastis cake, a kind of mille feuille soaked in eau de vie.

Pre-history and Caves

In the Lot alone there are 500 megaliths including stone tables and standing stones. They occur most frequently on the Causses to the east of the N20 road and, there is a good collection above Prayssac. The interesting cave paintings in the Lot are those at Pech Merle, described as the Sistine Chapel of painted caves, these are beautiful and moving, and those at Cougnac near Gourdon. Besides that, there are troglodyte habitations like those at the Château des Anglais; and if you like caving there are many interesting cave systems with approximately 1000 gouffres within the Lot area alone - but the king of all these must be the Gouffre de Padirac.

French Affair offers beautiful villas in the Lot Valley. Please click here to find your ideal Lot valley villa.

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