On the roads of Quercy
Walking is an art that takes on its full meaning on the paths of Quercy. Here, people have been walking to the rhythm of their footsteps for centuries. Crossed by the Via Podensis, renamed GR65 in modern parlance, thousands of pilgrims from Le Puy-en-Velay pass through the département every year. The road to Santiago de Compostela has been attracting an ever-increasing number of walkers, in "service" since 851 A.D. It's an anthology route, dotted with cathedrals, abbeys, ancient hospitals and pilgrims' halts. Today, the "Chemin des étoiles" is more prosaically a hiking trail. Today, this path is everyone's business, bringing a particularly important economy to the small villages lucky enough to be crossed by the GR. There are many variants to the path, and the Lot department alone can boast two of them! One runs from Montredon to Lauzerte via Figeac, Cahors and Montcuq, from Conques in Aveyron to Moissac in Tarn-et-Garonne. The other forks at Figeac and takes pilgrims via the Célé valley to Rocamadour.
There are many other walking and hiking routes in the Lot. The department is criss-crossed by 700 km of regularly-maintained GR® footpaths (hiking trails marked in white and red, a trademark registered by the FFRP).
Horse lovers will not be outdone, as the Lot is also a land of riders! More and more breeders are setting up on the causses. 1,500 kilometers of marked trails are sure to please horse aficionados. A number of "horse-friendly" establishments with special facilities offer safe stopping-off points. In Cabrerets, Montcléra, Creysse, Bagnac-sur-Célé and Calvignac, horse-riding associations and events offer original rides, some with horse-drawn carriages. The donkey can also accompany you on your rides, and can carry up to 40 kg of equipment. A useful teammate to encourage your children to walk. With a pace of 3 or 4 km/h, you can discover the Lot in complete peace of mind!
The Lot and its valleys are the ideal playground for gentle cycling. Few gradients, signposted routes of varying lengths... With a choice of 3 véloroutes, 2 voies vertes and nearly 80 circuits, there's something for families with children and experienced hikers alike. We particularly like the Véloroute Vallée du Lot, with its 160 km route between Cahors and Aiguillon. The route is signposted, the difference in altitude is slight and traffic is far from dense - but still shared with cars. The canal des 2 mers is only 10 km away. Or opt for the Véloroute Promenade en Bouriane, from Gourdon to Groléjac, or the Véloroute de la Vallée du Céou, between Abbaye Nouvelle in the Lot and Castelnaud-la-Chapelle in the Dordogne. And don't forget to try out the family-friendly greenways from Douelle to Mercuès and from Cazoulès to Sarlat. So grab your handlebars and open your eyes!
Electric bicycles have also made their mark on the local landscape. You'll find two rental outlets, Vélos Verts du Lot near Gourdon and Lot & Bike in Cajarc. Both offer quality equipment and can help you plan your itinerary. Bikes can be hired by the half-day, the day or over several days for longer excursions.
From the Earth to the Stars
The underground world of the Lot is a vast territory of conquests for the followers of speleology. Chasms, igues, dry caves and underground rivers form a whole whose maps offer treasures for the specialists. For neophyte cavers, the Lot represents the ideal playground for learning and exploration. From the family outing to the technical initiation, the services are adapted to your level. However, the activity requires a good knowledge of the terrain, know-how and approved equipment. If you wish to practice caving, contact the Centre départemental de spéléologie du Lot (CDS46), which groups together a dozen clubs and more than 200 members, and don't go off alone.
Jules Vernes would undoubtedly have loved the Lot! After a trip "to the center of the Earth", you can opt for a return trip to the clouds! Paragliding, skydiving, hot-air balloons, ULM... the Lot is an ideal playground to take flight!
The airfield of Cahors-Lalbenque is certainly the central point with activities of parachuting and ULM, first flights, light aviation and gliding. Hot air ballooning, which has its annual festival in Rocamadour (the Montgolfiades), is practiced in Castelnau-Montratier where the association Quercy Montgolfière offers flights for adults and children from 12 years old.
Paragliding is an obvious choice in a department where the valleys carve out magnificent cliffs. Above the Lot Valley or the Dordogne, several take-off zones allow to vary the pleasures! There are several clubs, in Martel, Montvalent or Douelle.
Get in the water!
With such beautiful rivers, with irresistibly attractive waters in summer, when the sun heats the limestone of the causses, the Lot could not refuse us bathing. There are many of them, 23 official ones, of which 14 are equipped and supervised, with an irreproachable water quality everywhere. Pioneer in water control, the department has set up the "Inf'Eau Loisirs" system. Every day from June 15 to September 15, a report on the quality of bathing water is issued and made available to all. List of bathing sites and water quality on www.syded-lot.fr.
As early as the Middle Ages, the gabares, these flat-bottomed boats, sailed down the Lot to transport coal, wine and fruit to the large cities of the southwestern plain. Today, the gabares are habitable boats which, from April to October, ply the river from Luzech to Larnagol via Cahors, a total of 80 km of navigation. You don't need a driver's license to captain these boats and let yourself be rocked while enjoying the landscapes that slowly go by... Finally, you have to plan some maneuvers to pass the 17 locks, most of them manual, but that's part of the adventure... What a pleasure for example to stop at the foot of the medieval village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie! One week for 160 km round trip to the base of your choice, it's ideal to discover the vineyards, the market of Cahors and the pretty villages along the river.
The Lot, the Dordogne and the Célé also offer a multitude of possibilities for canoeing: hourly rentals, multi-day trips... But these rivers offer above all an exceptional setting: we like the Célé for its intimate character and its limestone cliffs, the Lot to go in search of heritage curiosities, and the Dordogne to follow its magnificent meanders between picturesque villages and picnic spots.
Hunting, fishing, nature
Between causses and valleys, the fauna of the Lot is very rich. Roe deer, stags, wild boars, hares, but also ortolans, they populate the forests and embellish their sounds. The department has some 9,500 hunters and 497 hunting structures, including 28 approved communal hunting associations (ACCA). As a reminder, the possession of a valid hunting license is mandatory to be able to practice this activity. A training center is dedicated to this activity in Gramat.
The department of the Lot, rich in a very diversified hydrographic network, offers all the ingredients for a perfect harmony of landscape and emotion in the practice of fishing. The natural piscicultural and halieutic heritage of the Lot is composed of 1,500 kilometers of first category rivers that will satisfy the fario trout hunters - 12 "no kill" courses for the most sporty ones exist on the Lot, Célé, Ouysse, Veyre and Bave rivers - 35 lakes and ponds, 400 kilometers of second category rivers that offer numerous possibilities of catching white fish, "record carp" or carnivores with an interesting population of black bass on the Lot between Cahors and Puy-l'Evêque. The Lot is the river of carnivores par excellence and attracts more and more specialists. The development of many stations accessible to the disabled allows everyone to practice their passion: 8 lakes and 12 stations along the Lot and the Célé have pontoons and access roads for hand fishing.
Astronomy
The Lot has the lowest light pollution area in France. Called "the black triangle of Quercy", this area located between Rocamadour and the valley of Célé is distinguished by the quality of observation of its night sky, thanks to an almost entirely natural light. The Regional Natural Park of the Causses du Quercy supports the development of sites for observing the stars. During the beautiful starry nights, you can fully enjoy it on three different sites: Limogne-en-Quercy, Carlucet and Reilhac.
Created in 1986, the Gigouzac Astronomy Club has about thirty members. Located in the famous "black triangle", appreciated by stargazers, the club offers the possibility to go to the observatory of Gigouzac, located 20 km north of Cahors, and which bears the name of its founder Daniel Chottin. This observatory has a dome of 3 m in diameter which houses a 310 mm Newton telescope. During the rest of the year, bi-monthly meetings allow these enthusiasts to share their observations. The club also participates in the Nuit des étoiles and the Fête de la science and organizes several conferences.
