Francoulès walks

Route starting from Saint-Michel-de-Cours, descending towards the Rauze stream to follow its course before climbing back up to the starting point through the forest.

Walk along the waterways to explore Roussillon Castle. Roussillon Castle was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, likely on the ruins of an 8th-century stronghold belonging to the Duke of Aquitaine.

Walk around Saint-Pierre-Lafeuille to discover the built heritage, springs, wells, gariottes (stone huts), etc.

A pleasant walk along the banks of a stream that disappears to reveal the tuff before reappearing.

The thirty-first stage of the Way of St James. An easy stage with a slight incline from Cahors and a lovely climb at the start. You will cross the magnificent Pont Valentré to arrive, 23 km further on, at Labastide-Marnhac, a charming little town in the Lot department where white stone houses with flower-bedecked façades line both sides of the main street. The route continues gently to Lascabanes, a picturesque little village with its row of houses typical of the small farmers of yesteryear.

Cahors... I knew it by name, I often passed by not far from it, but I never stopped there. What a mistake! Cahors is a pretty little medieval town and a city on a human scale where you can do everything on foot. With its famous and sumptuous Pont Valentré bridge and its famous Saint-Étienne cathedral, this town has an incredible ancient and medieval heritage. Old Cahors is also a very attractive place with its secret gardens, half-timbered houses, market halls and market. I visited and discovered Cahors on my second day of rest after 21 days of walking on my way to Santiago de Compostela.

This hike, along cliff-top paths, offers superb views of several meanders of the Lot, which you will cross. Several small locks are used by pleasure boats. The descent to Vers allows you to discover the village and its river of the same name with its port at the confluence with the Lot.

Climbing up the aptly named Combe d'Écoute-s'il-pleut, you arrive at the dry grasslands of Lentillac, where you can discover a magnificent dolmen. Descend towards the peatland, a clear river that can disappear and reappear a little further on through resurgences.

In the land of the King of Naples, enjoy a walk through the woods with magnificent views.

This route will allow you to discover two typical villages of the Causses du Quercy: Cabrerets, a village flanked by the vertiginous cliffs of the Célé, and Orniac, a little gem of the Causses. All this while crossing some very beautiful landscapes: the peatland valley, the beautiful Combe Gelée and the descent to Cabrerets via Bout du Lieu, where you will overlook the Célé river while following theGR® 651, used by pilgrims on their way to Compostela.

Discover the Causse and the beautiful Célé Valley around the superb Pech Merle Cave.

This beautiful circular route will allow you to discover both banks of the Célé from the village of Cabrerets. On one side, the Montclar State Forest, planted with Atlas cedars and punctuated by an interesting human and natural heritage: Cuzouls, Lake Saint-Namphaise, cazelles (dry stone huts) and dolmens. On the other bank, Pech-Merle and its oak grove offer beautiful views of the village of Cabrerets and the Lot valley, with the added bonus of a visit to the Pech-Merle caves.

Perched on a cliff overlooking a bend in the Lot river, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is an exceptional village that has preserved its medieval architecture. This deliberately shortened stage allows you to take a long tour of the monuments, narrow streets and shops of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie after walking along the towpath on the banks of the Lot. The short detour beyond the village to the Cirque de Vènes viewpoint is well worth the effort.

A beautiful loop along the Lot with a return trip via the plateau.

A lovely circular route where you can enjoy a real Causse atmosphere. Small built heritage sites (the Bourlande spring and wash house, a cazelle, Lake Saint-Namphaise), traditional Causse houses, dry stone walls, open landscapes and views to the horizon, and the pretty little village of Orniac. An easy, family-friendly walk suitable for all seasons but one to avoid at all costs in hot weather!

Walk around the village of Flottes to discover its fountain, one of its gariottes, and its crops: vines, truffle trees, etc.

Wells, wash houses, gariottes (dry stone shepherd's huts), abbey ruins, remains of a fortification and a cluster of old rural houses are the main attractions of this rich and varied walk, which is very typical of the Lot region's heritage.

From Lavercantière to Rampoux via Saint-Martin le Désarnat, this rural hike will introduce you to some remarkable heritage sites.

Between the valley and limestone hillsides, this walk will take you along wild paths. Discover the traditional houses, dovecotes and bread ovens of the hamlets of Lantis and Mas Teulat.

This circular route links the villages of Concots and Escamps. It follows the old roads towards Puylaroque and Lalbenque from Concots.The route is particularly rich in interest, featuring, on its eastern half, works of art created by local artists. There are also numerous points of interest showcasing the natural and cultural heritage, and two stops on the ‘My Village, My Fossil’ route featuring species discovered in the Quercy phosphate mines.Why ‘cheMain’? Like the handprints of our ancestors on the walls of the Cabrerets cave, which have been adopted as the emblem of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park.This hand, coloured red or white, indicates the direction to follow in a clockwise direction along the route.Keep your eyes peeled.