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.

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.

Starting from the hamlet of Les Granges in Orniac, discover the lower Célé valley to its confluence with the Lot. Beautiful view of the cliffs between Bouziès and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and return via Pech Merle and Cabrerets.

From cazelles to dolmens, above Château de Cuzals and its open-air museum, passing through old Sauliac and its cliffside houses.

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.

This walk allows you to discover Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, the River Lot and its towpath, then the limestone plateau above the village. I also suggest a shorter alternative route.

The route leads from Luzech to the Payrols valley via the Crespiat plateau and its caussenardes. The Payrols valley is home to a few geological curiosities that are well worth a detour! The outward and return journeys are along pretty paths offering beautiful panoramic views or, conversely, privacy and tranquillity.

Wells, wash houses, cazelles (stone huts), truffle fields, the remains of an old priory and typical Quercy houses are what you will find on this beautiful hike in the countryside near Cahors.

This hike takes you above the medieval village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and offers multiple viewpoints for beautiful photos of the village. Moderator's note Old description, GPS or Visorando app useful

This blue-marked route takes you on a tour of the village's rural heritage, with springs and fountains to discover amid beautiful natural landscapes. A description is available at the town hall and in a letterbox on the festival square in the heart of the village.

Eight-shaped loop through the Cirque de Vènes and the village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. Remarkable towpath to Bouziès, then return via the Causse and the Chemin de Croix.

A superb, quick, easy and family-friendly circular. This walk will allow you to discover the beautiful Causse paths lined with dry stone walls, pretty cazelles (stone huts) and the imposing Pech de Gadal dolmen. The return journey is through Old Sauliac on a path clinging to the cliff, offering superb views of the valley.

This is an easy hike on sharp limestone pavement, offering a beautiful viewpoint with a passage near a chasm, which is not secured, so caution is required for all.

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.

Walk in the forest and along sunken paths typical of this region of north-western Lot, starting from the village of Les Arques. Very green landscape in summer, pretty undergrowth in a very wild environment (passing close to only three residences). Most of the walk is off paved roads, on local lanes. Some very pretty views. This walk is marked on the IGN map and is signposted in yellow on the ground.

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

A lovely ten-kilometre walk around the beautiful village of Escamps, starting along the beautiful iris path, then truffle fields, and finally the dry stream of the Combe de la Valse. Little elevation gain for mainly limestone plateau landscapes.

Half road, half path. Superb views. Crossing Aurimont, a typical village with stone houses and slate roofs.