Starting from the Plaçal lodge in Aujols

Start from Aujols (46), Lodge du Plaçal, Route de Cremps.

(S/E) Follow Rue de la Place. Turn left onto Rue de la Traverse.
Take the path on the left, which continues between dry stone walls, down towards Les Conquettes. Follow the Combe des Conquettes path for 1,030m.
Turn right onto the Combe de la Joyeuse bridle path to join the D26 at Cremps.

(1) Turn left onto the D26, pass the Cremps town hall, then turn right after 320m.
Follow this smooth, downhill track for 300m.
Turn left, ride for 600m, then veer right onto the path climbing at 3.5% for 1150m.
Turn right after 780m, cross the D22.

(2) Continue straight on until you reach the^GR®65(2). (Way of St James).

(3) Cross the^GR®65to the D55, which you take to the right for 220m.
At a place called Longbos, leave the D55 and take the path on the left.

(4) After 1,060m, cross the D19 and continue to Tandounet.
Turn right onto the gentle dirt track and follow it for 300m.
Turn right, still on a smooth dirt track. At the tarmac road, turn right, until you reach the D19.

(5) Turn right onto it and follow for 230m.
Turn left onto a smooth track. After 930m, cross the D55, then 440m further on, the D26.
Cross the D10 and continue to the Croix de Jayriès.

(6) Turn right towards Le Gascou, taking the road with a 10% gradient for 400m.
At the bend, take the path opposite to join the tarmac road, which you follow to the right for 40m.
Turn left onto the path which joins the^GR®65and the D10 after 380m.

(7) Turn right onto the^GR®65and follow it for 1,990m.
Leave the^GR®65and take the path on the left to reach the three-way junction in Biargues.
At Biargues, at the three-way junction, turn left, then 340m further on, take the path on the right. Turn left onto the track to reach Lac de Fraysse.

(8) Walk behind the lake and take the grassy path that joins the D22.
Turn left onto the D22 and follow it for 170m.
Turn right onto the stony track and follow it for 530m.
Take the D22 on the right, towards Laburgade, for 700m.

(9) Turn right onto Chemin des Puits to join the D10.
Follow the D10 for 430m.
Turn right onto the^first dirt track (bridle path).
Turn right onto the track and follow it for 70m, then turn left and follow it for 130m to join the D10.
Follow the D10 to km 30.71.
At L’Escalier, turn left onto the road which becomes a grassy, undulating track. It passes a butterfly-shaped wash house, a well and the Moulin Payrot.

(10) Turn right towards the Aujols butterfly wash house. (Place du Lac).
At the wash house, head towards Cremps.
Arrival at the Plaçal lodge, at the junction of Route de Cremps and Rue de la Place (S/E).

Start point: AUJOLS (46290). Lodge du Plaçal, Bourg Est, Route de Cremps. http://giteduplacal.fr/
If you are staying at the lodge, in addition to the excellent welcome you will receive, you will have a garage for parking vehicles and bikes.
Furthermore, the lodge has several mountain bikes, including one for children, which, whilst not top-of-the-range, are reliable for this type of ride.

Start from Rue de la Place, at the junction with Route de Cremps.
An 18% descent on loose gravel between large rocks; best tackled on foot for safety.

A fairly smooth ride with varied trails, ranging from shady, damp valleys to the forests of small oaks on the Quercy plateau, passing through the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

Accessibility: All year round (Take care during the hunting season).

Must-see sites:
Cahors (Resistance Museum, Valentré Bridge, Old Town, Saint Etienne Cathedral, Secret Gardens). Saint Cirq-la-Popie, Pech-Merle Cave, 19th-century phosphate mines at Cloup d’Aural in Bach. Padirac Chasm, Rocamadour, Lacave Caves, La Bastide-Murat...