Sauliac-sur-Célé walks

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.

The twenty-ninth stage of the Way of St James. This beautiful stage begins with another climb, leading to the castle-museum of Cuzals with views over the Causses and the Célé valley, before reaching the heights of Cabrerets. The village nestles along the Célé and is dominated by its very impressive castle. This is followed by a visit to the Pech Merle cave, before discovering some of the stage’s most beautiful panoramas, with a lovely view from the Rochecourbe cliff. A lovely descent takes you away from the Célé to reach the Lot, near Bouziès, where the GR®651 ends. It is here that I suggest a detour from the Way of St James, heading upstream towards Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, a fantastic hilltop town and a must-see in the department. Passing through an incredible spot, you’ll have the chance to discover the towpath, a trail carved into the rock and originally used for horses to pass through.

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

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.

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!

This easy circular route will allow you to discover the pretty village of Marcilhac-sur-Célé and its abbey, the peaceful, shaded banks of the Célé and, higher up, the Quercy limestone plateaus and their rural heritage: dry stone walls, caselles (stone huts), cayrou (stone shelters) and compte-moutons (stone sheep pens). This route follows theGR®651and thePR®20departmental route of the Caselles de Marcilhac at times.

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.

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

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.

Come and discover the small village of Saint-Chels, situated in the heart of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park, via this route. Along the way, you’ll see dolmens, cazelles, wells, springs and unique viewpoints.

A short walk on the Larnagol plateau where you’ll see springs, caselles and dry-stone walls.

Come and discover the dolmen hike on the Causse de Saint-Chels, in the heart of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park.

Come and discover Cabrone with its unique views of the Causse and the Tirondel Valley, its dolmens and the legend of the Foun del lout.

Thirtieth stage of the Way of St James. On this stage, you leave Saint-Cirq-Lapopie via the magnificent towpath and head for Bouziès. You leave theGR®651to follow theGR®36. You climb back up onto the Causse plateau, offering beautiful views of the Lot valley, before descending to Arcambal and its medieval castle. You then follow the tranquil course of the Lot to Cahors.

A very challenging circular walk that takes you on a figure-of-eight route (allowing you to do just part of the route), showcasing both the village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and the area’s most beautiful UNESCO-listed geological sites: the Cirque de Vènes, the resurgence and the karstic cave of Crégols, and the Chemin de Halage. With a few sections along cliff ledges and stunning views over the Lot Valley, this route will delight lovers of beautiful landscapes and/or geology.

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.

This beautiful hike will take you past the stunning Font Nègre spring to the Bout du Monde (End of the World) viewpoint, which offers magnificent views. Note dated 25/02/2023: following the closure of the communal path that bypassed the Castanet farmhouse on the left, a new communal path has been created. It bypasses the farmhouse on the right and is now correctly signposted. The description has been amended accordingly.

This route passes through various high points offering beautiful views of different valleys and the Lot valley.

Four villages, each with its own unique character: - Cénevières and its magnificent castle - Calvignac, perched on the cliff - Larnagol, nestled in a hollow in the cliff - La Toulzanie, a troglodyte village The River Lot flows between these four villages, with a path climbing up the cliff on the left bank and remaining on the plain on the right bank.

This circular walk, proposed by the Association 'les pierres vivent' and the commune of Cénevières, winds its way from the valley to the causse, sometimes along small wild paths, sometimes along wider paths, and very few roads. Along the way, you will discover fountains, caselles, dovecotes, chapels and wash houses, as well as the Trou Madame spring and the château, which is open to visitors

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 circuit in the hills above the Lot Valley offers numerous viewpoints and a chance to discover the landscapes of the Causse.

This splendid route has many attractions: the Château des Anglais clinging to the cliff, the Priory of Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie and several superb views of the Célé Valley.

Between Figeac and its confluence with the Lot, the Célé river crosses a limestone plateau. It winds its way between cliffs offering stunning views of the valley. This hike follows part of the river's course. The elevation gain on this walk will delight the more athletic, but it can also be easily split into two to suit everyone.

Thissecond stage on theGR®651takes you through places with ancient stone buildings: the Priory of Espagnac, the Château des Anglais in Saint-Sulpice, troglodyte houses and the caselles of Marcilhac. It also offers magnificent views of the Célé valley from the balcony-like path on the plateau. This stage also allows you to explore the causse and its network of low stone walls, evidence of the region’s once-thriving agricultural past.