The Lot

The Lot? Or more appropriately, " Lots" -- for it is both a remarkable and thus singular region which is at the same time rich in its diversity and so attractive for its plurality. In the heart of the South West, between the Massif Central and the Aquitaine Basin, the department's character is moulded by its multiple facets. Its roots are embedded in the depths of its limestone plateau (les causses), it's southern spirit is bathed in a near Mediterranean sun, and it has a cultivated allure built on the strengths of its great sites whose names, St. Cirq-Lapopie, Rocamadour, Cahors, Figeac, the Dordogne Valley ... are synonymous with elegance and the hospitality which draws on a local gastronomy which is as gourmand as it is delicious.
The Lot insists with good reason on its marvels. Marvels which are talked about in whispers. So as to keep a secret, and preserve these treasures. Marvels whose subtleties can be discovered quite simply during the course of a walk, a bike ride or a canoe trip down the beautiful Dordogne river...
The Dordogne has been named " la rivière Espérance " the " River of Hope", by both novelists and film makers, because of its restorative qualities, full of promise. In total there are 55km of meanders which lead to the higher reaches of the Lot. By following the banks of the river where the great "gabare" boats used to ply their trade, there are many fabulous areas to discover. Castles and villages, some of which have the distinction of being amongst "the most beautiful villages in France." To find them all you have to do is raise your eyes upwards. Loubressac, Autoire, Carennac, Souillac and its Abbey, Martel and its seven towers and not forgetting the superb fortress of Castelnau-Bretenoux and of course the uncontested Gouffre de Padirac. United by a wandering river, the Dordogne valley has something for both the keen lover of architecture and history and for the epicurean. Is not the valley, indeed, the kingdom of the walnut?

To discover the Lot, visit the local tourist office websites :
Lot Tourism : www.tourisme-lot.com/en
Souillac - Rocamadour - Padirac : www.tourisme-souillac.com et www.rocamadour.com


St Céré : www.tourisme-saint-cere.com
Bretenoux : www.ot-bretenoux.com
Martel : www.martel.fr
Carennac : www.tourisme-carennac.com
Gourdon : www.tourisme-gourdon.com
Cahors : www.tourisme-cahors.com