Walks France
... by The Walking Party
Haut Quercy
This is a week of walking through landscape of great beauty and drama. You will cross three river valleys of renown: the Aveyron, the Lot and the Célé and you stay three nights at St Cirq Lapopie, well known for being one of the most dramatically pretty villages of France.
It is also a week for sampling delicious wines, cheeses and other delicacies that are the bones to the fame of French gastronomy.
| Duration | Distance | Price Per Person | Single Room Supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Days | 47.5 Miles | €1680 per person | €260 |
| Departure Dates | |||
| 8th – 15th and 15th – 22nd September and 15th - 22nd October | |||
Châteaux Couanac
Accommodation is centred round auberges of 'charme' and great character. Your first two nights will be at Chateau Couanac. This is a private château belonging to the Count and Countess d'Armagnac de Castanet who are absolutely charming hosts. It has huge majesty sitting in the heart of rural France amidst mighty oaks and maples.
The Auberge Sombral, your hotel at St Cirq Lapopie, has an excellent restaurant but we will also walk for dinner one night allowing us to enjoy the beauty of floodlit fourteenth century France.
Slow cooking is a great part of the traditional cooking of the South West. Here we will be sampling meltingly tender meats from grandmothers' recipes passed down through the generations. Throughout the week you will have a well balanced idea of all the wonderful cooking the South West has to offer. (For the 'finer' side of French cooking see Quercy Périgord).
Pack donkeys on the heights above the river Cele
The longer walks are accompanied by pack animals. The bags on the donkeys will carry chilled Pineau and water and Diana's home-made biscuits and lemon juice. Also the donkeys will be carrying any bags etc. you should wish to take with you. We do not forget that you are on holiday!
You will be covering not more than eighteen kilometres in the day but generally speaking you will average about twelve kilometres daily. If you ever feel tired there will be an opportunity to take an afternoon off after lunch and relax at your hotel to read or paint or shop … or just sleep.
C17th stone built pigeonnier
The outbuildings of Château Couanac, where you stay the first two nights (the miller's house, the baker's house etc.), have been restored with great taste, care and character, though the beds are simple and you may find yourselves wandering down the corridor wondering where the shower is. It has great character and has always been a winner for the past three years we have stayed there.
Haut Quercy : Day 1
After meeting up with James and the rest of the group in the afternoon at Toulouse airport you will be driven to Château Couanac owned now by the Count and Countess d’Armagnac de Castenet and once owned by the Prince Bishops of Cahors. It is a splendidly majestic chateau that greets you after a short drive through the large oaks of the estate. There is time to wind down before dinner with tea and a wander at leisure through the grounds with the grazing sheep. We will spend two nights in their simply and beautifully restored gites (shared facilities for two bedrooms) and eat traditional French gastronomy cooked by the Countess herself.
Haut Quercy : Day 2
The first days walk will be a good stretch through the surrounding causses seeped in ancient history. We will meander between drystone walls, the paths littered with Early Purple Orchids and look at interesting gariottes, dolmens and wells which are landmarks of this well grazed causse, before returning to Château Couanac for the first of Diana’s picnics beneath the massive oaks and maples. After lunch, a stroll around the grounds for those keen on walking otherwise you can take it easy, read, paint, swim and just enjoy your surroundings at leisure. Dinner at Couanac.
Walk: 7 miles
Haut Quercy : Day 3
The first day with Daniel and his donkeys. We leave the majesty of Couanac for a walk through the causse with its typical stone walled paths and wonderful flowers before we arrive in the middle of nowhere for a lovely al fresco picnic with Diana in a pasture surrounded by lombardy poplars and cliffs. A big hill in the afternoon and soon you find yourselves in the medieval cliff hanging village of St Cirq Lapopie. This has an outstanding position over the river Lot and is surrounded by iron red and manganese blue cliffs. It is cited as being one of the most beautiful villages in France and as we are there off season it is a truly magical experience, especially at night: beautifully floodlit and quiet. You stay at tthe Auberge Sombral in the heart of the village. All bedrooms have bathrooms en suite. You will spend the next three nights in easy comfort here. Dinner at L’Oustal in St Cirq Lapopie.
Walk: 10 miles
Haut Quercy : Day 4
We cross the river Lot and walk up to get outstanding views of the river valley. Donkeys will be in tow again with all the kit and masses of drink. We walk to the sixteenth century Chateau of Cénévières where we will picnic on the terrace perched above the river overlooking the Lot valley and across to the hilltop village of Calvagnac. This beautiful chateau is steeped in history. First built by the famous Gordon family of Scotland, it has been in the hands of the de Braquilanges family since they bought it from the Comte de La Tour du Pin in 1793 shortly before he lost his head at the guillotine as he was Minister for War to Louis XVI. We have a privileged visit with the owner, Monsieur de Braquilanges who is now the proud grand father of twenty four grand children! In the afternoon we wander back along the river valley, keeping an eye out for kingfishers, to return to St Cirq. Dinner L’Atelier, St Cirq.
Walk: 11.5 miles with vehicle option
Haut Quercy : Day 5
We drive to St Sulpice from where we walk with donkeys and kit for the ‘Four Bridges’ walk along the cliffs and down the Célé valley littered with lofty poplars and chequered with fields where corn can be seen stacked in stooks. Picnic lunch on the banks of the river Célé, in the historic village of Marcilhac, for a delicious local feast on her terrace beneath the cliffs. . Its beautiful ruin of a Romanesque abbey overlooks the river. A chance to take the afternoon off at St Cirq to relax; paint, read, swim etc. Otherwise we set off in the afternoon towards Sauliac where the last of the stone bridges spans the babbling brook. Drive to St Cirq. Dinner at St Cirq.
Walk: 4.5 miles + optional 4.5 miles
Haut Quercy : Day 6
We walk to Bouziès along the tow path, carved into the cliffs alongside the Lot, where slid the heavy barges trailed by slow horses and which is a famous part of the equally famous Chemin de St Jacques. We then meet up with our vehicles and drive along roads chiselled through the cliffs before reaching the ancient city of Cahors. Excellent haute cuisine at the Vieux Cahors restaurant before a drive through the Quercy Blanc landscape. We shall visit the famous medieval masterpiece of the Pont Valentré and pass through the tiny bastide of Castelfranc before arriving at Le Vert, Mauroux where you will stay for your last two nights.
Walk: 3 miles
Haut Quercy : Day 7
A drive in the morning to be dropped off for a long walk through the gentleness of the Quercy Blanc. We visit a local lavender distillery before arriving at Château Figeac to be welcomed by Diana before a table laden with local produce. We eat and drink here in plenty. Château Figeac is a beautiful private chateau with a charming history and home of the equally charming de Roaldès family. The de Roaldès have been in the Quercy since the sixteenth century. A drive then after a long leisurely lunch to a charming fourteenth century frescoed church before returning to Le Vert for tea and the pleasure of Bernard Philippe’s cuisine for our last farewell dinner.
Walk: 7 miles
Haut Quercy : Day 8
You leave in the morning for Toulouse airport to drive through the rural countryside scattered with white stone villages and romanesque churches to Moissac. Here you will visit the great Cluniac abbey eulogised by Sir Kenneth Clarke in his ground breaking BBC series ‘Civilisation’. After lunch, next to the abbey, you will be driven to Toulouse for the afternoon flight home.
