Some suggestions for day trips...

There is a folder in the house, containing plenty of local information and suggestions for day trips. Here are a few of our favourites:

St Antonin Noble Val

A good day to explore our local town is on market day - Sunday. Most of the local towns have markets on different days - there is a list in the blue folder. However, the St Antonin market is particularly popular and one of the largest and most interesting locally. We highly recommend a visit - most of the activity takes place Sunday morning and winds up by early afternoon. Stalls are set up from outside Casino food shop and the small square close by - it then spreads out and up the main old street into the heart of the old town leading to “La Halle” - the old covered market place. Here you will find a café with many outside tables spread out under the shade of a lovely old tree. Why not sit down here (it gets very busy nearer to lunchtime) and have a coffee or cold drink and take in the local atmosphere of the market and enjoy a spot of people watching! 

Cafés in France are more like bars that also sell coffee and hot chocolate but not food! If you are peckish at this point nip across to the bakers - just the other side of “La Halle” - where you can purchase delicious pastries and eat them with your coffee at the café - the owner never minds - we have asked!

The stalls sell a good variety of local produce - we tend to stock up here before buying too much in the supermarket! Also there are many other interesting stalls including some selling crafts. The small water colour picture hanging in the master bedroom was bought from an artist who can usually be found under the cover of “La Halle”. At this end of the market there is usually a wooden toy stall - both this stallholder and the artist have shops in Cordes sur Ciel. We usually buy some delicious apple pie to take back to the house from a stall outside the Estate Agents - you can’t miss it as it's all he sells - in fact a lot of the stalls just sell one or two types of items which they make or grow themselves!

If you are interested in the filming of “Charlotte Gray” which took place during March 2001 call into the photography shop before you leave La Halle - the owner was permitted to photograph during the filming in the town and has about 6 albums for you to look at - all set out on a table with a chair provided! The pictures are very good and show how well the shops were transformed for the filming.

Turning right and down hill off La Halle just past the bakers will take you past the Tourist Office and towards the river and bridge. You might wish to take a stroll through the medieval streets - the old town is only small. The bridge is pretty with a picnic area over it to the right and a restaurant  across and to the left. The “pink” hotel - Hotel des Thermes is before you cross to the right and has a nice terrace by the river for food and drinks. Just opposite the hotel on the same side of the river is the small cinema. If you fancy what's showing in the window check if it's an international film with “version orginale” or “VO” for short after the title on the poster. This will tell you that the film will be in English with French subtitles. 

If you keep walking past the cinema you will pass a pharmacy and then the other bread shop in town. 

Down by the river opposite the pharmacy you will notice one of the two canoe bases in town - this is a very popular activity in the summer months - for adults and children. You can also rent bikes here (a “VTT” is a mountain bike).

For walking and cycling a nice area is over the bridge. Take the immediate left turn (not under the tunnel) and you will pass by L’Auberge de la Source. The track then goes along close by the river.

Back on the other side of town - as if going back to the house, just before the Gendarmerie (police station) - take a right turn and you will see a sign showing “beach bar”. This is the other canoe base and the beach bar. The bar is quite lively in the summer evenings, often with live music. 

Back up to the main road just opposite you will see the sign for the swimming pool - open air with a backdrop of the cliffs from the gorges, and tennis courts.

Penne - Scenic drive

Penne is a small and very pretty “bastide” hilltop town close to St Antonin. There is also a scenic drive to take you there. Go down into St Antonin and turn left on the loop road at the Renault Garage past the Hotel des Thermes and turn right over the bridge. Across the bridge turn right again and drive alongside the river for a short while. On your left you will see a turn going up signposted “Gorges de L’Averyon” this is also known as the “corniche” road which goes high above the Gorges after following this for a while you will see signposted Penne.

During the summer months Penne hosts a “son et lumiere” show during the evening - a sound and light show - which is very good. The Tourist Office should have further information on this. The backdrop is the old castle perched on the top of the hill.

We have visited by day - there is a restaurant with terrace and views and pretty old streets to wander through.

Najac - Bastide hilltop town

Turn sharp right out of the driveway from the house and follow the pretty road down to the T junction - turn right (left at this junction would take you to Verfeil and the other nearby bread shop.) Follow this road until the next T junction. Turn left heading towards Lexos and Laguipie on the map. After Lexos you will see signs for Najac take the left turning. The road will wind up quite high and eventually split giving you two choices for Najac. The first turn is not suitable for wide vehicles as the bridge into Najac from this road is extremely narrow! If in doubt follow the slightly longer route which avoids the bridge. Both routes eventually drop down into the valley below Najac.

Najac also has an open air pool attached to a campsite at the foot of the hill - take your swimming bits and bobs. When you drive up the hill park in the main square at the top so that you walk the pretty route through the main street with the castle ahead of you.

Bruniquel - Bastide town

Another example worth a trip - this one we have yet to visit!

Cordes sur Ciel - Bastide town

Cordes is the largest and probably most spectacular of the hilltop towns. During the summer months it is very busy and very popular with many restaurants and shops both on the walk up and the main square at the top.

Again turn sharp right out of the house as if following Lexos/Najac. As you get close to Cordes you will see on your right an open air swimming pool with slides - La Garissou - again take your “swimmers”. You then drive through Les Cabannes at the foot of Cordes sur Ciel - look up to your right. Keep going and park in the main square area below the old town of Cordes. Brace yourself for the walk up through the steep cobbled medieval streets – take your time! Its well worth the walk up – during the summer months you have to generally park at the bottom unless you live there! You can try to park half way up by turning off the main road either before or after the main area at the bottom there are a few areas dotted along for parking. If you are staying over Bastille Day 14 July weekend Cordes has a very large medieval festival taking place.

Albi

Albi is beyond Cordes sur Ciel. It's quite a large town with plenty of history, so it's really interesting to walk around. It also has a particularly good shopping area which is mainly pedestrianised.

Albi was the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec, the well known artist, and there is a museum of his work opposite the gothic cathedral. A small but very beautiful courtyard garden can be found at the back of the museum which is free to enter (no need to go into the museum). It's next to the river Tarn and well worth a visit.

There is also the cathedral, which is quite spectacular inside and a cool retreat from the heat!

Toulouse

Toulouse is the capital of the region and worth the drive - about 1hr 30 mins. If you fancy a train ride you can take the train locally too. The main line goes through Caussade and you can pick up the more local and scenic route at Lexos, which is a 20 minute drive from the house en route to Najac.

Once in Toulouse head for the old town. There is a map in the folder at the house. There are plenty of easy car parks right on the edge of the old town area. Explore the old town on foot - the Tourist Office is in the heart of the old town with the Hotel de Ville (town hall) and plenty of interesting shopping streets and squares to explore there including “Galleries Lafayette”, a well-known Parisian department store. Continue walking through the streets to come to the river - La Garonne. If you head for Place de la Daurade on the river bank there is a grassy area where you can pick up a boat ride, “Bateau Mouches”, or stroll along the river bank path.

The River Lot

Heading north, about an hour's drive away, is the beautiful river Lot - which itself has lovely areas and towns to explore. One in particular is St Cirq La Popie east of Cahors - a very pretty village perched high up with some lovely restaurants and views. It's well worth a visit, and you could combine it with a visit to Cahors, the main town on the Lot, or Cajarc.

A typical house in the region