Lot

The Lot is famous for its caves and chasms such as Peche Merle,Lacave and Gouffre de padirac.It also has one of the oldest wine growing regions of france with its cahors being world renown. Autoire,Saint Cirq Lapopie,Loubressac,Capdenac la Haut and Carennac are all on the list of Les plus beaux villages de France (the prettiest villages in France)and are easily reached..Figeac ,nearby houses the Champollion museum with its copy of the rosetta stone and its dedication to egyptology and writing and st cere and its surroundings hides various castles .plus there is Rocamadour , a monument classed UNESCO World heritage …..the Lot with its history and countryside will leave you touched by its beauty

CANTAL

only ten minutes away and you are in the Cantal .Aurillac is host to the international  Festival of street art and Murat holds the World Music festival each year.The Puy Mary is considered to be one of the prettiest panoramas is Europe,the Plomb de Cantal(1855m),the pretty village of Salers (makers of the famous Cantal and Salers cheeses),the Gorges of the Truyere(with the Garabit Viaduct designed by Gustav Eiffel),Tournemire & Le Lorians snowy mountains in winter.

AVEYRON

The department is part of the current Midi-Pyrénées region. It is surrounded by the départements of Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Hérault, Gard, Lozère, and Cantal. Three main plateau compose the department: Aubrac, Lévézou and Larzac.
The highest point in the department is the summit of Mailhebuau at 1469 m (Plateau of Aubrac).
Lac de Villefranche-de-Panat is used as a reservoir to provide drinking water supplies for the region.
Aveyron contains a part of the Cévennes National Park. Well-known tourist attractions are the castle of Najac, a medieval ruin perched high on a hill, and the many beautiful old castles and monasteries such as Conques Abbey, Sylvanès Abbey, Bonneval Abbey and Loc-Dieu Abbey, located near Martiel in a region with many dolmens. The small city of Millau is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the Millau viaduct, opened by President Chirac in December 2004.
Activities include horseriding, fishing, swimming in the Lacs du Lévézou and hiking/camping. The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally. Examples include the couteau de Laguiole, the world famous Roquefort cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce. Markets take place every Saturday on market places around the region.

ROCAMADOUR

a village  set in a gorge 150m high and situated in the canyon of Alzou..

Part of the pilgrimage route Saint Jacques de Compostelle it has attracted kings, bishops and nobles for centuries who visit this impressive site for its historical and religious monuments (like the sanctuary for its Blessed Virgin Mary).

Its churches and crypt are classed  on the  UNESCO world heritage list

THE CAVES OF LASCAUX

is the setting of a complex of caves  famous for its paleolithic cave paintings.

These paintings are estimated to be 17,300 years old.

They primarily consist of primitive images of large animals, most of which are known from fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time.

In 1979, Lascaux was added to the UNESCO world heritage list

WINTER SPORTS

SAINT CIRQ LAPOPIE

situated in the regional park (les causses du quercy) and part of the french pilgrimage route (way of Saint James) this beautiful village is perched on a steep cliff 100m above the river Lot and has been designated one of the Plus Beaux villages de France).

It became popular with artists such as post impressionist Henri Martin and Andre Breton and  continues to be a  village whose habitants are predominantly artists.

CAHORS

The capital of the Lot is known for its vineyards and the Cahors Blues Festival which has existed for 25 years and has been at the heart of the greatest blues artists.

CAPDENAC LE HAUT

a village with a view dominating the lot valley. this pretty village has been classed`as one of ~the prettiest villages in france~it has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has a long history with gauloise settlement (thought to be ~Uxellodunum~which was beseiged by julius ceaser).

CONQUES

classed as one of ~the prettiest villages in france~ this  village is built on a hillside with classic narrow medieval streets and moyen age architecture.

with panoramic views over the river and valleys, it is on the pilgrimage route of saint jacques de comppostelle.

its abbey (saint foy) has been classified on the UNESCO world heritage list and it has impressive engravings over the  church door displaying heaven and hell.

GOUFFRE DE PADIRAC

a chasm with a depth of 103 metres and a temperatures all year of 13 C  this cave has a subterranean river at its base.

today  1.1 km of galleries (of 40km explored) can be visited and these are negotiable by boat and by foot..

CAVE OF PECH MERLE

discovered between 1906 & 1914 this paleolithique cave offers a panorama of regional prehistory. the prehistoric paintings have been quoted as being the 'sistine chapel of the causses du lot'.

CARENNAC

A village lies in the fertile valley of the dordogne river.

nestled under the barren, parched plateau locally named 'le causses.

Its most remarkable landmarks are a medieval priory, combining an eleventh century church and cloister, and a 16th century castle.

The church features a remarkablè tympanum, and the cloister a 15th century "mise au tombeau"

FIGEAC

a village of art and history, notably its medieval houses from the 12th, 13th and 14th siecles and its museum des ecritures (writing).

it was a native of Figeac who deciphered heiroglyphics and was one of the founders of egyptology.

There is also a great market each Saturdeay.

AUTOIRE

a village placed at the base of a waterfall with an english castle in ruins , a chapel (saint Roch) and beautiful walks. named one of the prettiest villages in france.