22 Oct 24

Walking Le Puy Camino: From Cahors to Moissac

Sam McCrow Camino France

After a week walking the Tuscan section of Italy’s Via Francigena in 2022, Robyn and Chris from Broome in Western Australia headed back to Europe this year for another taste of pilgrim life. This time, they walked Le Puy Camino in France from Cahors to Moissac. We are delighted to share a big dose of inspiration from their recent 10-day self-guided adventure.

Cahors calls – the pilgrims answer

Our train departs Toulouse precisely at its scheduled time of 11:01 am. We find our seats and look forward to a comfortable ride to Cahors, where we will begin our walk. We arrive on time and wander into the old town where we come across our first pilgrim’s marker, a bronze scallop set into the footpath, indicating we are on the Le Puy Camino. Our accommodation for the night is on the edge of the Lot River in the Lot Valley. From our window we have a view of the Pont Valentré. When we leave on Sunday morning, we’ll be walking over that bridge on our way to Moissac.

Cahors is nestled on a peninsula within the hairpin bend of the Lot River. The old town is filled with little bars and cafés. Our first morning coincides with the weekly market held in front of the cathedral at the Place de la Cathédrale. These markets, the Marché de Cahors, are a 700-year-old institution, known as the best regional produce markets in southern France. Walking through the hundreds of stalls is a sensory feast. We purchase some duck sausage to take on our pilgrimage and enjoy some Malbec tasting. We have taken a liking to this inky black wine and buy two glasses of our favourite to enjoy with some duck pâté, dessert and coffee.

Later in our room we notice how spectacular the bridge is under light at night. It’s only 100m from our balcony and is spot-lit by warm lighting from below. The still water beneath the bridge created a nearly perfect mirror reflection.

Labastide-Marnhac: The magical French countryside

It’s a leisurely start to our first day as pilgrims walking Le Puy Camino. Today is the shortest of our walks, at only 10km to Labastide-Marnhac. The path alternates between pebble tracks and roadsides quite regularly. We only see one other pilgrim on our walk. There is something magical about walking through the French countryside. The trees are starting to display their autumn colours, and scattered along the paths are a variety of small wildflowers.

We are warmly greeted by our host Didier when we arrive at our hotel at 4.30pm. It’s decorated with a range of antique curios and is a very homely space. Our room faces east with a view over the village of Marnhac. Didier promises a spectacular view at sunrise. There is one other guest in the house, Michele, a music industry executive from Paris. He is also walking Le Puy.

We enjoy a white Malbec for the aperitif, an entrée of pumpkin, cheese, and hummus dish layered with filo pastry, then a duck magret served with potato gratin and zucchini. In the morning, it’s a typical French breakfast around the table. Croissants, homemade jam, homemade yoghurt and coffee. Next stop Montcuq.

Marnhac to Montcuq: The long walk

Today’s trek is 22km, but we’ve opted to take the edge off by catching a ride for the first 4km. It’s a fresh morning at about 15 degrees, but it’s not too long before we start removing layers. Today’s walk is mostly off-road tracks through the French countryside. We set a leisurely pace. The light and colours are amazing, and there is little noise apart from birdsong and our footsteps. We are guided by the red and white markings that indicate we are on the path, occasionally checking the RAW Travel route map when in doubt.

At our halfway mark we come across a tiny village with a café and stop for coffee and a panini. Michele walks in (we had about a 3km head start on him this morning). It’s nice to see him, and we share some snacks before we wish him bonne journée and continue on our path to Montcuq and our accommodation for the evening – a 15th-century house converted into private hotel. It’s truly amazing. All rooms are accessed from a central stone spiral staircase and our host Yolande is very welcoming.

After settling into our room we head out for dinner and an evening stroll. There is only one restaurant open this evening and we are delighted to see cassoulet on the menu – a famous regional dish we’ve taken a liking to. We can hear several different languages being spoken and discover there is quite a large expat community here, consisting of English, Scottish, Americans and Australians.

Montcuq to Lauzerte: Hitting our stride

We leave Montcuq at 9am. There is such a liberating feeling in walking out of your hotel and out of the village with just our daypacks. Our legs are thankful for the day of rest in Montcuq. Yesterday, we had muscle pain in areas we didn’t even know we had muscles! We have 14km to cover but we are in no hurry and walk at a leisurely pace. We pass through lots of forest, then the path leads us past fields of some sort of crop – possibly sorghum. We enjoy the isolation.

Around lunchtime we pass several small groups of walkers who have paused on grassy patches. We have some fresh bread and cheese Yolande gave us, along with our duck sausage from the Cahors market.

We then continue on our path past more sunflower fields and back into dense forest. The terrain alternates between rocky, steep descents and ascents, and flat, hard clay. On the flat sections, we can make up time by hastening our stride. We then emerge on the edge of an open field, and there in front of us, high on top of a hill, is the medieval village of Lauzerte. It’s about 1km away, but up a very steep incline, and our last 1km takes us over half an hour. We’re staying at a basic but very charming small hotel. The village is small, with many art galleries and other artisans to visit. We talk to an Australian who has been living in Lauzerte for 8 years and in France for 30. It seems there are a lot of expats living in southern France.

Lauzerte to Durfort-Lacapelette: The penultimate leg

It’s about 12 degrees as we leave the hotel. We stop at a local shop to buy some sheep’s cheese and meat to go with our bread and butter from the hotel. The path out of the village is via a steep descending path of loose gravel. We have 6 hours to cover 12km, so we can afford to take our time.

Today’s path takes us past rolling fields of sunflowers and sorghum. We pass several farmhouses; one has a pot of hot coffee on a table with some paper cups, and a sign inviting walkers to help themselves. It was a welcome offering on this cold morning. A little further along, there’s a small table on the edge of the track with a box of grapes.

We alternate between walking through woods and along the edges of or through fields. In the woods, narrow paths take us between lines of trees covered in ivy, as well as green and yellow moss. Wildflowers dot the path, and regularly there is an explosion of red or yellow berries.

We are walking alone today and don’t see any other walkers until we reach our destination. There are fewer dogs today, but we do pass a couple of curious donkeys and a chicken. We pass many fields of sunflowers, some vineyards, fruit orchards and, unexpectedly, an orchard of kiwifruit.

After lunch, we trek into Durfort-Lacapelette, guided by the red and white stripes on trees and poles. It’s been overcast and cool all day – perfect walking weather. Dark clouds appear on the horizon during the final stretch, but we avoid any rain.

We’re staying at a restored 1901 mill, about 8km off the path. Our host will pick us up at the post office. We arrive just before 2.30 pm after our 12km walk, which took about four and a half hours. The hotel is one of the great surprises of the trip. It’s just like the majestic châteaux we’ve been passing on the walk for the past 6 days. Marie-Pierre, our host, is very welcoming. The mill still functions and water can be heard rushing beneath us. We’re always amazed at how well people can renovate old buildings into luxurious living spaces. After settling in, we brave the outdoors to use the fancy jacuzzi and rejuvenate our weary muscles to the sound of Édith Piaf.

Our dinner is a 4-course private banquet in the mill with beer and wine, prepared by Marie-Pierre. Among the highlights were the wild boar pate, fresh butternut pumpkin soup, beef bourguignon and local mushrooms. Maire-Pierre is the perfect host and the evening is punctuated with interesting conversation and laughter. It’s an extra special evening.

Malbec in Moissac: The tradition continues

Our day begins with breakfast at the mill, croissants (of course), granola, fruit, cheeses, meats, and coffee. We introduce Marie-Pierre to Vegemite. Afterward, she drives us back to the crossroads of Durfort-Lacapelette to resume our Camino from where we left off. It’s the coldest morning we’ve had, and we’re layered up for the day.

Most of the morning is spent passing orchards or walking through small villages. The trail is a combination of narrow country roads, fields and forests. Early on, there are very steep inclines. We find a great spot for lunch with a bench and a place to hang our backpacks, enjoying some bread, cheese, and meats courtesy of Marie-Pierre.

After lunch, the final stretch into Moissac consists of undulating terrain, but nothing as strenuous as what we’ve previously encountered. The last 3km is along the road.

Moissac is larger than the other towns we’ve stayed in. Our hotel is situated between the River Tarn and the Canal à la Lateral Garonne. It’s a 15th-century mill converted into a hotel, and it’s a very grand building. We check in, unload, and then go exploring.

In the evening, we cross back over the canal and head to the town centre for dinner. We walk past the village square and approach the magnificent Saint-Pierre Abbey, a Romanesque monastery dating from the 8th century. We enjoy octopus in a tomato ragout and a cassoulet. The latter served in the cast-iron pot in a wood-fired oven, giving it a distinctly smoky flavour.

Our second day in Moissac is spent exploring more of the village on foot, and we clock up over 12km. Later, we walk along the edge of the Tarn for a couple of kilometres and come across a canal bridge stretching over the river. These canals, with their locks and bridges, truly are an engineering marvel. While we have a week on the Canal du Midi with friends, and time in Spain and Portugal to come, this is the end of our amazing pilgrimage walk on Le Puy Camino. If you feel inspired by our journey, contact RAW Travel and start planning your own adventure!

Find out more

Follow in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims and traverse the ages of living French history on Le Puy Camino. This ancient pilgrim route through the countryside of south-west France is the most beautiful of all the Camino routes in Europe. There’s plenty for lovers of nature, architecture, history, food and art to admire. And many ‘les plus beaux villages de France’ to explore.

Samantha McCrow

Written By

Samantha McCrow

Sam is a writer, hiker, swimmer, trail runner, volunteer lifesaver and adventure traveller. She brings 20+ years of marketing and communications experience to RAW Travel. Sam regularly shares stories and insights about the world's most iconic and rewarding hiking trails.