Cahors to Lectoure

Arrive in Cahors and make your own way to your accommodation. After check-in, take the time to explore the historic centre and take a stroll over the iconic 14th-century Valentre Bridge.

Medieval Cahors is surrounded by steep cliffs located on the Lot River and perhaps best known as the centre of the famous AOC ‘black wine’, referred to by many as the darkest in the world and known since the Middle Ages. Located in the city centre with its two great domes and tall facade, the 11th century cathedral (Cathedrale Saint-Étienne), is Roman Catholic and a national monument of France.

The famous 14th-century fortified Valentre bridge, an emblem of the city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO and a well-known pilgrim milestone, crosses the Lot on the west side of town. It has three towers each with large arched gateways due to its historical role as a defensive bridge during the Hundred Years War. Discover the legend of the pact that the bridge builder made with the devil.

Cahors has become well known for its gardens and has in recent years, created some wonderful small gardens scattered throughout the town.

Today enjoy the morning at leisure in Cahors and after an early lunch, depart to begin your Le Puy Camino adventure.

Your hike starts with a short but steep climb up stone steps followed by a gentler walk on a stony lane uphill through a forest of pines to ‘Croix de Magne’, the Magne Cross. The rest of the day will then be following a mix of mostly flat and exposed trails where you can enjoy long stretches of being alone with nature and an opportunity conducive to contemplation, until you arrive at your overnight accommodation in the village of Labastide-Marnhac.

Meals: B

This morning you will pass various small hamlets and villages including Lhospitalet before continuing along open uplands with occasional woods, before reaching the charming and prosperous little village of Lascabanes, once home to a 15th-century pilgrims’ hospital.

Its an uphill walk out of Lascabanes to arrive at the lonely forest chapel of Saint Jean with its druid spring. The view as you approach the quaint medieval village of Montcuq is dominated by two towers, one of the church and the other the remains of a 12th-century castle. Enjoy the afternoon exploring the narrow streets of Montcuq with its charming historic buildings. It is a beautiful walk to the castle tower with great views across the countryside. If you happen to be in here on a Sunday morning the vibrant local market is definitely recommended – full of colour and an amazing array of delicious local produce.

Meals: B

The journey today passes through the department of the Tarn-et-Garonne. After several days of quite flat walking, the trail now follows an undulating path through farmland, cultivated fields and orchards. Vegetation of small oaks along with dwarf maples dot the landscape. In spring, enjoy the rich flora, particularly with the many orchids. Look out for ancient raised dovecotes along the way. Arrive at one of the best preserved Bastides, (fortified town), the medieval town of Lauzerte, and the half way point from Le Puy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Situated above the valleys and hills of the area and founded in the 12th century by the Count of Toulouse, Lauzerte is another of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’.

Meals: B

The path today involves some steep paths together with lengthy stints on quiet roads. Approaching the Tarn valley, orchards of apples, plums, pears, peaches, kiwifruit and cherries replace the vineyards. Moissac, is situated at the confluence of the Garonne and Tarn rivers. Formerly a major pilgrim halt on the road to Santiago de Compostela and 2nd most important sacred site for the medieval pilgrims on this route after Conques, Moissac is famous for its Abbey Saint-Pierre. One of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in France with its perfectly preserved Romanesque cloister, it is World Heritage listed by UNESCO. The cloister (an enclosed garden used by the medieval monastics for walking meditation and contemplation) dates back to 1100 and is reputably the oldest in the world.

Meals: B

Today you depart Moissac on the flat towpath of the canal of the Tarn and Garonne rivers. You will walk on quiet roads through productive orchards, vegetable gardens and fields before crossing the Garonne and walking uphill to the village of Auvillar, built on a promontory and classified as another of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’. Auvillar, originally an ancient river-trading settlement from Gallo-Roman times until the 10th century, is another lovely town with cobbled streets and wooden framed arched buildings; it has a distinctive medieval feel. In the centre of town is the triangular market place with a unique circular corn market hall at its centre which was built in 1824. Also of interest is the clock tower and Church of Saint Peter.

Meals: B

Today you leave the Le Lot department to enter the beautiful rolling farmlands of Le Gers. The Gers department is the heart of Gascony and the most rural area in France; an agricultural paradise of wheat, corn, grains and sunflowers. The Camino takes you to lovely villages such as Bardigues, Saint-Antoine and up to Flamarens where the ruins of the 12th-century castle are currently being restored. Cross through undulating countryside to arrive in the small town of Miradoux. Built on a small promontory, Miradoux is one of the oldest Bastide towns on the Camino with character filled stone houses and a fortified church. From Miradoux there is a slow descent across lush fields passing through the hamlet of Castet-Arrouy. The cathedral tower of Lectoure will come into view guiding you into this town sitting on a rocky promontory above the Gers River. Lectoure is an attractive historic walled town, with the impressive Cathedral of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais. Nearby is the ancient Fontaine Diane, a natural spring inside a little gothic building that at one stage provided the source of water for an active tannery industry in the town. Lectoure is known for growing one-third of all of the garlic in France, and in spring the surrounding slopes are covered with rows of rose-green garlic shoots.

Meals: B

Enjoy a delightful breakfast before you depart Lectoure. Make your own arrangements for onward travel to your next destination

Meals: B

• 7 nights’ accommodation in local guesthouses or hotels with private facilities on a twin share basis
• 7 breakfasts
• Luggage transfer each day from hotel to hotel (1 x 13kg bag per person)
• RAW Travel navigation App with maps of your hotel locations and emergency contact numbers
• Pre-trip guidance and planning for your Le Puy Camino trip

• Flights
• Travel insurance
• Single supplement $990
• Train and bus tickets
• Local taxis or transfers
• All items of a personal nature
• Guidebooks and maps