A boat trip from Cahors to Saint-Cirq Lapopie on the Lot river.

I'm sorry that I have not quite yet returned to blogging about the Charente, but this one is set, at least, in a much closer location than recent posts!  

It was a trip we did with our local leisure club on 26 June last year. We had a very early start from home, leaving long before the sun came up(!), to drive south by coach to the department of Lot and its capital town of Cahors.  The town was established long ago, for defensive purposes, in a loop in the Lot river. We were unable to get a glimpse of the town (except from the boat), as the coach whisked us directly to the riverboat that was waiting for us, as you can see below.

 In the background, you can see the Pont Valentré, which is a 14th-century six-span fortified stone arch bridge crossing the river just to the west of the town.

The Lot river is 485 km (300 miles) long in total, but it is very meandering so the length as the crow flies is much less! It rises in the high ground of southern France and flows westwards until it joins the Garonne, which eventually flows into the Atlantic, on the way cutting deeply into the landscape, creating striking gorge scenery. The Lot is only partly navigable and a lack of maintenance over many years meant that its use for river traffic diminished. About 40 years ago, a repair scheme was started on the river and its catchment area, including rebuilding of the many locks to allow a resumption of boating activities. Our trip was on the upper Lot, all at a leisurely pace as it takes time to get the 120 seater boat through the many locks. I tended to lose count, but I think there are 10 on the 6 hour trip, which included a stop for lunch!

A closer look at the bridge as the boat carries us upstream.  Note the ducks following behind us, no doubt hoping to benefit from scraps thrown overboard!

 This was (I think) the first lock, at Ecluse de Coty (ecluse being French for lock) which was probably the prettiest of all.

Still in the Lot river 'loop' we could see the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne while travelling down the East side of the town. The church was built by bishop Gerard de Cardaillac in the 11th century, on the site of a church erected in the 7th century by St. Didier of Cahors

A little further on was the Château du Roi. This was thought to have been built in the first half of the fourteenth century by Pierre Via, the brother of Pope John XXII. The house had two towers and two buildings. Today only the  powerful tower called the "King's Castle" remains....

together with the Tour St Jean (above). The Hundred Years War, mainly between England and France, which affected this part of France between 1337 and 1453, and about which I have written before, forced residents of Cahors to build a new wall to the north of the town, across the loop of the river to enclose the city on its fourth side, for protection of the inhabitants and monasteries against raiding parties of English and allied forces!  The tower Saint-Jean and the wall were built between 1345 and 1347.

Leaving Cahors, we first passed the small village of Laroque-des-Arcs  with its  500 inhabitants.

Not an easy walk to church, but a stunning feat of building and engineering!

Before travelling on to Bouzies and Lapopie, we pulled alongside the bank to have an excellent 4 course lunch, with no shortage of wine! The catering was very slickly managed in such a confined space, but the crew had it down to a fine art!

This cave dwelling dates back to the 14th century and it was used as a shelter and a watch post by the English during the aforementioned war! It comprises a maze of caverns and also a stairway, which leads to the top of the cliffs, thus offering the English occupants a safe and secret way to escape from the area.

 Along this part of the river, a tow-path was carved by hand (!) in the mid 1800s to allow a means for horses to tow barges along this section of river.

After the tow-path was constructed, a local artist carved intricate seashell patterns and other designs into the walls of the pathway.

A  bridge formerly carrying a railway across the river, but now just a pedestrian footbridge and cycleway.

Yet another of the many bridges we saw along the way - this one rail. Note the overhead power lines for trains, a very common means of train propulsion in France.

A heron fishing at one of the locks.

A suspension bridge across the river.

Finally approaching Saint-Cirq Lapopie ( yet another of the most beautiful villages in France!) ....

Heading into disembark at the landing stage for the village.  I hope you enjoyed this boat trip with us.  As St Cirq-Lapopie is one of France's most beautiful villages, I think it deserves a post of its own.  Watch this space for the next part of this wonderful day out.

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