8 Days & 7 Nights

4.7

Camino Le Puy Way: Stage 3

Exploring the natural landscapes of the Causses du Quercy, a protected environment
L’Aiguilles de Cingle, an unusual octagonal column of rock, a beacon for pilgrims
Appreciate the tranquility and remoteness of the landscapes
Sample the delicacies of the region such as saffron, truffles, and farm-raised Quercy lamb
The picturesque villages of Figeac, Cajarc and Cahors, capital of the Lot region

Stage 3 of the Camino Le Puy way takes you from the dramatically positioned town of Conques overlooking the River Lot, to the medieval town of Cahors. A journey through some of France's finest landscapes and prettiest villages. On your journey from Conques to Cahors you will cross the Parc régional des Causses du Quercya Wold UNESCO Heritage Site. All along the route are reminders of the past with stone crosses, Camino cockle shell engravings and representations of St. James. Cajarc, where you will spend a night, became famous due to the growth of saffron and barges made their way along the Lot River with spices, wood, wine and saffron. To this day many regional specialities of the area are made with saffron as it can be grown on the Quercy Causses.

From £825.00

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Itinerary

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Day 1 Arrive in Conques

Arrive in Conques and settle in to your comfortable hotel. Spend some time looking around this town, a major monument of architectural heritage. It’s Abbey Church of St Foy houses an incomparable treasure of Romanesque sculptures and a large number of relics covered in gold, silver and precious stones.

Overnight Conques

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Hotel St Jacques | Hotel

In the heart of the medieval village of Conques, the Auberge St-Jacques welcomes you to a peaceful and comfortable spot, across from the abbey church of Sainte-Foy. We offer you rooms with bath, telephone and TV, a small lounge, bar and restaurant, where you will enjoy the gastronomic delights of Aveyron cuisine.

Day 2 Conques to Livinhac 13.5 miles / 22 km

Today begins with a gradual climb to the Chapel St. Foy, built next to a spring whose natural water was supposed to cure eye complaints. Set out on the next part of the trail to St. Roch Chapel, where the statue of this saint carries a pilgrimage staff and from where, a mile or so later, you reach the village of Noaillhac. After Roumegoux, you leave the GR65 to follow the Chemin des Cretes, for a more direct route to Livinhac.

Ascent: +617m (2024ft) / Descent: -683m (2240ft)

Overnight Livinhac-le-Haut

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Gite La Fontaine du Chemin | Hotel

Our 4 spacious rooms are adapted to the wishes and needs of pilgrims and hikers. Each room has a private bathroom (shower, sink and toilet).

Mas de Juges

This Chambres d'Hotes is charming and has 3 bedrooms in total. Breakfast can be eaten on the terrace which is surrounded by rose bushes.

Chambre d'Hôtes Mme Benazeth

You will be warmly to this Chambre d'Hotes in the countryside.

Day 3 Livinhac to Figeac 18 miles / 29 km

En route to Figeac a place full of rich history you will pass through the picturesque hilltop village of Montredon, in which stands the Church of St Michael where you can view 14th century mural paintings. You can also see the 11th century Church of St Felix where there is a tympanum of Adam and Eve with a serpent and a tree.

Continue on through the countryside (you are now in the Lot region) before arriving into the historic town of Figeac, founded in 830 around a Benedictine abbey and for the past 20 years recognised as one of France’s historic towns by the Ministry of Culture.

Ascent: +552m (1181ft) / Descent: -569m (1866ft)

Overnight Figeac

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Hotel Les Bains | Hotel

This hotel is located in a former Public Baths dating from the end of the 19th century, in a protected area, near the historic town centre The Hôtel des Bains has 19 recently refurbished rooms, most of them air-conditioned, all equipped with direct line telephone, ADSL and WiFi connections.

Day 4 Figeac to Cajarc 20 miles / 32 km

You will have to begin walking early today as this is the longest walk of your tour at 30km. Have a big breakfast as sustenance, then begin by taking a path uphill to the L’Aiguille du Cingle. This unusual obelisk-type structure is said to have been built as a beacon guiding pilgrims. However another story relates that they were used as boundaries between abbot’s territories. There is one other structure such as this in France and it is to the west of Figeac.

Continue walking past Faycelles and into Béduer. It is here where the landscape changes and you will come across many dolmens (megalithic tombs from the Neolithic period), plus dry-stoned walls and stone shepherds huts. The landscape here is quite wild and depending on the season, you will encounter carpets of orchids and the scent of herbs and wild strawberries.

Later arrive into Cajarc, a village that sits on the edge of the River Lot and that rose to fame due to barges that took spices, wine, wood and saffron along the river.

Ascent: +480m (1574ft) / Descent: -531m (1742ft)

Overnight Cajarc

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Hotel la Peyrade | Hotel

La Peyrade is located in the village of Cajarc, on the River Lot. Offering comfortable guest rooms with views of the village, a balcony or terrace and free Wi-Fi in each.

Day 5 Cajarc to Limogne-en-Quercy 12 miles / 18 km

After yesterday’s long walk today is much easier and you enjoy walking at your own pace through this lovely rural area of France. First follow the meandering River Lot before arriving on the lush plain of Gaillac. Today you will cross the Quercy de Limogne. This area becomes very remote, so remember to take plenty of water and a packed lunch with you! After a lovely day of walking past dry stone walls and huts and fields of purple orchids that are grown to produce saffron (these flowers bloom in the autumn) arrive in Limogne-en-Quercy and check in to your welcoming accommodation.

Ascent: +330m (1082ft) / Descent: -181m (593ft)

Overnight Limogne-en-Quercy

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Chambre et Table d’hotes La Hulotte | Hotel

You will be welcomed warmly to this small chambre d'hote, situated in the countryside.

Day 6 Limogne-en-Quercy to Lalbenque 25.5 miles / 20 km

This particular stage of the walk takes us off the GR65 for a while so that we can spend an overnight in Lalbenque. First head through the hamlets of La Plane, Mas de Dégot and Mas de Vers. En route you will also see many more dolmen, dry-stone walls and shepherds huts, which are very typical of this area. Lalbenque itself has a church which was built in 1090 and is famed for its 17th century gilded wooden alterpiece. They also hold has a weekly black truffle market (every Tuesday) and a farmer’s market on a Saturday.

Ascent: +151m (495ft) / Descent: -179m (587ft)

Overnight Lalbenque

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Le Poudally | Hotel

A small family-run gite where the owners take great pride in treating their guests with the utmost attention.

Day 7 Lalbenque to Cahors 16 miles / 26 km

Today begin walking down walled and shady trails, but pay particular attention to the waymarks and signs on this section. Your first destination is La Marchande you will walk downhill from here into Cahors, which is surrounded on three sides by the River Lot and an important stop on this pilgrimage route.

Take time on arrival to discover the varying sights here such as Cathedral of St-Etienne with its amazing cloisters, several interesting churches and the Pont Valentré, the finest fortified medieval bridge in Europe.

Ascent: +205m (672ft) / Descent: -362m (1187ft)

Overnight Cahors

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Brit’ Hôtel - Le Valentré | Hotel

This 2* hotel is situated in the town centre, near the train station and the famous bridge Valentré. The hotel holds recently renovated rooms, equipped with TV and free WiFi.

Day 8 Onward Travel

THIS TRIP'S CARBON SCORE

This trip has a carbon score of 7kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 7kg is equivalent to 1 single running shoe (not even a pair!). Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.

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Other Information

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Is it for me? Accommodation & Meals Navigation What's Included

Included

7 Nights in either 1 or 2* hotels
7 Breakfasts
7 Dinners
Baggage transfers
Daily route information and access to mapped GPX tracks within the Macs Adventure App
24/7 Emergency telephone support from our partner in France and our UK office

Excluded

Travel to Conques
Travel from Cahors
Lunches, drinks and snacks
Personal equipment
Travel insurance
Mountain rescue / emergency assistance

Extras

Additional nights before or after the holiday

When to go Travel & Transfers Info & FAQ

General Information

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person and the weight of your luggage allowed is specific to the destination you will be travelling to. This is why it is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags and/or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable Travel Insurance which covers you for the activity, emergency evacuation and hospital care.