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Local Villages & then on to Saint-Martial-Viveyrol, Dordogne – Day 13

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Commune in France

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Monday 1st of May – ‘Days 13′.

We woke to another rainy overcast day and over breakfast, we discussed what we would do for the day since the weather was so dismal. We knew that today was a public holiday but weren’t sure if anything would be open. We’d planned to visit my cousin at some point during our time in Dordogne and if she agreed, today might be the best time to visit. I gave her a call to see if she’d be OK with that and she kindly said yes.

We packed an overnight bag and decided we’d take a drive around some of the local towns and villages before setting off to my cousins. We didn’t think it was fair to dash up to theirs after giving them literally no time to prepare for our arrival.

Below are a few of the towns and villages we had a quick nosy at before setting off up to my cousins’ place. Unfortunately, I can find hardly any photos for this day. I’m not sure if I didn’t take any because it was raining so much or if they’re lost somewhere amongst the thousands on our TeraStation, or maybe I’ve somehow deleted them.

Below is a Google Maps link with the route we took to see the following towns and villages. Click on the image to take you to Google Maps:

Campagne was very small and there was some sort of event going on so we didn’t get too close but I do remember it having a lovely chateau not too far from the road. Château de Campagne

Le Bugue was a busy, bustling little market town and one we wanted to come back to if we got the time. We couldn’t find anywhere to park which was probably due to it being a bank holiday. Le Bugue

Limeuil looked very old. The village was another one on the Most Beautiful Villages in France list. It looked like it had some really lovely medieval touches but sadly we could only do what came to be called a ‘guerilla photography’ stop from a distance but for some reason, I can’t find any photos of it amongst the thousands that I took on this trip. Limeuil

Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, notable for its 14th-century abbey, Cadouin had a lovely golden tone to its buildings which is so characteristic of this beautiful part of France. We had a little wander around but again I don’t have any photos, hence the link to Google Maps. Le Buisson-de-Cadouin

Belvès was another pretty-looking village, again on the Most Beautiful Villages in France list. We were intrigued and put it on the list of villages we’d like to come back to. By the time we arrived here, the rain was very heavy. We had a whistle-stop and very wet tour of this village but we had to dash back to our apartment when Amanda remembered that she’d left the coffee pot on. Oops! Belvès

I have no idea where these few photos were taken but they’re all I could find for this day. 😦

We were very bedraggled looking by the time we got back to our apartment, so I jumped in the shower to try to make myself somewhat presentable for meeting my cousin and her husband who I hadn’t seen in over a decade.

Once we were all sorted we set off north to Diane and Peter’s place, which according to Google Maps was going to take us approximately 2 hours.

My cousin and her husband moved over full-time from the U.K. to the Dordogne 7 years prior to our visit having bought their property back in 2003. They’d been slowly renovating it ever since.

Peter continues to work as a Quantity Surveyor and Diane works alongside him. They also own and run a small caravan park and chambre d’hôte in the Périgord vert region of the Dordogne that is now up for sale. I’ll be doing a separate post about their lovely property soon. Highthorn at Haute Epine Facebook Page – Haute Epine Website

We found the property with no problem at all and they quickly came to the electric gate to let us in. They both looked amazing and seemed genuinely pleased to see us. Their property was lovely, homely, and quite old. Their 2 dogs ran to greet us too. Sidney was a tad bonkers but very sweet and the other dog was called Bella (I think) and much more timid but equally lovely. They also had a couple of cats but I can’t remember their names.

We were given the Grand Tour and the place was really lovely, they’d obviously worked extremely hard to bring this beautiful property back to life.

Peter served us coffee and cocktails, while Diana cooked us a lovely dinner of duck, roast potatoes, and peas. We had a wonderful evening chatting and catching up and I really wish we’d had longer with them.

After a good sleep and a quick breakfast, we set off back to our accommodation in Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse.

In my next post, I’ll be showing you more of Diana and Peter’s property but here’s a little taster. 🙂

Click on the image to take you to the Highthorn at Haute Epine Facebook Page. Barn and outdoor restaurant at Highthorn, Haute Epine, St Martial Viveyrols, Riberac, France. Photo courtesy of my cousin, Diane.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Les Clos des Rives, Dordogne – Accommodation for 1 Week – Days 11 & 12

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Les Clos des Rives, Dordogne – It’s great Accommodation on the Dordogne River. The above photo is from their website. To visit their website, please click on the image above.

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

In this post, I’m going to cover the end of Saturday the 29th & Sunday the 30th of April 2017 – so ‘Days 11 & 12′.

Saturday the 29th of April – Day 11 Cont…

We took almost the entire day to travel from Corn in the Lot Department over to our new accommodation, ‘Les Clos des Rives in Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse in the Dordogne. On our way, we visited a number of pretty towns and villages that were all renowned for their beauty (see prior posts). We could have done the journey in a fraction of the time had we gone directly from one place to the other, but we were glad we got to see some truly special locations that we would have otherwise missed. Finally, before reaching our accommodation, we stocked up with groceries and a few bottles of wine for the week.

The following image is a screenshot of our route from our accommodation in Corn to our accommodation in Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse, Dordogne. Click on the image to take you to Google Maps.

Our Accommodation – Les Clos des Rives, Dordogne.

Les Clos des Rives sat on generous grounds on the banks of the Dordogne River. Our self-catering ground-floor 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment (suitable for those with disabilities), was clean, spacious and had beautiful, serene views overlooking the river. The interior was simple but comfortable and a bit of a bargain at €360.50 for the week. I’m not sure what the price would be for next May (2024) to give you a like-for-like price, but for this October it’s €495 for the week, in that same apartment. That’s still really good for a property that sleeps 6 adults and is in such a good location.

We actually booked the accommodation via Booking.com but if I were to go again, I’d probably book directly with them.

We had been a little bit concerned on the approach as we’d passed some run-down, disused buildings that did nothing for first impressions but once we were at the property we were very happy and the lovely lady that checked us in couldn’t have been more helpful and kind, I just wish I could remember her name. The run-down buildings can’t be seen from the apartment and the whole setting is beautiful.

After settling in, we made chilli for dinner and sat outside to eat while taking in the views across the river, and listening to the crickets and birds. We managed a couple of glasses of wine before turning in for the night. Utter bliss.

As we’d been on the go non-stop since arriving in France, this week we thought we’d take it a bit slower. We wanted to unwind and rest up. This was the first night we got to sleep in separate bedrooms so we had an early night and decided that we’d just relax the following day. If the weather was kind to us we’d also be visiting the pool.

The following photos are ones I took on our arrival at the accommodation.

The following photos are from their website because I never thought to take any photos inside the property. Doh! To go to their website, please click on the initial photo at the head of this post.

There isn’t a photo of it, but there was also a second bathroom with a bath and overhead shower, plus a separate toilet. There was a large cupboard fitted out with a washing machine, iron & ironing board etc, this was great after being on the road for 2 weeks we managed to get all our washing done. Plus the apartment had aircon, a fully fitted kitchen, a sofa-bed and a tv in the living room area. The internet was a bit sketchy but we got by. Outside we had our own private dining space with a table and chairs, there was also a communal pool, BBQ, various seating options, sun loungers, table tennis, and a place next door where you could hire canoes. Not bad for €360.50 for the week. You really couldn’t ask for more…well, maybe a couple of additional comfy chairs in the living room, especially if a group of 6 were to rent the place.

We quickly came to realise that this property was very well situated for visiting all the main towns, villages and tourist sites in the area. I would definitely recommend this property to anyone looking for somewhere to stay. Unless something has changed in the last 6 years, you will need a car to get around though.

Sunday the 30th of April – Day 12

Today was a rest day. We were both wrecked, especially me. I’d done the majority of the driving up to this point and Amanda had done a lot of dashing around the locations I couldn’t do, taking pics and videos for us both, so it evened itself out.

Today I was going to keep my legs up as much as possible and try to give the swelling a chance to go down.

I woke around 7 am but not hearing any movement from Amanda, I drifted back off to sleep until my phone buzzed, waking me. I chatted with a friend for a while before getting up and deciding what we were having for breakfast. Today we had fresh crusty bread with pate, and for afters, we had strawberries with thick coconut yoghurt. Delicious.

The weather was nice enough in the morning but not quite sunbathing weather so I took myself back off to bed to read and rest my legs. I pretty much slept for most of the day, getting up around 4 pm when my tummy was rumbling.

Amanda had spent the day reading, filling out her journal, and chatting with her family and friends.

That evening we ate leftover chilli in wraps with salad and had a lovely big piece of cream cake for afters. Yum!

The Internet wasn’t the best but I did manage to upload a few pics to Facebook for my family to see. I didn’t dare try to load videos as the last lot had taken over 12 hours. 😀

The weather ended up being a mixed bag, we’d had sun but also thunder and rain. The rest of the week didn’t look to be much better which was a bit frustrating as I was hoping to get to use the pool. By the time evening came around the weather was calmer. We spent the evening sitting beside the river chatting and putting the world to rights. We had a few glasses of wine and picked at the selection of yummy French goodies. It was the perfect way to end the day.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Curemonte, France – Day 11 Cont…

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Amanda in Curemonte, Lot department, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Saturday the 29th of April 2017 and ‘Day 11′ Cont…

Curemonte was a hilltop sprawl which we thought might be inaccessible with a car but we were once again wrong and able to park in the heart of the village and take a slow amble around, albeit with one of the windows of the car left open and ALL our belongings, including passports, credit cards, and money, inside. We did have the car key though so at least that was safe…oops! I blame Amanda, it was her window that was down. 😀

We both loved Curemonte and it’ll be on my list of villages to revisit when I return. Amanda has actually been back since our trip and revisited many of the towns and villages with her husband.

Our photos don’t do any of these towns and village justice, especially in a place like this where the village is probably better seen from above rather than right up against the huge walls of these magnificent buildings.

Today’s weather had been perfect and made these already beautiful villages that bit more special. The lovely blue skies had given them a wonderful backdrop.

During our time in France from mid-April to the 8th of May most of the daytime temperatures had been in the high teens right up to a high of 28 degrees. During the night it had been as low as -1 degrees with a light covering of frost but overall the weather was great.

Curemonte, France – Video by Corrèze Tourisme

Collonges-la-Rouge & Tureene

There were a couple of villages, Collonges-la-Rouge and Turenne that we’d hoped to visit but we were running out of time and parking wasn’t easily found, especially in Collonges-La-Rouge which seemed to be hosting some sort of event, plus there was a wedding on. The photos online looked really lovely so we were pretty bummed that we couldn’t take a look.

Collonges-la-Rouge was formed from the local red stone. This small town looked very different from anything we’d seen so far but because it was extremely busy we could only drive by it, kicking ourselves for not realising it would be packed as it was a Saturday afternoon on a bank holiday weekend. I will definitely be coming back here.

As we drove away, we were delayed by a red wedding, not the Game of Thrones type but one where the guests were all dressed in red. The bride wore white of course, though Amanda did comment that her dress made her look like a shuttlecock which made me laugh, she’s such a witch. 😀

Collonges-la-Rouge – video by Walk In France

Turenne

What can I say, again it looked lovely, but we could only see it from a distance. Amanda had a little wander to the start of the village but said it was very steep so no good for me. She also commented that it felt a bit Hogwortesque but it definitely looked like another beautiful village. There are so many towns and villages that we’re going to have to go back to, great excuse. 😀

Turenne, Corrèze department, France – April 2017

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Carennac, France – Day 11 Cont…

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Carennac, Lot Department, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Saturday the 29th of April 2017 and ‘Day 11′ Cont…

Carnennac is a medieval village full of beautiful architecture. The Iglesia prioral de San Pedro de church with its ornately carved portal/arched entryway is stunning.

We parked up, possibly illegally, in the shadow of the Château des Doyens, and from the minute we drove in I knew I wanted to push myself and take at least a little glimpse of this pretty village and I’m so glad I did. We were short on time because of the agreed check-in time for our next accommodation but it was worth every second and it’s definitely worth a second visit…it’s very pretty. Carennac village

I’m sorry my posts aren’t very detailed, I’ve forgotten so much but I still wanted to post what I did have. I may come back and fill in more details at some point.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Loubressac, France – Day 11

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Loubressac, Lot department, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Saturday the 29th of April 2017 and ‘Day 11′

Today we said farewell to the Gites de Combarel, to Daniel and Martine, and to all their wonderful animals.

The Gite was beautiful and perfectly placed with so much to see within a short distance. It even had supermarkets that were open, believe me, finding food on this trip was a task in itself. 😀 With regards to the gite, the only thing that was problematic for me, was that the loo was downstairs which was difficult because of my knees. Having said that, I would definitely return to this property even though my knees have deteriorated since we visited 6 years ago.

We’d originally planned to travel directly to the new accommodation in the Dordogne but since the weather was meant to be lovely and the forecast for the next few days was dire, we decided to travel in a wide arc, taking in some of the sights we had yet to see from our huge list. Our first stop was meant to be Autoire.

Autoire, France – Video by Greg Dekimpe
Lourbressac, France – Video by Sebastien Colpin

Autoire

Though clearly a fantastic place, the walks, both through the village and to the cascade were said to be steep but looking at the video they don’t look bad at all and I could have managed it. 😦 Anyway, we had to look at Autoire from a distance and it’s somewhere I will definitely be coming back to once I’ve had my knees fixed. Anyway, on to Loubressac.

Loubressac

A fairytale silhouette, Loubressac was equally charming up close. We were able to park practically in the centre of the village, making it easier for us to take a slow walk around the perimeter to admire the chocolate box houses and outstanding views over the valley and towards the Red Keep of Bretenoux.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful village and would visit it again in the future. It’s small but so picture-perfect that it would be somewhere I’d happily live out the rest of my days. I’d say Loubrassac was in my top 10 villages from this trip, bear in mind we saw around 60+, there are so many that I’ve not mentioned.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise specified.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Cardaillac, Lacapelle-Marival, Assier, France – Day 10 Cont…

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Château de Lacapelle-Marival in Lacapelle-Marival, in the Lot département of France – April 2017.
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Friday the 28th of April 2017 and ‘Day 10 Cont…

It gets a little confusing for me for the rest of this day. I’m unsure which photos go with which village. I know that after Figeac we visited Cardaillac, Lacapelle-Marival, and Assier but I hadn’t got around to editing my photos, not that there were very many for the remainder of this day but now I’m not 100% confident which photos go with which village.

I do have some notes that we made that evening about our day so I’ll type those out and then add the photos that I think go with the villages we visited after Figeac.

Cardaillac

We drove through the main street which was pretty and accessible by car. We were looking for somewhere to park when we stumbled upon the medieval village.

A large, sem-ruined fort, not a chateau, a proper fort with ramparts surrounding the tiny but mainly untouched village.

The houses were insanely old and should be in glass boxes in a museum, and yet they were lived in.

Amanda had the pleasure of watching an elderly lady carefully tending her garden before hobbling back into her, no doubt very age-unfriendly but incredibly beautiful and quaint cottage.

I’ll put the photos here and then continue with the information from my journal about the remainder of the pretty villages.

Lacapelle-Marival

The village here seemed quite modern in comparison to some we had visited but the highlight was the amazing chateau, it was pure Disney.

Assier

This was a very pleasant surprise. Driving home we spotted an amazing church practically a cathedral, and went into the village looking for a place to park. We happened to fall upon a gorgeous 16th-century chateau. It was very different from anything we had seen so far and unfortunately, it was closed so we could only see a part of it, but what we could see was truly beautiful.

What was left of the day was spent relaxing back at the gite. I spent some of the evening, marking Amanda’s journal and making a few alterations. Ok, I cheated and used her journal to help me remember and basically copied everything she’d written. 😀

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Figeac, France – Day 10 Cont…

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Figeac, Lot Department, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Friday the 28th of April 2017 and ‘Day 10′ Cont…

Figeac was quite a large town compared to the others we’d visited, and it was the first time we felt a bit uncomfortable. Nothing had happened but I think we’d spent so much time in tiny villages that this felt a little daunting at times. I don’t think this feeling was helped by there being a vintage car rally driving through the centre of the town. These were very beautiful and expensive cars, and because of this, they seemed to have attracted a certain sort of character to the town that was there to beg or hustle/hassle the visitors.

Figeac, Lot Department, France – April 2017

We stopped for a drink and for me to use the loo. The toilet was grubby and a bit scary as the light was flickering really badly making it almost impossible to see. It had all the makings of a murder scene. 😀

After my freshly squeezed orange juice and Amanda’s “Proper” coffee, we took to looking in the windows of a couple of Estate Agents because we really loved the Lot Department and a girl can dream.

We didn’t spend that much time here as it was getting busier by the minute and we kept being followed by dodgy-looking characters that looked like they were on the rob.

The town’s architecture is lovely and we wished we’d visited on a different day but it is somewhere I’d recommend if you’re in this beautiful region.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Various Towns & Villages, France – Day 9 Cont…

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Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Thursday the 27th of April 2017 and ‘Day 9′ Cont…

We visited so many towns and villages but I couldn’t walk so I only saw most of them from a distance and to be honest, I can’t remember which photos go with which village anymore. There’s a good chance I’ll post photos out of sync and maybe they’re even from the next leg of our trip but I’ll pop a few pics in here and name a few of the villages I know that we passed through. Some we stopped at but some we just drove through.

The names of towns and villages I know for sure that we passed through:

Caylus, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Najac, Lagarde Viaur, Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Martiel and Gaillac.

Below are the very brief notes from my travel journey about the various locations we visited on this leg of the tour. Unfortunately, most of my memories of them are lost to time so I can’t really elaborate further but here goes…

Caylas: A lively centrepiece church but very little else…I feel sure that it’s far better than this, so forgive me. I was copying from Amanda’s journal so we’ll blame her. 😀

Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val: A fairly large town with lots of winding streets with very old buildings. We chose not to stop as it was very busy with loads of traffic, so we took a few shots from across the river looking back at the town. See the main photo a the top of this post.

Najac: I’d had high expectations of Najac but I was underwhelmed. Again, this was probably due to being in so much pain and the weather not being great. Najac is dark and medieval with a grand cathedral but it’s very high up and seemed to have limited access and parking. We did manage to park at the top of the town and had a quick look around before dashing into a cafe for a drink and a loo stop, and to avoid the weather.

Lagarde Viaur: A minor SAT-NAV setback meant that we nearly missed this place but I’m so glad we didn’t. It’s a sprawling, hillside village with an ancient stone bridge, and wide river and valley views.

Villefranche-de-Rouergue: Another town I was looking forward to seeing because I knew it had lots to offer but it was far too busy to attempt to navigate or park. Instead, we visited a Carrefour for food and petrol. I will be back one day though. 😀

Martiel: I just have ‘Meh!’ written. :O Oh Amanda! *Shakes head*

Gaillac: Very small, barely half a dozen houses, one of which was an occupied Chateau. We saw several kites circulating the valley as we wandered along its short street.

One other very notable point from this day was our journey down/up probably the worst road EVER. Barely a car width wide. We couldn’t work out if it was unfinished or if it had simply been washed away, either way, it was seriously dodgy with rocks strewn everywhere like a dry riverbed. There were bits of fallen trees partially blocking our path, and potholes big enough to hide a small chateau in. It was both terrifying and hilarious. We emerged intact though and miraculously, so did the car. Oh the joys of SAT-NAV!

Photo from the Internet and altered to give you an idea of what the road was like. No Joke! 😀

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France – Day 9 Cont…

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Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Thursday the 27th of April 2017 and ‘Day 9′ of our travels.

On our approach while trying to find parking close to the village, we managed to get the above photo and a bit of video footage of this stunning location and its surrounding landscape, unfortunately, this would be pretty much all I’d get to see on this trip.

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was one of the villages I’d most looked forward to visiting but by the time we got there, I was in agony with my knees. I’d run out of painkillers, my legs had swollen up and I could barely stand. To make matters worse we couldn’t get parked above the town so I dropped Amanda off at the top with my phone to get me photos and video footage and then went in search of somewhere to park. I ended up about half a mile away from the bottom entrance to the village.

One thing we hadn’t thought of was, how would Amanda know where I was parked? She couldn’t call me as she had my phone. Doh!

Link to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie on Google Maps

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise specified.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Marcilhac-sur-Célé, France – Day 9 Cont…

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Marcilhac-sur-Célé, France – 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Thursday the 27th of April 2017 and ‘Day 9′ of our travels.

We drove on towards Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and as recommended by our hosts we stopped for a while to look around the pretty village of Marcilhac-sur-Célé.

We parked by a monument at the entrance to the village and had a little wander down to Célé River past the heavily pollarded trees and an old stone building with a tower that I can’t find a name for or any information about.

I sat down by the river while Amanda walked down a little further. We didn’t stay long as we wanted to get to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie before it got too busy as we’d heard that parking was limited.

Link To Google Maps

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise specified.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Capdenac-le-Haut, France – Day 10

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Capdenac le Haut, France – April 2017

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Friday the 28th of April 2017 and ‘Day 10′ of our travels.

A bit of background on Capdenac-le-Haut:

“Capdenac-le-Haut is in the Lot Department in southwestern France. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Located just 4 km from Figeac, the village of Capdenac is erected on a rocky outcrop which overlooks a majestic meander of the River Lot.”~Capdenac Tourist Information.

Capdenac-le-Haut, France – Day 10

We started the day with French toast with strawberries and scrambled eggs – not altogether I hasten to add.

Amanda decided to climb onto the window ledge in the gite to take a photo of a bird of prey, while I watched on, terrified that she’d fall out as she’s not exactly known for her agility, she constantly trips over nothing and often ends up in the A&E. 😀

Amanda did the driving today as I was tired. Our first port of call was Capdenac-le-Haut and I actually walked around this one, albeit very slowly.

When you are parking the car in the shade of an 11th-century castle, you know you’re onto a good thing.

Capdenac le Haut, France – April 2017

The weather was fair so we took a slow walk around the entire village, which was delightful. One highlight was the discovery of the main square which Amanda loved because it was called ‘Sully Place’, her son is called Sullivan.

There was a war memorial in the centre detailing the many lives lost in what is essentially little more than a hamlet.

Capdenac-le-Haut had a few other surprises. Occupied since prehistory, local legend has it that this ancient fort was Uxellodunum, the last Roman Gaulish stronghold seized by Julius Caesar, but I think that’s now been debunked. There are certainly the remains of Roman baths, 240 steps (old and dangerous steps) down the cliffside but unfortunately or fortunately, these were closed. Maybe next time. 😀

This is Amanda taking her life into her own hands in an attempt to capture a photo of a bird of prey. France – April 2017

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda unless otherwise specified.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Rocamadour, France – Day 7 & 8

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Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France

Tuesday and Wednesday the 25th& 26th of April 2017 and ‘Days 7 & 8′ of our travels.

A bit of background on Rocamadour:

‘Rocamadour is a village in the Lot department of the Occitanie region, near the eastern border of the Dordogne department. Situated in the Causses du Quercy Regional Natural Park, Rocamadour receives more than a million visitors – tourists and pilgrims – each year.

Although the history of the village dates back to prehistoric times, it is as a medieval pilgrimage destination that Rocamadour is best known, with the first church here being constructed in the middle of the 12th century.’~France This Way

Rocamadour:

After our very short stop in Saint-Geniez-d’Olt, we set off to our next destination; Romamadour, which was approximately a two-and-a-half-hour drive. We weren’t in a rush because check-in for our next accommodation wasn’t until mid-afternoon. We took our time, stopping for lunch and making numerous stops for photos and to take in the beautiful scenery.

I was the one driving today. After my initial fear of driving abroad, I was actually enjoying it, especially through all the beautiful French countryside. I wasn’t as keen on driving through cities so I let Amanda do that. 😀

Our first view of Rocamadour was fantastic. Hewn from the mountain itself and spilling downwards towards the slightly newer, yet still very old streets below. We were already in love with the place before we pulled into the village.

If you’re ever in this region, you MUST see this stunning village.

I’ll add information about parking and our accommodation near the bottom of the post. Everything went very smoothly and we were very pleased with our choice of accommodation.

Once we’d checked in we grabbed our rain macs and ventured out to explore. We had a lovely wander around this beautiful old village which was and still is in my top five from the dozens we saw on this trip. I do wish the weather had been a little better because the pics look dull, and this place was anything but dull.

That evening we chose to eat in the hotel’s restaurant as there wasn’t much open in the village because it was out of season (April). I can’t remember exactly what we ate for starters but I believe we were recommended to try the region’s speciality, Foie Gras. For mains, I had lamb, potatoes, and beans, and Amanda had duck. I can’t remember what exactly we ate for dessert. I do know that we went to bed tired, pleasantly full, and very happy.

Wednesday the 26th of April and Day 8 of our France adventure.

Early morning start with a huge buffet breakfast with unlimited drinks – that means lots of coffee for Amanda. 😀

We started with a wander up and down the main street in Rocamadour, this time without the rain, and then we took the lift up to the chapels and the stunning sanctuary complex above the lower town. To get to the lift you walk through a tunnel carved out of the rock, there’s a small photo of it below and I seem to remember there was a small fee for using the lift but given how much pain I was in, it was definitely worth it.

This part of Rocamadour is amazing and definitely a MUST-SEE place for anyone visiting this region. Some of the buildings are carved out of the rock face while others cling precariously to the little plateau high above the village. It’s better to see it than for me to try to describe it so I’ll add some photos and videos to help.

Below are a few videos from around Rocamadour. They’re only a few seconds long. I should really stitch them together and just post the one but the quality of them isn’t great so it’s not really worth going to any effort. I now have a Gimbal so my videos for my next trip should be better. Famous last words. 😀

After our walk around the upper section of Rocamadour, we had to check out of our hotel and get back on the road. Before leaving the area we drove up above Rocamadour to get a view of the entire village. See the last photo and the last video above. We then took off towards Corn to our next accommodation. The reason for this odd backtracking route was that we didn’t want to be in Rocamadour on a Friday as it’s supposedly mobbed at weekends and a midweek booking was cheaper than a Friday or weekend booking. I’m tight, what can I say, I’m from Yorkshire. 😀

Grand Hotel Beau Site, Rocamadour, France

We were lucky enough to have booked a hotel that had parking in the actual village of Rocamadour so we didn’t have to walk up from the main tourist car park. We pulled up and a gentleman took our keys and sorted the parking for us, which was right next to where we’d be staying in the Grand Hotel Beau Site – Rocamadour. When we visited, it was part of the Best Western chain of hotels but I think that has changed now.

We walked into the beautiful old reception which back then had heavy dark beams and a wooden staircase flanked by thick, light-coloured stone walls and a huge stone fireplace opposite a mahogany reception desk. It no longer looks this way, it’s all been lightened up and I’m not as keen.

The hotel cost us €106 for a superior room for one night, this was back in April 2017. There was no food included but parking was free back then.

The lady behind the desk checked us in and gave us the choice of two rooms. We weren’t in the main building where the reception was located, we were in a stone building across the little road to the right of the reception entrance. We decided on a room with two Juliette balconies, one that had wonderful views of the chateau, chapel, and sanctuary that all towered above us and the other that looked out to the entrance to the village, the tiny car park next to the outdoor dining area, and the pretty valley beyond.

The room itself was simple but comfortable. I’ll probably come back and add a video at a later date. I can’t add it now as my darling friend Amanda was being a mare by trying to sabotage my already dreadful video footage, so I’ll have to either remove the sound or cut out the naughty bits. 😀 I’ll add a few screenshots of the room below.

The Reception Area of the Grand Hotel Beau Site, Rocamadour, France in April 2017

Below are photos from around the hotel. The first image is of the entrance to the reception for the hotel, and the second image is where we parked but I’m not sure if you can park there anymore. The third image shows the building where we stayed, you can see our two balconies on the second floor, one at the front and one at the side. The next two photos show up and down the street from the hotel.

Below is screen grabs from the video that I daren’t play. You can see the two Juliette balconies. There’s one to the side of the beds overlooking the chapel, chateau and sanctuary and one at the foot of the beds overlooking the car park, hotel reception across the street, the entrance to the village, and over the surrounding valley. Simple but comfortable with great views.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Saint-Geniez-d’Olt, France – Day 7

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Saint-Geniez-d’Olt, France – April 2017
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France Tour

Tuesday the 25th of April 2017 and ‘Day 7 ′ of our travels.

Today was another early start. We had breakfast and checked out of the lovely Chateau de la Falque in Saint-Geniez-dʼOlt our home for the last 3 nights.

We did a short stop in Saint-Geniez-d’Olt on our way to Rocamadour as we’d not had a chance to explore the town before today. It didn’t really appeal to us, it seemed a little shabby and run-down but we’d been spoiled by visiting so many beautiful towns and villages that we probably didn’t give it a fair chance, plus the bad weather didn’t help.

Below is Château de Galinières, we only stopped for a quick photo and then got back on our way to Rocamadour.

Château de Galinières, – April 2017

In France, around every corner, there seems to be a chateau, a beautiful town or village, and stunning scenery. So if you haven’t visited France, do so, it’s an amazing country. It definitely rivals Italy for the number one spot in my humble opinion.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon

Conques, France – Day 6 Cont…

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Conques, France – April 2017

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France

Monday 24th April 2017 and ‘Day 6′ cont…

A bit of background on Conques:

“Conques is a former commune in the Aveyron department in Southern France, in the Occitania region. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Conques-en-Rouergue.”~Wiki

“Conques has a documented history that goes back to the year 500. Charlemagne gave some money for the building of an Abbey where hermits had been. This was a really secluded place, surrounded by woods. Then in the 700s Louis, the Pious gave money for a bigger Benedictine Abbey.” ~Join Us In France

“Conques, listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France, is about 30 kilometres east of Figeac and 35 kilometres north of Rodez, in the Aveyron department in the Massif Central.

Conques sits on the edge of the gorge of the River Dourdou, in a beautiful setting surrounded by mountains and forests. The approach from the south is along an especially attractive stretch of river.”~France This Way

Our Thoughts on Conques

One glimpse and Conques was up there as one of our favourite villages on this trip. We wrote little bullet points of why we liked it so much so I’ll share those with you below:

  • A stunning, hidden valley location made the treacherous drive worthwhile – thanks Sat Nav.
  • There was the remarkably well-preserved abbey ‘Church of Saint Foy’ that was built in 1041 that was embellished with beautiful and interesting stone carvings over the main entrance.
  • Apparently, this village provided inspiration for the 2017 version of Beauty And The Beast film.
  • This beautiful village has largely been untouched since the early 1800s thanks to its inaccessibility and a few very protective locals. Hallelujah!
  • There are less than 300 people still living in the village.

We parked slightly above the little village but it’s only a short 3-minute walk to reach the heart of the village and its beautiful abbey. I’ll add a Google Maps screenshot image of where we parked. There was also parking at the other end of the village, it’s just out of shot on the left-hand side of the map below.

What I saw of the village was beautiful but I couldn’t go any further than the abbey as I was in agony with my knees.

Conques, France – April 2017
Conques, France – April 2017
Conques, France – April 2017
Conques, France – April 2017
Conques, France – April 2017
Crêpe with Champagne cream, syrup, and almond flakes. Conques, France – April 2017
Conques, France – April 2017

Apologies for the large photos, the very dodgy videos, and the total butchering of the village name ‘Conques’. It’s meant to be pronounced like ‘Conk’ but I didn’t discover that until my return home.

All photos and videos are the property of myself and Amanda.

Thanks for visiting.

Touch of Cinnamon