Cahors France 14 & 15 September 2013

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Cahors France 14 & 15 September 2013

After climbing down from the Pyrenees, we headed further north. The weather was getting cold. Before getting to Ax-Les-Thermes for the night, we found that a major tunnel we were going to go through was closed so we had to do an extra 20 kms on narrow, windy road which was slow going, particularly as truck had to use the same road.

By the time we arrived at the campsite, we found the reception was closed at 7.00pm and it was now 7.30pm and there was a barrier across the entrance so we couldn’t get in. Fortunately we found someone who said we could park next to one of the cabins which was in the same park and we even found a power connection. All was well.

The next morning we drove through Toulouse which we stayed at when we were in France last time, on the way to Spain. Heading further north, we were reminded that the French love round-a-bouts on secondary roads. We went through plenty!!

We arrived in Cahors and found a very helpful Tourist information Office. This town is known for having the oldest bridge in Europe – Pont Valentre, plus the Saint Etienne Cathedral and the natural fountain where the water comes out of the mountain. We visited all these.

We then found our campsite and parked next to an English couple. He (Trevor) was keen to have a chat so we pulled out a bottle of wine (as you do!) and chatted. It then started to rain so we said our goodbyes for the evening. They gave us some good hints on places we should visit. His wife could speak French so we found her advice very helpful.

The next morning (15/9) we left after breakfast and another chat with Trevor. Before leaving town, we walked up to the top of the mountain behind the town for a fantastic view. Here we saw how the town was built inside the curve of the Lot River. The day was still cold and it was lightly drizzling. Again, we headed further north as our target was to see Rocamadour which is a town which is built into the side of a mountain – wait for the next blog!!.

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