Figeac was a great base to explore further east, both along the Lot River and also other regions. We decided to have a lazier day and to ‘let the train take the strain’ as the station at Figeac was not too far away. There are limited destinations but we opted for Rodez, a small city in the Aveyron region. The train journey of about an hour and a quarter took us through some amazing scenery, so it was worth it from that point of view alone. We walked from the station to the town centre, heading for what we thought was the town’s cathedral but was in fact another impressive church – Sacré Cœur.
Having got to the town centre and the cathedral, we picked up details of a historical trail around the town centre and followed that to discover a number of very interesting buildings. The city has some half-timbered houses but most of the historic buildings are built in the deep red iron-oxide rich clay or brick of this region, so it looked quite different to other places we’ve visited. More recently (in the last (5-6 years) it’s also become well known for the new museum named after France’s famous living artist, Pierre Soulages, born in Rodez. A very relaxing day, wandering about the city and enjoying lunch before heading back to camp later on the train.
For our last full day at a Figeac we set out on the motorbike to explore the eastern reaches of the Lot. The route, with gently winding roads ideal for the motorbike, took us along the banks of the river into the departments of the Cantal and Aveyron and through picturesque hamlets. The scenery was beautiful but very different to other parts of the Lot with the distinctive red earth, darker red houses and tree lined hillsides. It’s certainly more verdant and pastoral than the western Lot and there were noticeably fewer tourists of any nationality and no towns or villages of any size before we reached Entraygues-sur-Truyère. This is an attractive village that sits on the confluence of the Lot, as it heads south, and the Truyère. We stopped for coffee on the banks of the river and a quick look at the small market, and continued via the dramatic Lot gorges to Estaing, ticking off another of the most beautiful villages in France.
Our next destination was Conques and the route took us high over the hills. On nearing Conques there was no sight from the road of where the town was. Following signs to a ‘panorama’ and parking the road kept taking us further up, but still nothing to see. At a corner we suddenly caught a glimpse of the village tucked in the valley below, and a picnic bench perfectly positioned for a later lunch stop.
Conques is another of the ‘Plus Beaux Villages’ in France and is also classed as one of the ‘Grands Sites d’Occitanie’. It is a major stopping point on the Via Podiensis, one of the major routes through France on the Chemin de Compostelle which runs from Puy-en-Velay. Conques is apparently an important centre of art and spirituality and the abbey at its centre is famous for the relics of Saint-Foy, the carved half-moon tympanum over the main doorway and the abstract stained glass windows by Pierre Soulages, he of Rodez fame. The whole village certainly had a spiritual feel about it and must be an inspirational place to arrive at if you are on the pilgrim trail. Tucked away as it is, it certainly hides its charms until the very last moment. Another treasure we were pleased to have discovered.
