A New Adventure in France

We read it’s been hot in the UK this week and the temperature here has touched 40C (and above) on about 3 days. It’s great having such good weather but getting some respite from the heat when you’re living under canvas becomes a challenge and a priority, not that we have to rush anywhere so everything can be done at a gentle pace. So our outings this week have been planned with that in mind. One evening it was still 37C at about 9 p.m. Fortunately we seem to sleep quite well in our awning and have an electric fan to keep the air moving. Being near to the river at least provides lots of opportunities for finding a cooling view or somewhere to cool your feet.

On Monday we decided to go out in the camper van and head north of Cahors. We’ve been told that it’s greener and about 4C cooler in that area so we’re interested to see the difference. Our first stop is Souillac, just under an hour to the north of Cahors and on the border of the Lot and Dordogne regions – in fact the town sits on the River Dordogne. It’s also well known for its 12th century abbey. The town looks quite promising as we arrive and many of the buildings and shop fronts in the historic centre are very attractive, but unfortunately pretty much every shop is vacant or for sale. There’s a very well preserved covered market place or corn exchange type building. On one side of the building is a set of 3 containers which are the old measures used to measure corn or other cereal transactions. Like many riverside towns we have visited, Souillac was an important navigational point for trading. As for most of the town, as Joe describes it, it’s a bit like a film set. It’s hard to say whether it’s just a quiet day of the week (a Monday), the Covid effect or a town past its heyday.

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We move on to Gourdon about 20 minutes south-west and the capital of the Bouriane region of the Lot. It’s another Bastide town with the remains of a castle at the hilltop which we climb up to for outstanding views. It’s certainly a livelier town, although it feels smaller than Souillac. After a stop to rehydrate we continue in a circular route through Salviac, with a stop for lunch by a stream, and then Marminiac. The landscape isn’t really all that different to what we’ve already experienced, although the villages are more reminiscent of the Dordogne style and built from a more golden yellow stone. A very enjoyable day out to see some different scenery and to enjoy some respite from the searing heat in the air-conditioning of the van. We do a similar outing on the motorbike later in the week to the Garonne river and during that ride the temperature gauge in one of the villages, Castelnau-Montratièr shows 43.5C. It’s fine while we’re moving along but overwhelming when we have to stop at a traffic light – fortunately there are very few of those on the country roads we take.

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The campsite arranges kayaking one evening a week from its riverbank to a Pont Valentré so we decide to give that a go. It’s a one way trip so we first have to cycle to the finish point so that we have some transport back when we’re finished. It’s a beautiful evening and great to see the town from another perspective and, of course, yet another opportunity to take a picture of the favourite bridge. There is a lock and weir between the campsite and the bridge and we assume that we’ll all be taken through the lock. In fact we all have to ‘slip’ down the weir, which we manage without any mishaps – eat your heart out Jenny!

On Friday we set off in the camper van again, benefitting from the air conditioning, and visited the market at Prayssac- definitely more English voices to be heard as the holiday season is in full swing, but it’s not at all crowded. We then head into the hills behind Prayssac to look at a couple of villages we’ve heard about before heading back down to the river in the hope of finding a shady lunch time spot. There are many informal spots where you can sit by the river or launch your own kayak and there are also some small, but organised, ‘bases nautiques’ where you can hire kayaks and paddle boards and where you’re likely to find some picnic benches. We decide to try Caix about half way back on the way to Cahors and discover it’s a gem of a spot with mooring for the hired cruise boats and a very nice shady restaurant where we decide to have lunch. It’s too warm for much more than a salad and Joe tries the ‘Salade de Caix’ which features duck in a variety of ways – a confit leg, sliced duck breast, ‘gésiers’ (gizzards) and fresh orange.

After lunch the water is too inviting to resist and, as we have our wardrobe with us, we change into swimming gear and have a wonderfully refreshing river swim, ignoring all thoughts of cat fish and eels! It’s a peaceful place and a far cry from the pictures we see of crowded beaches. We’re always surprised at how few people there are at these spots.
Caix (also spelt Cayx), a tiny village, is also home to Château de Cayx, the summer residence office the Danish royal family and a very up market vineyard.

On Saturday we head back to a spot on the river that we spied when we were walking last weekend and obviously only known to locals – one of the benefits of exploring places on foot. At one of the nearby locks at Arcambal, a cutting to build the lock has created a small island next to the lock with a ‘beach’ with river access. tucked away at one end. We cycled there with our picnic lunch, crossed the lock workings and found our spot. Another great place to escape from the heat.