Monday 22 July:
We left J&J’s house in Montreal du Gers with some regret, but also looking forward to travelling on and exploring more of France. Having passed by so many fields of sunflowers, we had to stop for a photo.
In the quest for looking for bridges, we saw one on a side of the road that had been closed to both vehicles and pedestrians. Followed an overgrown track ‘til we found the bridge. Almost looks like a cable stayed suspension bridge. Lots of ornate steel. Pity this attractive bridge is not in use.
We drove through Montauban, a large town, and what do you know, eagle eyes saw a sign to the port. Yes, another lock (staircase) and a marina. A boat on a French canal is an option for another trip. The French canal boats are much wider than the UK narrowboats and usually have the controls inside the boat and another set outside on the upper deck.
We stopped for the night at Cahors, which must be one of the few towns with very few hotels and these proved hard to find. Ended up in a very tranquil hotel/restaurant about 5 kms out of town, with farmland on 2 sides. Dinner & breakfast outside under the awning.
Tuesday 23 July:
Spent most of the morning looking around Cahors. We’ve now seen 3 of the 5 of Les Ponts Remarquables au Sud de la France (The Remarkable Bridges of Southern France). Yes, another bridge here, the Pont Valentré. It is a medieval bridge built between 1306 and 1380. It was classified as a historical monument in 1840. There were 3 bridges that originally crossed the canyon of Cahors, but this is the only one that survived. Another lock, this one is under the bridge.
We visited the impressive 12th century Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors and its beautiful cloisters.
On the road again, to Najac, a stunning hilltop village built in the 13th & 14th centuries. A short, very steep and very hot walk (about 32 degrees today) took us to the chateau/fortress that was built and extended between the 12th and 13th centuries. One part, the square tower, was built in the 11th century.
By the time we’d finished there it was about 4:30 pm and
we has a 2 hour drive to Brive and the hotel we booked last night. It was comforting to know that we could take our time during the day knowing we had somewhere for the night. We did save a bit of time by using the tollway (half an hour at 130 kmh helped).
Ready for bed and another full day tomorrow.
We left J&J’s house in Montreal du Gers with some regret, but also looking forward to travelling on and exploring more of France. Having passed by so many fields of sunflowers, we had to stop for a photo.
In the quest for looking for bridges, we saw one on a side of the road that had been closed to both vehicles and pedestrians. Followed an overgrown track ‘til we found the bridge. Almost looks like a cable stayed suspension bridge. Lots of ornate steel. Pity this attractive bridge is not in use.
We drove through Montauban, a large town, and what do you know, eagle eyes saw a sign to the port. Yes, another lock (staircase) and a marina. A boat on a French canal is an option for another trip. The French canal boats are much wider than the UK narrowboats and usually have the controls inside the boat and another set outside on the upper deck.
We stopped for the night at Cahors, which must be one of the few towns with very few hotels and these proved hard to find. Ended up in a very tranquil hotel/restaurant about 5 kms out of town, with farmland on 2 sides. Dinner & breakfast outside under the awning.
Tuesday 23 July:
Spent most of the morning looking around Cahors. We’ve now seen 3 of the 5 of Les Ponts Remarquables au Sud de la France (The Remarkable Bridges of Southern France). Yes, another bridge here, the Pont Valentré. It is a medieval bridge built between 1306 and 1380. It was classified as a historical monument in 1840. There were 3 bridges that originally crossed the canyon of Cahors, but this is the only one that survived. Another lock, this one is under the bridge.
We visited the impressive 12th century Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors and its beautiful cloisters.
On the road again, to Najac, a stunning hilltop village built in the 13th & 14th centuries. A short, very steep and very hot walk (about 32 degrees today) took us to the chateau/fortress that was built and extended between the 12th and 13th centuries. One part, the square tower, was built in the 11th century. By the time we’d finished there it was about 4:30 pm and
we has a 2 hour drive to Brive and the hotel we booked last night. It was comforting to know that we could take our time during the day knowing we had somewhere for the night. We did save a bit of time by using the tollway (half an hour at 130 kmh helped).Ready for bed and another full day tomorrow.
Wow Cahors look brilliant - loved the bridge.
ReplyDeleteLikewise Najac - the view from the top is impressive.
Safe driving.