Walking Holidays
France

Lot Valley

Let yourself be enchanted by the charm and beauty of the wonderful Célé and Lot Valleys in south west France. Less well known than the Dordogne, the Célé and Lot valleys will leave you captivated by their beauty. Our independent self-guided walking holiday begins its linear trail in Figeac and travels downstream ending in Cahors, home of the Malbec vineyards. You’ll follow quiet trails through unspoilt countryside in the protected regional park of Causses du Quercy, with rocky cliffs, home to some wonderful chateaux overhanging majestic valleys. You’ll pass through several historic villages such as St-Cirq-Lapopie, one of the prettiest villages in France, perched precariously above the river Lot. Your self-guided walking holiday finishes at Cahors, famous for its wines and its 14th-century bridge allowing access to the town.

Holiday Profile

7 nights/8 days: 6 days independent walking moving between guest houses

Dates

Everday of week subject to availability from 15 April - 15 October

Walking Profile & Grade

6 days self guided walking in the Cele and Lot Valleys, moving between hotels and B&B’s.  The walking holiday is graded moderate. The walking days vary in length allowing you time to visit the sights and to recover from the longer days.  Average days include about 15km walking with daily ascents ranging from about 60m to 600m.  All the walks are on good paths, although some sections can be muddy and rocky. This independent walking holiday would be suitable for regular walkers, as well as occasional walkers with a minimum of preparation.

This walking holiday is graded moderate. See more information about walking grades.

Accommodation & Meals

A mixture of B&B’s and small independent family run hotels offering a high quality of service (2 or 3 star). Many are in historic properties, set in wonderful medieval village locations

When to Travel

Our self-guided walking tour in the Lot Valley is available from mid-April to mid-October. This walking holiday is available in the summer but please book early to ensure we can secure our top choice accommodation. In spring, you are likely to experience some rainy days, but some years can be very dry whilst others can be unsettled. Cold periods are also possible late April and early May but generally the temperatures range from 16 degrees in April and climbing to 20°C in May. By mid June, temperatures generally reach the mid twenties.

Summers are hot in this region and the temperature often rises above 30 degrees Celsius. It rarely climbs beyond the mid ‘30s for any substantial length of time. In general, July is slightly hotter than August and the average temperature in summer hovers around the upper ‘20s. The summer is generally dry with several fine days interspersed by the odd shower often in the form of heat-of-the-day storms.

September highs average 25°C. October is still a good month for walking on average with maximum temperatures of 20°C and lower rainfall than those experienced further south and east in the south of France. The wettest month in the area during the walking season is May, whilst September is the driest month. The region is slightly sunnier than the national French average.

Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps

This walking holiday partly follows GR (Grande Randonnee) long-distance trails which are well way-marked with red and white markings. There are also several signposts along the trail. The walking follows clear paths for its entire duration. The remaining sections follow local trails waymarked in yellow. Our walking notes are very detailed (more information here) and include intermediate distances for sections of the trail. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by the IGN at a scale of 1:25,000. Your trail is highlighted on the maps.

Luggage Transfers

On this walking holiday your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. Please limit the weight of your bags to 20kg. We generally use small guest houses in historic buildings and some of the rooms are accessible only by stairs.

Travel Info

Trains

Eurostar & local ter trains run services from London St Pancras to Figeac. Change at Paris, direction Cerbere & then change at Brive or Cahors for Figeac.

Flights

The airlines Ryan Air & Flybe have scheduled flights from several UK airports to Bergerac. Taxi or hire car for the short transfer. Flights to Toulouse with onward journey by bus and train. A greater choice of operators fly to Toulouse from where there is a shuttle bus to Toulouse train station.

Note: Please check concerning the availability of a holiday before booking any flights. If you need further information or would like to discuss any aspect of your travel arrangements, please contact us, we’re here to help you.

Self Drive from UK

Channel ferry crossings from Dover are provided by several operators including P&O Ferries & DFDS seaways. Crossings are also provided by train with Eurotunnel.

Once in France, the journey from Calais to your first guest house takes about 7 hours (excluding long breaks).

Further Information & Advice

For useful advice about independent walking and preparing for your self guided holiday please take a look at the articles in our top-tips section. Once you have booked this independent walking or trekking holiday, further information about the walking, the region and what to bring, will be sent to you.

• From €1630 
• Price per person based on 2 people sharing a room
• Please contact us about single supplements