Car Tour of Beautiful Villages in Northern Lot

A trip to visit the Gouffre de Padirac is one of the "must-dos" on a holiday in this area. However, on a bright, hot, sunny summer's day everyone may feel in need of some fresh air and sunshine following a trip through the bowels of the earth!  Help is at hand, as nearby can be found several very pretty villages that are worthy of a visit if you are in the vicinity (although they are probably not worth a special journey if you have a family in tow).

These villages are all fairly close to each other and all have one thing in common – they are all classified as Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

With the Gouffre de Padirac as a starting point, head south for a couple of kilometres on the D90. At the T junction turn left and follow the D673 for nearly 5 kilometres when you need to take the very narrow D38 on your left, signposted Autoire (see left).  This is the first Plus Beaux Villages on the tour. By approaching from the south you are rewarded with the best view of the village and also have the opportunity to park and walk up to the foot of the Cascade d’Autoire (parking at one of the final hairpins before the village). This was quite a steep climb in places and forms part of long distance footpath, La Grande Randonnée 652. Driving on into Autoire, you get a real sense of the village nestled beneath limestone cliffs. It is a typical Quercy village that takes its name from the River Autoire that flows down from the Causse. Time seems to have stood still here in a village that remains remarkably unchanged over time.

Our short tour continues through Autoire, continuing on either the D38 or via the D135 towards Loubressac (right) about 5 kms away. Aside from being a very pretty village in its own right, dominated as it is by its castle, Loubressac is perhaps best remembered for the fantastic views over the Dordogne, Bave and Cère valleys.

Finally head north west from Loubressac towards the River Dordogne. Follow the river NW along the D30 until you reach Carennac (about 8kms). Stretched out long the Dordogne river this village has seen tempestuous times, so that the current village dates mainly from the 16th century onwards with vestiges remaining from earlier centuries. The Fénelon Tower is an unusual building down by the river. Carennac is larger than the previous two villages and has several restaurants.