France 2007 - From Tarn to Lot

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From Tarn to Lot
After a damp and decidedly cooler overnight stop at a commercial (ACSI listed) campsite by the large Lac de Paraloup which wasn't very accessible at least at the northeast corner, we drove past Rodez then south on a busier main road towards Albi, turning off to Carmaux, a large industrial and mining town where every carpark had "Nomads Interdit" signs, then through more attractive villages to Cordes-sur-Ciel where there was free daytime parking (overnight €3.50) in the coach parking area (signposted Les Tuilleries)with a well hidden service point - a single tap and a drain. From there it was a very steep walk up cobbled streets (there is a petit train but not at lunchtimes!) to the fascinating old walled town. We hadn't read much about this town previously although it is in the guidebooks and has famous artists' connections. Among the restaurants, antique, craft and gift shops we found an interesting modern art gallery with a few Picasso sketches and works by other less famous artists. As it was in a very old palace building we were given a key to let ourselves in to each of the rooms, presumably closely observed on CCTV! Another exhibition was the museum of the Art of Sugarcraft with amazingly intricate and delicate sculptures and tableau, luckily all behind protective glass cabinets. Both these places cost only a few Euros and were worth a visit.
The Art of Sugarcraft displays Cordes-sur-Ciel	Main square Cordes-sur-Ciel Back lane in Cordes sur Ciel
Steep climb to the Old town	Cordes-sur-Ciel
The next morning we again headed north on back roads to Najac arriving after a long detour to avoid narrow roads. It is set on two hills with an impressive fortified chateau, an attractive but more touristy village with several coach parties wandering around and a small Sunday market. After stopping briefly to look at the church with an impressive iron cross at Villefranche-de-Rouergue where they were setting up for various evening events and some custom cars were showing off their sound systems along with with jet-ski rides on the river Aveyron, we were pleased to find a shady and quiet lunchtime stopover on the Causse de Limogne, an area of rough countryside before dropping down to the Lot valley at the small town of Cajarc to find a new aire by the old railway station, with a forlorn looking train touristique ( only operating later in the summer of course!) alongside the river, and a suspension bridge with a noisy planked surface. Train Touristique at Cajarc The rain returned with a vengeance the next morning as we drove along the attractive river Lot to St Cirq Lapopie set dramatically on the cliffs -a place to revisit when the weather is more accommodating. There is no motorhome parking in the official carparks due to height barriers but we passed an aire at the riverside campsite about a kilometere away. With the rain set in for the day a visit to the supermarket became our aim so we continued to Cahors and after a long detour on the ring road found a Carrefour to the west of the town to replenish our provisions and while away an hour or so. Continuing on a busy "red" route with too many lorries for a few kilometres, we turned off at Souzet on minor roads to Albas and vineyards along the Lot valley with white cliffs on the south bank and yellow ochre on the north. We found a pleasant free aire at Prayssac, although the town was completely empty with all the shops closed as it was a Monday! After a stroll to the edge of the town where there was a display board showing waymarked walks we spent the evening sorting out photos and planning our next few days' route. As usual our planned itinerary via "green" roads was immediately changed the next morning as we needed to refill our Gaslow bottle, so we headed to Fumel, another industrial town to find an Intermarché supermarket selling GPL. From there we continued North to the Dordogne stopping briefly for a torrential rainstorm then taking a minor road to the pretty but heavily restored hamlet of Besse, where the interior of the ancient church was closed for restoration but the carvings on the porch were visible	Najac chateau Bridge across Lot at Cajarc St Cirq Lapopie St Cirq Lapopie above the Lot
Flowery corner at Besse Carved portico at Besse	Ancient church at Besse
It was a short drive from there to Domme above the Dordogne and a long signposted diversion to reach the motorhome and coach parking area where there is a aire and service point. We walked around the old town which was much busier with tourists, before finding an ACSI listed campsite at Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, a short walk from the river with imposing chateaux on the skyline.
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