A visit to the medieval city of Puy l’Eveque or one of the many castles that are in the area. There are weekly markets to visit, in the many picturesque villages. Delicious meals to be enjoyed in one of the many restaurants.
The world famous wine town of Cahors is a 40-minute drive away. It is a lively town well worth visiting. The city has a medieval bridge (Pont Valentré), an indoor market, and many pleasant pavement cafés and shops. The caves of Pech-Merle and the well known Rocamadour cave make an interesting day trip.
There are golf courses in Sauveterre, Saint-Céré, Lachapelle-Murat (near Souillac).You may wish to rent a canoe or boat at a nearby marina (25 kms away) There are also a picnic area and a restaurant there. You can enjoy a swim in the Lot river. Possibly combine it with a lovely picnic along the riverbanks?
The town of Fumel lies about 10 kms from the gîtes and has all the shops you need : several big supermarkets, butcher’s, bakery etc. In the small city are all the shops you will need like Intermarché, Le Clerc en Lidl and the bakery is only 3 minutes away by car. Just 2.5 km from the gîte, in the village of Montcabrier there is a traditional baker with a small shop for other necessities.There is also a tennis-court in Montcabrier you can use.
Several walks, both long and short, start at the farmhouse. You can walk parts of the old pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostella in Spain – an old Pilgrims’ chapel still exists 7km from the gîtes.
There is a nice Saturday market in the village of Prayssac.
Nearby you can hire a canoe and organise day trips. Horse-riding and mountain-biking are all within 15 minutes. In Frayssinet le Gelat you can even swim in a river fed by a well.
While you are here you shouldn’t miss visiting Puy L’Eveque.
Delicious meals to be enjoyed in one of the many restaurants here you can try the well known cuisine of the Quercy, with its foie-gras, truffles, confits, champignons, nuts and melons.
The département of the Lot is renowned for its many little restaurants. The cuisine is believed to be one of the best in France. The Quercy has a lot of gourmet specialities like ‘Confit de Canard’ and ‘Magret de Canard’ and is also well known for its fine baking.
The cities of Toulouse, Villeneuve-sur-Lot are certainly worth a visit. The same goes for the villages of Prayssac, Puy l’Eveque, Belaye, Penne-d’Agenais and Montcuq with its large well-known Sunday market.
If you like bric-a-brac, then you can browse to your heart’s content in the various brocantes (second hand shops or markets) within the immediate area.
The large diversity in the landscape makes the Lot region quite good for walking and hiking. You can choose a different route each day ranging from an hour to a whole day right from your lodgings. The many river beds, valleys, cliffs and heights offer the possibility to go climbing or abseiling as well.
There are also hundreds of kilometres for hiking and biking along the prettiest routes in the area.
Highly recommended are visits to the famous Chateau de Bonaquil (5 km) or the lovely places of Puy L’Eveque (10 km) en Duravel (5 km) situated along the Lot river.
A bit further away are the towns of Bordeaux en Toulouse but well worth the 2 hour drive.