Camino Le Puy Way: Stage 3

Arrive in Conques and settle in to your comfortable hotel. Spend some time looking around this town, a major monument of architectural heritage. It’s Abbey Church of St Foy houses an incomparable treasure of Romanesque sculptures and a large number of relics covered in gold, silver and precious stones.

Today begins with a gradual climb to the Chapel St. Foy, built next to a spring whose natural water was supposed to cure eye complaints. Set out on the next part of the trail to St. Roch Chapel, where the statue of this saint carries a pilgrimage staff and from where, a mile or so later, you reach the village of Noaillhac.

Here the trail levels out and you begin making your descent into Decazeville and onwards into the village of Livinhac, which used to be known as the garden of Aveyron because of it’s fertile fields next to the River Lot.

En route to Figeac a place full of rich history you will pass through the picturesque hilltop village of Montredon, in which stands the Church of St Michael where you can view 14th century mural paintings. You can also see the 11th century Church of St Felix where there is a tympanum of Adam and Eve with a serpent and a tree.

Continue on through the countryside (you are now in the Lot region) before arriving into the historic town of Figeac, founded in 830 around a Benedictine abbey and for the past 20 years recognised as one of France’s historic towns by the Ministry of Culture.

You will have to begin walking early today as this is the longest walk of your tour at 30km. Have a big breakfast as sustenance, then begin by taking a path uphill to the L’Aiguille du Cingle. This unusual obelisk-type structure is said to have been built as a beacon guiding pilgrims. However another story relates that they were used as boundaries between abbot’s territories. There is one other structure such as this in France and it is to the west of Figeac.  

Continue walking past Faycelles and into Béduer. It is here where the landscape changes and you will come across many dolmens (megalithic tombs from the Neolithic period), plus dry-stoned walls and stone shepherds huts. The landscape here is quite wild and depending on the season, you will encounter carpets of orchids and the scent of herbs and wild strawberries.

Later arrive into Cajarc, a village that sits on the edge of the River Lot and that rose to fame due to barges that took spices, wine, wood and saffron along the river.

After yesterday’s long walk today is much easier and you enjoy walking at your own pace through this lovely rural area of France. First follow the meandering River Lot before arriving on the lush plain of Gaillac. Today you will cross the Quercy de Limogne. This area becomes very remote, so remember to take plenty of water and a packed lunch with you!  After a lovely day of walking past dry stone walls and huts and fields of purple orchids that are grown to produce saffron (these flowers bloom in the autumn). Shortly you will arrive in Limogne-en-Quercy and check in to your welcoming accommodation.

This particular stage of the walk takes us off the GR65 for a while so that we can spend an overnight in Lalbenque. First head through the hamlets of La Plane, Mas de Dégot and Mas de Vers. En route you will also see many more dolmen, dry-stone walls and shepherds huts, which are very typical of this area. Lalbenque itself has a church which was built in 1090 and is famed for its 17th century gilded wooden alterpiece. They also hold has a weekly black truffle market (every Tuesday) and a farmer’s market on a Saturday.

Today is your final day of walking through these beautiful and ancient rural routes of France. Firstly walk along a typical walled and semi-shaded lane. It is important to pay attention to signposts on this particular section. On arrival in La Marchande you will walk downhill from here into Cahors, which is surrounded on three sides by the River Lot and an important stop on this pilgrimage route.

Take time on arrival to discover the varying sights here such as Cathedral of St-Etienne with its amazing cloisters, several interesting churches and the Pont Valentré, the finest fortified medieval bridge in Europe.

Bid farewell to the Camino Le Puy today. After breakfast check out of your hotel and make your onward journey.