Blog : Tourism news from our region

Did you know that just 10 minutes from the Moulin du Boisset, you can board a time machine? At the old station in Martel, you can take the Train Touristique du Haut Quercy and take a fantastic trip back to the early 20th century, to the heroic days of steam rail travel.

The karstic landscapes that characterise our region have created places of unimaginable splendour. There's what's visible - the meandering rivers, the visible traces of water flowing over the cliffs and resurgences - but the most impressive thing is what you can't see: what's underground. Everywhere it is tortured by the erosion that over the millennia has forged galleries, caves and chasms. It's an immense Gruyère explored, in tiny parts, by courageous speleologists, who offer you a grandiose and unique spectacle in the places where they have been exploited.

Today, on an unseasonably warm and sunny February day, we decided to move a little further away from the Moulin. The Lot department is criss-crossed by 2 rivers, the Dordogne to the north, which we know well as it flows just 5 minutes from our house, and the Lot to the south, which we know much less about, flowing through the department's prefecture, Cahors. So we headed south to Bouziès, just over an hour's drive away, which would be the starting point for our walk. The road is winding, but passes through the superb Causse landscapes that characterise the karstic relief typical of our region, with exposed limestone rocks, groves of oak trees and low stone walls demarcating the plots.

We were passing through Saint-Céré, a pretty little town 25 minutes from the Moulin du Boisset, whose town centre, like many of the Lot's villages, is rich in heritage, and we decided to take a walk in a nearby forest. I can't remember how or where, but I'd learned that a special feature of the forest was that it was criss-crossed by a path strewn with works by local artists. So we headed for Latouille-Lantillac, 5 minutes from Saint-Céré, the starting point for this unusual 'exhibition'.

It's been -3°C for a few days now. The cold is dry and the sun is shining. Well wrapped up in our down jackets, hats and scarves, we're ready for our favourite hike. Near the Moulin du Boisset, the village of Autoire, one of the "Most Beautiful Villages of France", lies in the middle of a natural circle with the region's highest and most beautiful waterfall at its far end. As usual, we decided to set off from Autoire and head in its direction, taking the little path through the woods. Without their leaves, the oak trees give us an unobstructed view of the sun-drenched cliffs.

The scent of cinnamon and spices from the mulled wine pans fills the beautifully decorated street leading to the square where the Christmas market is held. Like Collonges-la-Rouge, and right next door, the little village of Meyssac is built of red stone, and the lights from the Christmas decorations decorate the walls in a very special way. Children's eyes are drawn to the shop windows, where they can see the silhouette of Father Christmas, the characters and animals in the cots and the superb decorations.