Transhumance between Rocamadour and Luzech

In April, it is Transhumance in the Lot, sheep breeders gather their flocks from Rocamadour to take them to the summer pasture, to the south of the department, in the Lot valley, on the heights of Luzech. 

For 5 days, you accumulate happiness: reconnect with nature by walking in the causses in step with the sheep. Be careful, they are in a hurry to return to their spring pastures. 
But above all it is an opportunity to cross exceptional landscapes, to the rhythmic sound of their bells. The opportunity to give meaning to a sporting practice, to return to the source. “It’s a testimony of civilization,” according to JM ISSALY, one of the organizers, while maintaining an ancestral practice. Proof, if any were needed, that agritourism and nature preservation know how to move forward together and in the same direction, that of the Lot. 

The reconquest of rural landscapes 

The event has several uses, which gives it meaning:

• Take sheep to graze on land threatened by overgrowth
• Fight the fire risk naturally
• Preserve the landscapes of the causses by protecting large spaces with horizons cleared by lawns (CAUE)
• Supporting Caussenarde sheep breeders, sharing the joys of their jobs, but also their difficulties
• Find out why Caussenarde sheep have black glasses around their eyes…. See Did you know
• And above all, find yourself in the middle of nature to walk or hike, each at your own pace, each according to your desire, among the inhabitants and the animals of the livestock. 

Walking with the sheep is original and gives meaning 

De 300 to 500 Caussenardes sheep take the little paths of the causses, between Rocamadour and Luzech, on the side of the Lot valley, during 5 days. A walk that makes sense, a roaming for disconnection, but also a good-natured hike, during which laughter rings out in tune with the sheep's bells. The whole group - walkers, breeders and sheep - walks with the desire to devour life or more simply, some a good Lotois snack and others very green bushes.  
 
You have the choice to follow this Transhumance during the 5 days or for just one day, the main thing is to have fun and we assure you of that. Children - and adults too - will be delighted to meet the sheep in their natural habitat. Here, the postcard is alive. It’s a return to basics. You will also be able to discover all the rich rural heritage along this route: dry stone walls, caselles, dovecotes, dolmens enhance this discovery. With transhumance, you have a summary of all the riches of the Lot: its vernacular heritage, its livestock, its preserved landscapes, the joviality of the inhabitants, who so love to share their love of their country and their professions. 

So join us for a beautiful experience by nature! Come to Transhumance, between Rocamadour and Luzech, on the edge of the Lot valley, from April 16 to 20, 2024. 
 

Meeting with Jean-Louis Issaly, President of the Transhumance en Quercy association 

You are at the initiative of the Transhumance Rocamadour-Luzech, how did you come up with this idea? 

“I was the first to propose the departure of the herd from Rocamadour using the most logical and simplest way, the pedestrian method. Until then we had always more or less tinkered to move the animals with livestock trucks and trailers. It was complicated! 
I therefore suggested to the associations and breeders involved in the creation of the herd to stop bothering us with stories about cattle trucks! Let's simply bring the animals together in Rocamadour, because, at that time, most of the breeders were near Rocamadour. Let's start from Rocamadour and then go on foot to Luzech! At the time, it was my idea that appeared iconoclastic. Some breeders even told me: but you're crazy! We'll never get there, the sheep won't make it!  The sheep have always walked and they will arrive in Luzech without problem. The breeders finally accepted the first time, without necessarily being reassured and above all to please me… 
Now Transhumance is an unmissable event. Today, if we were to stop, breeders would be frustrated and unhappy. »