The Lot Valley cycle route

Signposted route from 160 km, the Lot Valley Cycle Route connects Cahors (Lot) to Aiguillon (Lot-et-Garonne), following the Lot river through vineyards, orchards and preserved landscapes. For lovers of cycling or cycling, the Véloroute - Vallée du Lot (V86) is the ideal way to discover the city of art and history of Cahors and its vineyards, medieval villages, fortified towns and characteristic landscapes shaped by the river.

The Véloroute map is available in downloadable version or in hard copy at our tourist information offices. Mainly using low-traffic roads, the cycle route is designed to provide maximum comfort to cyclists. Be careful though, because this is a route shared with cars. Stay vigilant and obey the highway code!

Among the emblematic places, Cahors of course. Seat of the Bishops, spectacular with its 12th century cathedral, punctuating the Way of Santiago de Compostela and as such giving it the label of UNESCO World Heritage. Majestic also with the Pont Valentré, a remarkable bridge in France. And then all those medieval and ancient gems, so beautifully preserved.

Cahors and the Valentré Bridge

Village perched above the Lot, Albas is part of the castra acquired by the bishop of Cahors in the 13th century, in its conquest of the Lot valley.

At the top of the rocky outcrop, the remains of the episcopal castle (current town hall) and the imposing 19th century neo-Romanesque church rub shoulders. The village then extends to the edges of the D8, marking the limits of the medieval town.

Along rue de la Carrière, winegrowers' houses with cellars, characteristic of Quercy rural architecture, have been preserved. The street extends to the banks of the river, location of the old trading port.

Built on a rocky outcrop, the medieval city can be discovered both on foot thanks to the signposted route, and from the river aboard the barge. Its medieval houses in ocher stone rub shoulders with more recent developments, such as the hanging gardens. On leaving the city, let yourself be surprised by the know-how of the Virebent porcelain factory, a living heritage company.

Puy l'Évêque and the vineyard

Villeneuve is a bastide founded on both banks of the Lot between 1251 and 1264.

Among the largest and most powerful bastides in the South-West, Villeneuve-sur-Lot displays a rich heritage:

• the tall red brick towers of Pujols and Paris (XNUMXth century),
• the Cieutat Bridge,
• the Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont Chapel,
• the hall (Baltard architecture of the XNUMXth century),
• Saint Catherine's Church,
• the Moulin de Gajac and the Eysses site.

You also come here to laugh, during the festival of the same name in July.

The village of Le Temple-sur-Lot developed around the Templar commandery built around 1280. After the dissolution of the order and the Hundred Years War, the building was taken over by the Hospitallers.

On the banks of the Lot, Castelmoron flourishes in a rich agricultural plain known for its prune trees. The bastide was born in the XNUMXth century to become, after many Franco-English conflicts, an important city in the XNUMXth century. Its irregular plan adapts to geographical conditions (rivers, relief) and encompasses a small old center and numerous squares. The quality of the building is heterogeneous, with certain districts such as Place Jules Calas offering beautiful facades combining half-timbering and mixed and decorative stone and brickwork.

Aiguillon is a XNUMXth century French bastide built above the plain of the Garonne. You can discover a medieval quarter with its half-timbered houses, but above all an imposing ducal castle, built in the XNUMXth century by an exiled duke... and which lets you guess the splendor of its glorious era. Don't miss the walk from the center of Aiguillon, which will take you to the emblematic place where the Lot river and the Garonne river meet.

From Aiguillon, you can reach the Canal des deux mers by bike then one of the European cycle routes like the Velodyssey (EuroVelo1) to the West or the Mediterranean Route (EuroVelo 8) to the East.