The Surrounding Area

Laroque-Timbaut - 3 km - bustling little village with a bank, Post Office, an Huit à Huit (co-op), Tabac/bar, two bread/patisserie shops, butcher, pharmacy, a couple of hairdressers and two snack-restaurants. There is a 12th century “halle” and tiny medieval lanes accessed from under the clock tower. According to legend, a church and fountain in the nearby Vallon de St. Germain cured Roland’s army of a contagious disease on their way to Spain.

There is also a Tourist Office which has numerous leaflets on events around the area. Local market is on Thursdays. Don’t forget the very good restaurant opposite the church with local delicacies. It is used to tourists and can supply an English menu on request.

Musée du Foie Gras – 10 km – The only one in France! Every Thursday evening (during summer months) they cook duck on strings above a huge fire on the ground – served with chips – delicious!

Pont du Casse - 7 km – another small village with all the main services and a large supermarket.

Agen – 12 km (on the river Garonne) is a large town with many interesting things to do. It is known as the Prune capital and there is an annual festival held in September. Agen also boasts one of the finest provincial art museums in France. In the Middle Ages section there are tombstones and effigies and a 16th century tapestry. The Gallo-Roman section houses the Vénus du Mas, a 1st century Greek marble. In another room there is a Renaissance chimneypiece, devoted to hunting and warfare. Prehistoric finds are kept downstairs where Agen used to keep its criminals – in the dungeon. The art gallery section houses five Goyas.

On the outskirts of Agen there is the 23 arch aqueduct, the Pont Canal, built in 1839, which carries the Canal Latéral over the Garonne.

The TGV (fast train) stops here, mid-way between Bordeaux and Toulouse. This makes trips from Paris very fast – approximately 4 hours.

Marmande - 70 km – the Tomato capital! Festival in August.

Moissac – 40 km – is noted for its Romanesque Abbaye de St-Pierre, one of the crown jewels of medieval French sculpture, which is a Benedictine monastery founded in 506. The Cloisters contain 76 magnificent capitals (the head or cornice of a pillar or column) which date from the end of the 11th century and are the oldest in situ in France. They are carved with foliage inspired by Corinthian capitals, but with luxuriant virtuosity; others have birds and animals intricately intertwined. Unfortunately, there is little else to see as most of Moissac was destroyed in a great flood in 1930.

The Underground Caves of Fontirou and Lastournelle - 5km – Visits are around 40 minutes and accompanied by a guide. Temperature is a cool 14 degrees centigrade – stalactites, stalagmites and limestone tapestries of an incomparable richness. Easy access.

Cheese Farm – 7 km – visit the farm to see how cheese is made. See the cows, feed the donkeys and goats, but better still, taste the cheese (without additives).

Wine Domaine – local producer is just across the valley. You can taste his wine from this year and last, and the year before. Best know wines in this area are Buzet (just across the Garonne) and Duras (about 50 miles north east).

Recommended day trips are to the lovely villages of Beauville, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, (on the way visit Pujols), Montflanquin, and bastide towns like Montpazier and Lauzerte. Cahors is an excellent day trip with wonderful views over the Lot (St Cyr). A bit further away are the scenic villages of St Cirq La Popie and Rocamadour.