The Area: A Walk Back in Time

Pilgrims au Pain

Begin your adventure in the Lot River Valley, where you will be met at the Cahors train station and transported to your home in St. Cirq Lapopie for the next seven days and six nights. Your first view of the village will take your breath away. The visual spectacle will make you believe you have walked back in time. Explore the winding streets of the village. Visit artists’ studios, foie gras shops, fashion and housewares boutiques. Stop for café au lait at one of the many restaurants in the village while you gaze upon the magical, medieval views of a village nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

You are a Pilgrim on a path that involves learning to bake bread and connecting to the special community of St Cirq Lapopie. Interestingly, the village of St Cirq Lapopie is on the Chemin de St Jacques (also known as the Camino or Compestello de Santiago). This trail is like the tributaries of a river as it travels from many places in France to the destination its final destination at the tomb of St James. St Cirq is specifically on the Chemin de Puy trail. Pilgrims have walked the sacred path for more than a millennia. The symbol for their status as a pilgrim is the cockle shell. You will often see one attached to their backpacks or on the ground or posts along the way to mark the actual trail. Watch for it to beckon you on your own journey.