Le Puy Camino: Montcuq to Lauzerte

April 24, 2023

Oddly, when reviewing my journal notes for our walk this day, I had written that it was a rainy day! But, when I processed the pictures for this post, the sky seemed mostly sun and clouds. Photographs don’t lie so perhaps the very beginning of the day started with rain! Who knows!

Today’s walk to the medieval hill town of Lauzerte would be around 16 kilometers in distance. The terrain alternated between gravel back roads, dirt roads through agricultural land and dirt trails. It was a pleasant walk with nice moderate temperatures – and no rain despite my journal declaration!

As we walked deeper into the Spring season, more flowers started to show up along the Way.

We enjoyed some sweeping views across the landscape of rolling hills.

Just before entering the small hamlet of Rouillac, there was a very picturesque pond with a small structure on the shoreline.

And, it came complete with a few requisite grazing sheep to complete the picture!

In Rouillac, we took a break and visited the local church – the Église Saint-Pierre de Rouillac. It has a beautiful stone facade – very simple in design – and an interior to match.

We continued on with the walk into the countryside and passed by a small farm stand with goodies for pilgrims.

We eventually came to a spot where the GR65 veers off onto more of a dirt path. There was an informational sign posted here that showed a map of the GR65 as it traverses this region.

Another interpretive sign describes the area we are currently walking through – Le Pay de Serres. The sign indicates that this area is a limestone plateau “cut by parallel, very symmetrical valleys.” Crops of the region include orchards, sunflowers, grape vines and melons. It would be cool to be walking through here when the fields of sunflowers are blooming! The architecture of the region is simple with large stone “block houses” with tile roofs.

Lauzerte is an amazing medieval city that sits atop a hill with a commanding view of the countryside. The name is thought to derive from the Latin word – Lucerna – or lamp. It is thought to be a guiding “light” at the top of the hill. It was a tough, steep uphill climb into the city at the end of the day!

In 1990, Lauzerte was awarded “The Most Beautiful Villages in France” designation. This honor is shared by about 155 villages throughout France. Another village we will be walking through in a couple of days, Auvillar, also holds this distinction.

Lauzerte was an absolute delight to explore with its many unique architectural and artist details. But first, I visited our Gîte L’Abeille Lulu to get settled in and drop my backpack. The lodging is named after the father of our host, Nicole, who was a beekeeper. It was a small place tucked into a hillside and accommodates only up to 9 pilgrims. It was a sweet, comfortable spot. Our host provides tea and snacks upon arrival and breakfast for a fee. We are on our own for dinner out or can make use of the small kitchen.

Where do I begin to describe Lauzerte? I will let my photographs with comments be the avenue for a tour of this special city. I started off by following the GR65 markers to guide me to the village center from our lodging.

My first priority was to visit the Jardin du Pèlerin. This garden is dedicated to all the pilgrims who travel through the town and is a very interesting design. I read that it is laid out in the form of a board game and pilgrims can get a guide that allows them to move through the garden and recounts the pilgrim life. The sign below has a description in English of the above in more detail. I did not have this guide but just enjoyed wandering around the landscaped gardens.

After wandering through the multi-level garden, I headed to the center of town and the Place des Cornières. Considered the community gathering place of the “bastide” back in the day, it is a nice small square with a couple of restaurants and shops. I happily planted myself at on outdoor table and enjoyed a cold glass of beer!

The Eglise Saint-Barthélemy is located in one corner of the plaza and I briefly walked inside to take a look around.

As I wandered around town, I noticed a few interesting characters perched high up on some of the buildings and also wrought iron signs for pubs and public places. Sylvain Soligon, an ironsmith artist, created many of these signs around town and his son and other artists carry on the tradition with new ones.

Street scenes along my tour of the town:

We had dinner at a restaurant near our lodging called AUX SARRAZINES DU FAUBOURG. It was Monday and many restaurants and other establishments close on Mondays but this restaurant was open for lunch until 2pm and re-opened for dinner starting at 7pm. The odd memory I have about the restaurant was that they had lost electricity (which we were told is common) and so they could only offer us a limited fare. We enjoyed an omelet and a salad for dinner – which was delicious and just about perfect since eggs are not a traditional breakfast food in France.

Lauzerte was one of my favorite towns along the Camino in France – so whimsical and fanciful!