Cele detour again

[scruffy1]

I am such an insatiable pilgrim I should be ashamed! Still debating the Célé valley detour-it appears to be marvelous though sternuous adventure, a quieter strech of an already quiet Chemin, however one misses both Carjac and a chance at seeing the Sunday market at Limogne-en-Quercy. Is it possible to combine? Has anyone tried to cut back to Carjac from say Saint-Cirq-Lapopie to Carjac on to Limogne-en-Quercy back to SCL for the Célé river entrance to Cahors? I know, I know, one should never turn your back on Santiago but in this decade of my life who knows if I will make it baclk again. Perhaps to complete the Célé river then take a bus back to Carjac? I suppose I will just allow the weather to decide for me when in situ but would like to hear other opinions. Margaret are you there?
Scruffy

 

[julie]

The route out of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie meets up with the GR65 and you could very easily back-track from there to Limogne-en-Quercy. It would be a bit more of an issue to go back as far as Cajarc, however, according to the internet it is only 14km from Saint-Cirq to Cajarc so perhaps it's possible to walk cross-country or take a taxi.

It is definitely worthwhile walking through the Valley and I would rate it much higher than the chemin via Cajarc because of its beauty and its diversity. There is the limestone causse, the abbey ruins in Marcilhac, houses built into the rock, the Pech Merle caves with their prehistoric cave paintings as well as Saint-Cirq-Lapopie which last year was voted the most beautiful village in France.

A word of warning - you must book the gite in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie at least one day in advance as there is no one on duty when you arrive. They take bookings and give you a number, you pick up the appropriate key when you arrive.

If you're in Limogne on market day and want to linger, it's an easy walk and only about 17km to the convent in Vaylats. It's a little off the GR but you don't need to back-track as there is a marked route to rejoin the GR. It is about 25km from Vaylats to Cahors.

By the way, if you have any spare days, Rocamadour is only a short train trip (just over half an hour, station is called Roc Amadour Padirac) from Figeac and is definitely worth a visit. The village is about 5km from the station which adds to the journey time. It is possible to do it in one day but even better would be to stay there overnight and head back to Figeac the next morning.