The Area 

Les Junies – Our small local village has the remarkable church of St Madeleine, with stained glass windows from a 14^th C Dominican Monastery.  About 1km down the road you will find La Masse, where you can collect your own spring water from the centre of the village. 

Prayssac – A small and particularly lively little town in the heart of the vineyard.  Pryassac has all the amenities associated with a small town.  Two supermarkets, banks, several restaurants, shops, a tourist office and several markets.  The main food market is held on Friday mornings, with local farmers markets held on Sunday mornings throughout the summer. 

There are many other events in the summer months, including antique markets, musical evening, craft fairs and of course the annual Wine Festival (Fete du Vin).

For dates of all of these activities and more you should contact the local tourist office on 05 65 22 40 57.  The office is situated in the square in Prayssac and is English speaking; there are also many brochures in English to help you find out what is going on.

Cahors - The local large town, with shopping and  large supermarkets etc is set on the banks of the River Lot and overlooked by Rocky Hills.  As a tourist center, the former capital of Quercy is an excellent starting point for tours of the Cele and Lot Valleys.  Cahors is about 25 minutes by car from the house.

St Cirq Lapopie - A wonderful medieval village on the edge of the Lot set in the local national park.  It is a major tourist attraction and is approx 30km from Cahors, or about a 45 minute picturesque drive.

Chateau de Bonaguil - This 12th Century castle was designed by Berenger de Roquefeuil to scare off his enemies.  This magnificant castle is well off the beaten track and is open all year round.  Approx 20km from Prayssac, 20 minute drive.

There are so many areas of interest to visit that I have just listed the main ones below. More info can be obtained from the following web sites:

www.tourisme-lot.com/us/

www.tourism.midi-pyrenees.org

 River and Lakes

 The closest access to the river Lot is at Castelfranc, swimming is allowed and there is a picnic area and shingle beach.  There are also lakes at Cahors, Catus (the closest – 5km) and Cazals.  All have swimming, fishing, games areas, pedalos etc,

   Lake at Catus                        The Shingle beach at CastleFranc

Restaurants

There are plenty of good quality and at the same time good value restaurants in the area. The map below shows a wide selection and there are more below that are well worth a visit.

De la Terrasse, 46700 Grezels, 05 65 21 34 03

Ma Chaumiere, 46220 Prayssac, 05 65 22 40 52

La table de Venus, 46220 Prayssac, 05 6522 47 10

Markets

Cahors – Wednesday & Saturday Mornings

Catus – Tuesday Morning

Cazals – Sunday Morning

Prayssac – Friday Morning – more in the summer months

Puy-l’Eveque – Tuesday and Saturday Mornings