Malcolm Green Blog

Day 20, Tuesday 26 September

Sarlat-la-Canéda to Labastide-Murat

56k

Feeling: Good, after irritating start

Luckily I checked ahead with the B&B I’d booked for tonight as it turned out they decided not to open this week and cancelled my reservation. They claimed to have emailed me but I never received anything. So, our departure was delayed while I found an alternative. Now arrived at La Garissade hotel in Labastide-Murat, which seems very nice.

Big events today were crossing the Dordogne (see header photo) and chalking up 1000k since leaving Wimbledon.

In fact it was a great ride today. From Sarlat we took a voie verte along a disused railway track across the Dordogne and then marked velo routes on traffic-free lanes nearly all the way to our lunch stop at Gourdon. Found a great little cafe where we had the menu du jour: homemade vegetarian samosas, confit de canard, and creme brulee Catalan  – all for €13.

The ‘Catalan’ was the first sign of getting closer to the south. After lunch we cycled up the Céou valley. The landscape in the Lot was noticeably different from earlier in the day. Broad valleys with densely wooded sides, with small, empty villages albeit with huge churches.

Concorès church

Then, as we climbed higher, the valleys narrowed, there were more rocky outcrops, and we saw villages with fortified chateau

Fortified chateau at Vaillac

The last couple of kilometres up into Labastide-Murat were tough. The elevation is only about 450m (1473 ft) but it was hard work. We rewarded ourselves in the traditional way.