Figeac - An afternoon stroll

Figeac is a substantial medieval town on the River Célé in the Lot department of the Midi-Pyrenees. There is an extensive historical centre - old town - dating in part as far back as the 9th century, and the town still has many houses and small palaces dating from the 13th - 16th centuries, when it was an important trade centre.

The French and I arrived around 3.30 this afternoon. Our first stop was our accommodation - Gite Le Maquis, well located in the old town. It’s a small gite communale (meaning owned by the town) in an old building, but modern and clean inside, with 3 shared rooms and 2 shared bathrooms. Gites in France tend to have fewer beds overall and fewer per room than the equivalent albergues municipale in Spain. This one accommodates 10 people in the 3 shared rooms rooms but we were given the room with just 2 beds. And there is no-one in the other dortoir (dormitory) on our floor so we have our own bathroom as well. 😎

The old town is charming - a renowned art and history centre - the sort of place you could easily spend two or three days exploring. But, on this trip, we only have this afternoon and evening, so we were keen to make the most of the long hours of daylight to stroll around. What a fascinating town even when, like us, you barely scratch the surface. My free Find Penguins account allows me 10 photos per ‘footprint’ so I will post a few extra footprints in honour of Figeac.

Tomorrow we will be walking to Espagnac. At around 27 kms, it’s the longest stage we’ll walk over the next 5 days, but also the easiest in terms of terrain.

In the meantime - an eclectic selection from Figeac.Read more