Day 4 • La Grotte du Pech Merle

Today's stage was an unusual one - a late start, a short distance, but filled with highlights.

The first highlight was our visit to La Grotte du Pech Merle - the cave of Pech Merle - a short 1 km climb from Cabrerets centre ville. We had reserved tickets for the first tour of the day, at 9.45. You can only visit the cave on a guided tour and bookings are recommended - particularly in summer months, as it is here now.

Last year was the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of the cave art in 1922 by three teenagers from Cabrerets who were caving in the area. Visitor groups are limited to 25 and the tour starts with a 15 minute introduction and explanation. Then it's time to 'go down' into the cave - for a 45 minute tour exploring the vast network of tunnels and extraordinary findings. The tour was excellent - and, although there was much to see and learn in addition to the cave art, we didn't feel at all rushed.

Our tour was in French but there was an English language brochure which was very helpful for me. There are a few English language tours but the first of these was too late for us. Although we hadn't far to walk today, the forecast was for a high of around 30 degrees, so we were keen to arrive in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie sooner rather than later. The cave is 'sur le chemin' - on the way. We were able to leave our backpacks and poles in the reception centre during our visit. Afterwards we had a coffee and a snack - and by 11.30 we were on our way.

The French and I loved this place. Highly recommended.

https://en.pechmerle.com/

PS. Photos not allowed inside - so I've included some from the world-wide-webamajig!Read more