Bouzies to Figeac

October 12, 2022

Along the Cele river

This morning, the members of this cycle blaze group were not in a hurry to leave as it meant saying goodbye. Susan and the Andersons were heading to Cahors and we were cycling the opposite direction, to Figeac. We drew it out as long as possible posing for pictures, checking out each other's bikes and taking a last video of the group cycling over Bouzies' old suspension bridge and along the Lot river. We truly enjoyed these past three days: the energy of the group, the enthusiasm of fellow cyclists, and, of course, the plethora of practical tips on where to go, how to make better use of the GPS, etc. We are already looking forward to the next encounter.

We turned away from the Lot to take the lightly travelled D41 along the Cele river to Figeac. The road and river are wedged between dramatic yellow and white limestone cliffs. Villages seem to be perched on narrow outcrops of stone on what land there is and often houses appear as if half swallowed by the stone as they clung to the cliffs. Many of the older buildings are abandoned, which make character photos, but we were glad to see that perhaps even more have been lovingly restored and are homes for people who want to live in such a beautiful, remote and quiet area.

Eventually, the river valley opened up to bucolic farms and pasture land. The elevation gain was minimal, the day was warm and sunny, and the scenery, absolutely stunning.

We had a picnic lunch at the park in Marcilhac, having squeaked into the village's boulangerie just before closing time to pick up a baguette, lentil salad and a fancy pastry filled with chocolate and butter cream. The perfect spot, delicious lunch and incredible route along the Cele was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.

Dwellings new and old built into the cliff side along the lower part of the Cele river

These old buildings seem to have melted into the cliff side, even the roof line has taken the contour.

Ideal picnic spot in Marcilhac-sur-Cele.

Church we could see from our picnic table.

Ann popping up on the bridge while Steve is checking out the Cele River at Espagnac.

Figeac in the distance. Will we get there before it rains? Yes we did.

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Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 1,066 km (662 miles)

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Kathleen ClassenYour pictures make me long for France but I have become a bit addicted to the Spanish/Portuguese weather!
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