16 St-Antonin-Noble-Val This handsome town, sheltering under towering limestone cliffs, boasts a hoard of medieval houses from its glorious heyday.

TURENNE, 16km south of Brive, is the first of two very picturesque villages in the vicinity. In this case, slate-roofed, mellow stone houses crowd under the protective towers of a once-mighty fortress.

Shadowing the Dordogne to the south, the Lot flows through comparatively wild country where, even in high summer, it’s possible to find quiet corners. The departmental capital, Cahors, is home to France’s best surviving fortified medieval bridge,

The focal point of the Périgord Noir region is its capital, Sarlat-la-Canéda. Though this medieval town boasts no great monuments, Sarlat is not to be missed, with a warren of old lanes, hidden courtyards and fine architecture – the background for many a period drama – not to mention its excellent weekly markets.

CARENNAC is without doubt one of the most beautiful villages along this part of the Dordogne valley. It sits on a terrace above the river’s south bank 16km or so east of Martel; backtrack to Gluges and then head upstream on the D43 for the prettiest route in – as you approach from the west, you’ll get one of the best views of Carennac’s towers and

8 Monpazier One of the region’s best-preserved bastide towns, in the typical grid-style, with many buildings dating from the thirteenth century.

You’ll also find self-catering accommodation, much of it foreign-owned, on frenchconnections.co.uk and cheznous.co.uk; or try one of the agents listed in the Travel Shop section of the official French tourist office website, www.franceguide.com.

spectacular St-Cirq Lapopie, while the nearby Grotte de Pech-Merle, with its glittering rock formations and prehistoric cave art, draws almost as many visitors. Pech-Merle lies in the hills above the wild and pretty Célé valley, which leads northeast to lovely, medieval Figeac, the Lot’s second largest town.

The village of LA ROQUE-GAGEAC, on the Dordogne’s north bank 5km east of Beynac, is almost too perfect, its ochre-coloured houses overlooking the lazy-flowing river and sheltering under dramatically overhanging rust-coloured cliffs. Regular winner of France’s prettiest village contest, it inevitably pulls in masses of tourist buses, and since the