Around Prudhomat, Lot
Things to do in the Dordogne Valley
Love nature and culture? Within about 25 km of the château there are countless things to do and see, and nine places nearby even feature on the list of France’s most beautiful villages.
Lunch the French way: ask for the plat du jour or the formule du midi. It is often fresh, seasonal and good value. Note that in the villages the kitchen usually closes for lunch around 2pm.
Pick a place and jump straight to it.
Martel, 25 km away
Medieval market town with a vintage steam train.
Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, 11 km away
On the banks of the Dordogne, with an abbey church.
Curemonte, 23 km away
Old lanes and castles, lovely for walking.
Rocamadour, 27 km away
Sacred pilgrimage site, built into the cliff face.
Souillac, 38 km away
Domed abbey church, with the Grottes de Lacave nearby.
Autoire, 6 km away
Walk to the waterfall, the Cascade d’Autoire.
Loubressac, 6 km away
You can see the fortified village from our château.
Turenne, 31 km away
Castle ruins atop a steep hill.
Collonges-la-Rouge, 30 km away
A village built almost entirely from red sandstone.
Carennac, 8 km away
Castle, church, cloister and views over the Dordogne.
Bretenoux and Saint-Céré
Bastide town and little Venice, 2 and 8 km away.
Padirac and Presque
A cave with an underground river 12 km away, and the Grottes de Presque nearby at 8 km.
Cycling, walking and canoeing
Rivers just 2 km away, and cycle routes from the château.
Martel (25 km)
Martel, 25 km away, is a medieval market town with little shops and pavement cafés. There’s a reptile park, and a vintage steam train takes you to Saint-Denis-lès-Martel. Farmers’ markets and antiques markets are held regularly.
Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (11 km)
On the banks of the Dordogne, 11 km away, lies Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne: the name says it all. The town has several restaurants and an abbey church you can visit.
Curemonte (23 km)
Curemonte, 23 km away, is a place of old lanes, buildings and castles: enough for a lovely afternoon’s wandering. On a clear day the village has views across the surrounding countryside, and it’s good walking country too.
Rocamadour (27 km)
Above the Alzou gorge, 27 km from our château, lies Rocamadour: a sacred place of pilgrimage built into the limestone cliff. The village is famous for its shrine of the Black Madonna and draws large numbers of visitors every year. After Mont Saint-Michel, it’s the most visited place in France.
Souillac (38 km) and the Grottes de Lacave (30 km)
Souillac lies 38 km away, on the Dordogne. The town owes its nickname, “town of the seven viaducts”, to the railway bridges in the area, including the nineteenth-century Viaduc de la Borrèze. At its heart is the abbey church of Sainte-Marie, whose domed roofs recall a smaller version of Périgueux Cathedral. On Friday mornings the centre around the Halle fills up with the weekly market. You can canoe on the river or go cycling, and sample the local plum brandy. If you have children, Quercyland, the water park just outside the centre, is well worth a visit.
Close to Souillac, 30 km from the château, are the Grottes de Lacave: a cave of stalactites and stalagmites, with a little electric train that takes you into the hillside and a chamber full of fluorescent formations. Souillac and Lacave combine easily in a single trip, often with a stop at Martel on the way back.
Autoire (6 km)
Autoire, 6 km away, lies in a valley that climbs up to the Causse de Gramat plateau. From the village you can walk to the waterfall, the Cascade d’Autoire.
Loubressac (6 km)
You can also see Loubressac (6 km) from our château: a fortified village with a castle on the edge of the Causse de Gramat plateau. It has a few lovely little restaurants.
Turenne (31 km)
Turenne sits high on a steep hill, 31 km away. The village has a church and, right at the top, the ruins of a castle. This was once home to Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, grandson of William I of Orange.
Collonges-la-Rouge (30 km)
Collonges-la-Rouge is 30 km away. Almost every building in the village is made of red sandstone, which gives it a medieval feel.
Carennac (8 km)
Carennac, 8 km away, is a postcard-pretty village high above the Dordogne on the edge of the Haut-Quercy. It has a castle, a church, a cloister, picturesque lanes and a wonderful view over the river. Château de Montal is also close by, at 8 km: you can play golf there or visit the château.
Gilles del Bosc, the monk who built our château around 1450, was dean of the priory here.
Bretenoux (2 km) and Saint-Céré (8 km)
Bretenoux, 2 km away, is an old bastide town with shops and pavement cafés. Saint-Céré, 8 km away, is also known as “little Venice”: in the 17th century the Dutch engineer Van Dome had small canals dug there to prevent flooding.
Gouffre de Padirac (12 km) and Grottes de Presque (8 km)
The Gouffre de Padirac, 12 km away, is an enormous cave carved deep underground by running water. You take a small boat along an underground river. At 8 km, close to Autoire, are the Grottes de Presque, another cave well worth a visit.
Cycling, walking and canoeing
Within walking distance of our château are Castelnau-Bretenoux castle, the Collégiale St Louis and the villages of St Martin du Bois, Prudhomat and Felines.
As we’re on the edge of the Dordogne valley, there are flat rides along the river from here. The château itself sits a little higher up, so you start with a short, steep descent and finish with a climb back up. Keener cyclists can also head from the château up onto the more rugged Causse de Gramat, with the odd climb here and there.
The Dordogne and Cère rivers flow less than 2 km from the château. You can go fishing there, or take an exciting canoe trip.
Fancy exploring it all?
Choose one of our stays as your base, and discover the area from Boscau.