Camping de La Plage

Cahors (35 minutes’ drive) is known for its vineyards; you can sample (and buy) the local offerings at a number of nearby wineries. Cross the river Lot by walking on the stone Valentré Bridge, which dates from the 1300s, then visit the Romanesque Cathédrale Saint-Etienne, with its two vast domes, one of them decorated with frescoes. The hilltop village of Rocamadour (one hour and 10 minutes), in the Dordogne Valley, clings to steep rocks on the river L’Alzou. It’s a popular pilgrimage site thanks to its location on the Way of St James, and splendid religious buildings include the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame, home to a Black Madonna statue. In the northern reaches of Causses du Quercy Natural Regional Park, Gouffre de Padirac (one hour and 15 minutes) is a vast, deep cave with an underground river (that you can sail on) that leads to two subterranean lakes surrounded by natural rock formations.