Camping La Tuque

Soak up a bit of regional culture and taste regional produce on a visit to the Friday morning market at Prayssac (15 minutes’ drive). There’s also a popular Sunday market at Montcuq (20 minutes), and lively night markets at Château d’Aix (15 minutes, Wednesday) and Montcabrier (25 minutes, Friday). If you feel like sampling a local vintage or two, there are tours and tastings at vineyards like Château de Chambert (15 minutes). Another handsome castle is found at Château de Bonaguil (35 minutes), an austere 13th-century edifice where you can walk the ramparts while the kids play at being knights and princesses. To step further back in time, make for the Grotte Préhistorique des Merveilles (about an hour), where prehistoric paintings can be seen on the cave walls. Family days out can also include rope courses and outdoor fun for all ages at Cape Nature Recreation Park (35 minutes), and leisurely boat cruises down the River Lot from Puy-l’Évêque (15 minutes), a gorgeous town with half-timbered houses topped by a château. Slightly further afield is the Parc Animalier de Gramat (an hour and 15 minutes), where brown bears and bison live a semi-feral existence.