History
The area is steeped in history being part of the battlefield of the Hundred Years War. Many of the castles, villages and towns were built by the English (a large part of the area became British owned in the 13th Century on the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitane to Henry II). The mediaeval new towns are known as Bastide towns and have remained largely unchanged. They are often in stunning hilltop locations built around arcaded market places – some of the more beautiful being Monpazier, Monflanquin, Tournon d’Agenais, Beauville, Puymirol and Lauzerte.
When today’s French departments were introduced in the 1790s large parts of the former royal province of Quercy were assumed into the Lot department. The name Quercy is still fondly used to refer to this deeply rural corner of France – “a land that time forgot”.
Geography
The terrain is a mixture of rolling hills, wide valleys, small farms, and pretty market villages. Visiting the Quercy Blanc and the Lot valley, where there are few main roads and almost no traffic, takes you back to a rural England of some 50 years ago yet with all things French that so many of us dream of. Lying to the south of the Dordogne and between the Auvergne and the Périgord the Lot is one of France's most appealing regions. It has wide, gentle valleys and fertile plains, but, above all, it is a land of the Causses whose rocky limestone plateaux cover two-thirds of the department.
In places, the River Lot, which ranks alongside the Dordogne for its beauty, has cut deep paths through the Causses twisting in a series of tortuous loops and leaving strips of green through the white wilderness. Tucked away between vineyards, sunflower fields and walnut groves, the villages of the Lot are among the finest and most picturesque of France.
Cahors, often referred to as one of the most beautiful cities in France, was the chief town of the old province of Quercy and is now the modern capital of the Lot department.
An unusual feature, often commented on, are the low light pollution levels which give the area wonderfully clear skies at night – a star gazer’s paradise.
Climate
The area enjoys a temperate climate with mild winters, long mostly sunny spring and autumn seasons and summers are pleasantly warm - though be warned, it can be very hot. 25 to 30 degrees or more are typical summer temperatures, with occasional Saharan bursts of 40 degrees. (And, although drier than the Dordogne, there are magnificent and exciting thunderstorms, which clear the air after any prolonged period of humidity).
For the most part, the air is clear and the evenings pleasantly warm and there is often a gentle breeze to counteract the warmth of the sun. Swimming pools should comfortably reach 25/30 degrees in normal sunshine – though the addition of a pool heater can extend the swimming season from late April till October.
Food and drink
The area offers some of the most reasonably priced restaurants to be found in France – you can still find a 4 course meal with wine for 14 Euros! The cooking can be simple fare typical of the farming communities of the South West, fresh from the many local markets. At the other end of the scale, there are a number of top-class restaurants for that special occasion.
And don’t forget the local wines and vineyards – Duras/Bergerac, Buzet, and Cahors (a fine and complex dark red wine much appreciated by the French since mediaeval times) – visit the Chateaux and taste them before you buy.