Castles
Obviously, due to its history and the part played by the region over
the past 1,000 years, there are many castles, monuments and museums
to visit and admire. There are over fifty sites listed in `Le
Lot 2007 Practical Guide’ alone for the region.
Caves
A network of underground lakes and rivers has developed under the vast
limestone plateaus of the region into which water has seeped. This has
left the region with a surprising number of subterranean treasures that
are open to the public, wonderful magical places where the wonders of
nature can be seen first hand. Further to these magical places, the region has uncovered some of the
most important prehistoric caves in Europe, of which three sites out
of twenty three so far discovered are open to viewing by the public.
The caves contain wall drawings, paintings and engravings dating back
some 20,000 years.
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Leisure and Theme Parks
There are a number of medium size leisure parks in the area, mainly water
based amusements for all ages. These parks contain water slides, water
canon, water slopes, trampolines, swimming pools, picnic areas, children’s
play areas and crazy golf etc.
Theme parks include ‘Parc Malawi’,
3 hectares of woodland and more than 50 games for children and adults
on the theme of the Volkins mystery and legend, and ‘Cap Nature’,
a leisure park with a fun circuit through the treetops. |
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Wildlife / Animal Parks
There are three or four parks in the region worth visiting, everything
from horse retirement homes, ‘Reptileland’
(the biggest collection of reptiles
in France), ‘Rocher des Aigles’ containing over 100 birds of prey
and ‘Foret des Singes, a 24 hectare park containing some 130 monkeys
living in total freedom.
Tourist Trains
There are a number of tourist trains operating throughout the region, one of
which follows the Dordogne valley via the old railway which is cut out of the
cliff face.
Pleasure Boating
There is approximately 65 km of navigable waterway on the river Lot that flows
through a variety of landscapes, with picturesque views of castles and villages
winding between towering cliffs. Pleasure boating can be booked by guided tour
or by private boat hire by the hour or day.
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Festivals and Markets
The whole region comes alive with a variety of weekly markets in most towns and
villages and with an enviable programme of festivals throughout the year. In
the main tourist season you will be hard stretched not to find some form of festival
activity going on locally, everything from chamber and choral music, jazz, wine
festivals, operas and concerts, French song, open air cinemas and the visual
art to name a handful. |
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