|
East of Padirac and about 9km from Bretenoux on the River Bave, a minor tributary of the Dordogne, you come to the medieval town of ST-CERE , dominated by the brooding ruins of the Chateau de St-Laurent-les-Tours and full of ancient houses crowding around place du Mercadial. The two powerful keeps of St-Laurent, partially rebuilt, date from the twelfth and fifteenth centuries and were part of a fortress belonging to the Turennes. In wartime, the artist Jean Lurcat operated a secret Resistance radio post here; after the war he turned it into a studio, and it's now a marvellous museum of his work, mainly his huge tapestries but also sketches, paintings and pottery (mid-July to Sept daily 9.30am-noon & 2.30-6.30pm; also two weeks at Easter; tel 05.65.38.28.21; 15F/?2.29). The site is spectacular at over 200m altitude, with stunning views all round. St-Cere has one very reasonable place to stay : Hotel Victor Hugo , 7 av des Maquis, by the river (tel 05.65.38.16.15, fax 05.65.38.39.91, www.hotel-victor-hugo.fr ; 220-300F/?34-46; closed two weeks in March & three weeks in Oct; restaurant from 88F/?13.42, closed Mon). Otherwise, there's the Le Soulhol riverside campsite (tel 05.65.38.12.37; closed Oct-March) nearby. Bikes can be rented from Peugeot Cycles, 45 rue Faidherbe (tel 05.65.38.03.23) - one of the best trips you could pedal is to the hugely pretty little village of AUTOURE , in a tight side valley, about 10km to the west of St-Cere. Much hillier but glorious country lies to the east along the road to Aurillac via Sousceyrac and Laroquebrou.
Your Tip for St-Cere
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to St-Cere - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to St-Cere - visit the main St-Cere forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the St-Cere webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
