St Guillhem le Desert

After leaving Avignon we drove on to St Guillhem le Desert. It's a tiny but popular spot built on a narrow stretch of land along a beautiful long gorge with a clear slow flowing river.  Parking is extremely limited and after two drives through, we were determined not to miss yet another visit due to parking, so located just enough space to get the car off the road and walked 20 minutes back into the town. Like so many places, this is old, charming with something extra, maybe that it climbs a small route up the cliff, with tiny lanes. We were overdue for lunch, and selected a small shop where the wife knitted and crocheted selling her wares along with other local novelties, while her husband cooked. Their tiny space could only accommodate 2 tables, but the other occupants enthusiastically confirmed the food was good, with veges and produce all grown locally and cooked fresh. We were impressed with the simple yet tasty food, it's amazing how good goats cheese on bruschetta can be when warmed, drizzled with honey and nuts ... And the glass of red Heather had was just divine. 

From here we drove on to La Vacquerie Et St Martin de Castries where we stayed with a very hospitable retired Frenchman who ran a bnb. His home was setup to accommodate 3 family rooms but we were the only guests that night, and as we hadn't had dinner, he supplied us with tea, bread and cheese along with his homemade ginger bread.

On our hosts recommendation, we drove to view the Cirque de Navacelle. This geographical point of interest can be viewed from above, and it's easy to see the road which snakes down around the perimeter to the basin below. From here we detoured for gas and a few supplies and then went on to our next stop just outside of Figeac - in the Lot valley in a fabulous stone farmhouse.