 |
GR®81 Amadour WayFrom Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde) to Rocamadour (Lot) |
|
Starting from Soulac-sur-Mer, the Amadour Way begins through the Médoc vineyards, passing through Saint-Estèphe before reaching Bordeaux. The trail then ventures into the Entre-deux-Mers region, where the bastides of Créon, Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, and Monségur bear witness to a rich medieval defensive past. Entering Lot-et-Garonne and then Dordogne, the landscape transforms into valleys and orchards around Duras and the medieval town of Issigeac, followed by the Abbey of Saint-Avit-Sénieur and the cloister of Buisson-de-Cadouin, before descending into the Dordogne Valley. Between Belvès and Cénac-et-Saint-Julien, hikers walk alongside limestone cliffs and the golden stone villages typical of the Périgord Noir. The path crosses Quercy and the dense forests of Lot to Souillac and its Sainte-Marie abbey. The journey finally ends with an ascent to the sanctuary of Rocamadour, clinging to its cliffside above the Alzou river.
The Médoc Regional Natural Park, located between the estuary and the ocean, offers a unique landscape of moors, marshes, and prestigious vineyards where history is written in its wine "châteaux" and secular lighthouses. At its gates, Bordeaux reveals an exceptional classical heritage with its 18th-century facades lining the Garonne. Crossing the river, Entre-deux-Mers offers a more intimate hilly setting, dotted with medieval bastides and Romanesque abbeys like La Sauve-Majeure, nestled in the heart of generous nature. Further east, the Périgord Noir stands as the cradle of humanity, famous for its prehistoric sites and deep-cut valleys. Here, the golden stone of the charming villages, such as Sarlat, contrasts with the dark green of the holm oak forests that gave the region its name. The landscape is marked by limestone cliffs overlooking the Dordogne, dotted with medieval fortresses and hanging gardens. This territory is a sanctuary of biodiversity where wild rivers meander between walnut groves and ancestral truffle fields. From the Gironde coastline to the painted caves of the Vézère Valley, this journey traverses millennia of human history.
