Hiking and cycling; the perfect way to get to know the region
Walking/Hiking:
The beautiful, sloping landscape of the Lot-et-Garonne and the more rough landscape of the Dordogne is perfect for hiking. There are many walks, very well signposted, from a few kilometres/miles to more than 20 kilometres (13 miles). The walks varie a lot; you will walk on sandpaths, through fields, through forests, through vineyards, every now and then on a tarmac road, through villages and past monuments. In all cases you will enjoy the quieteness and silence and the beautiful nature.
Our house Les Bourdeaux is situated on one of the trails around Monflanquin, so you can start your first walk "at home". It is very easy to get to the starting point of the other walks by car. We have copies of walks around Monflanquin, Villeréal, Castillonès, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Fumel, Penne d'Agenais, Tournon d'Agenais and Blanquefort-sur-Briolance, all within 25 kilometres of Les Bourdeaux. Furthermore, we have a booklet with 18 walks in the Lot-et-Garonne and a booklet with 41 walks in the Dordogne. Quite a few of the walks, we have done ourselves.
For all the walks we advise a reasonable physical condition and proper walking boots, but don't worry, it's no mountain climbing. The walks are divided into "very easy", "easy", "average" and "difficult", so you decide for yourself, how difficult you want to make it.
If you don't like to walk on your own, it is possible to walk with a regional guide. We know a Dutch (English speaking) guide who walks a few times a week, does guided walks and has a lot of experience. In principal she does a guided walk on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday but in consultation with her a lot of things are possible to make your walking holiday a very pleasant one. The guide always takes her dog with her. She asks a small contribution of 3 Euro per person, per walk.
When ? April, May, June, September and October are the best months for walking; not too hot and nature is beautiful.
If, after a relaxed breakfast, you are ready to leave, we can provide you with food and drinks for lunch (please let us know in advance).
You can find examples of trails on:
Villeneuve-sur-Lot (Bouger Nature - Véloroute -randonnée)
Cycling:
If you prefer cycling, there are many possibilities to make cycling-tours in the neighbourhood of Monflanquin.
In Monflanquin you can hire VTC's (Vélos Touts Chemins); with those bikes you have to stay on the tarmac roads. In the village of Cancon, 12 km west of Monflanquin, you can hire VTT's (Vélos Touts Terrains - All Terrain Bikes). Prices are around 10 euro per day, per bike; normally they also ask for a refundable deposit.
North and north-west of Monflanquin you can find 5 routes varieing from 52 kilometres/35 miles till 102 kilometres/68 miles. On the site www.lot-et-garonne.fr (click on "loisirs et randonnées" and then on "Cyclotourisme") you will find those 5 routes.
We advise you to make reservations for the bikes; if you are interested to hire bikes, please let us know in time, so we can make the reservation for you.