Camping Les Cigales

Before pottering to parts of the area that are popular with pilgrims, tick a few spots closer to base off your bucket list. Visit the treetop-swinging macaques in Monkey Forest for starters (five minutes' walk/a couple of minutes’ drive away), then flit over to see the swooping eagles at the Rocher des Aigles bird park (five minutes). Next on the agenda is the clifftop village of Rocamadour and its series of Cité Réligieuse buildings (20 minutes’ walk). Pay your respects to the Black Madonna statue in the Chapelle Notre-Dame, following up with a roam up the ramparts of the 14th-century château for views over the whole area. Sneak a look at some of the older historical sights in the region too, like the Grotte des Merveilles cave (10 minutes’ walk) and its 20,000-year-old art. More subterranean explores are to be had at the Lacave and Padirac caverns (15 minutes’ drive) if you fancy heading a bit further afield.