Montvalent

Montvalent photo gallery

Location: On the D840, 10km south of Martel, 3km south of the bridge over the Dordogne at Gluges, in an imposing position overlooking the valley of the Dordogne.
Restaurants and shops: In summer in the village centre : a stall selling local produce - wine, bread, patés, fruit etc. Le Café de la Halle bar/restaurant. On the banks of the river: Le Vieux Chêne bar/restaurant. At 2km from the village on the D840 towards Gramat, open in summer: Le Petit Chalet : meals, snacks, drinks, dining area, terrace, playground.
In a nutshell: A tiny, quiet village built on a steep site with the remains of medieval fortifications. The main road passes through, but leaving the road on either side brings you to good paths on ancient tracks. Montvalent is the crossroads of the GR652, to Carennac and beyond, and the GR46 Saint Jacques de Compostelle route to Rocamadour from Martel and the north. The Padirac river emerges here at Saint Georges.

Montvalent web site

The village sits on what was a major route between Paris and Toulouse and a pilgrimage route to Rocamadour. From 1170 the village of Montvalent, like many others in the area, belonged to the viscounts of Turenne.

The church of St Christopher dates from the 12th century. It has a wooden sculpted altar piece and a fresco on the wall facing the tiny cemetery. You can stop in the little square at the foot of the old square guard tower which was part of the old fortifications. If you cross the main road and take the street up through the village past the cafe/bar (open in summer), on your left is the superb market hall, recently constructed.

Take the steep road down to the lower part of the village to discover the fountain of Lombard, the re-emergence of the Finou and, 600 metres to the north on the GR46, the fountain of Saint Georges where the water from the Gouffre de Padirac, 11km away, resurfaces.

	The market hall
	Divers at Saint-Georges
	Former guard tower
	Footpaths in the village : crossroads of the GR46 and the GR652
	The church of St Christopher
	Resident grocery shop
	An impressive skyline!