Mercues, a village and commune in the valley of the River Lot (Occitanie region), was the former stronghold of the Count Bishops of Cahors.
Access
The commune is within reach of both Bordeaux and Toulouse with its airport and rail connections. Cahors is only a few kilometers away.
Activities
This is a rich and beautiful region to explore with river gorges, fields of sunflowers, vineyards and all the rest, but you are also within reach of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenean Mountains with their ski slopes and mountain villages.
As you might expect there is plenty of sporting activity and the tourist centre in Cahors will be able to give you all the information you need on just about any sport you can think of. Horse riding can be as individual or as organized as you want – investigate the ‘Lords of the Vineyard’ tour where you ride and your luggage arrives ahead of you in pleasant hotels in amazing surroundings. Try cruising on the river for a different viewpoint. Cahors is also where you will find such things as swimming pools and busy markets, but Mercues is just that little bit quieter and off the beaten track, yet within easy reach of so many attractions.
Food and Drink
The local cooking style is full of rich foods with foie gras and truffles and of course fine wines. It uses olive oil rather than the cream or butter found further north and of course there are plenty of excellent local foods to choose from and opportunities for wine tastings abound. At one time the area supplied the papacy with its wines.
Restaurants
- L’O à la Bouche, 134 rue St-Urcisse, Cahors, Tel no: 05-65-35-65-69, 25€
- La Rendezvous, 49 rue Clément Marot, Cahors, Tel no: 05-65-22-65-10, 23€
The area is a great one to consider settling in with a variety of properties available to view, whether you want to be right in the centre of things in a village house, or in a nearby farmette or even something larger. Many properties have pools and would be perfect as holiday rentals, but there are also properties suitable for just a couple as a permanent base.
Think carefully and decide what it is you want. Will the property have to provide an income? Is it to be just a home or the base for a business? How many rooms do you think are a minimum? Are you prepared to renovate? Decide the answer to all these questions and more and then off you go to find a bi-lingual estate agent. Sextant properties will put you in touch with a bilingual local agent who can answer all your questions and accompany you on visits.