Cressensac is a village of Lot department, in Occitanie region. It is located North of Plateau du Causse du Lot and 20km from Brive la Gaillarde. The surrounding hills are covered with truffle oaks and tobacco fields.
Access
By car, from Paris, take the A20 motorway, exit 53 (4km from the centre) which is the last free exit (exit 54 is only 2km from the centre but there are toll fees).
It will soon be possible to get to Cressensac by plane thanks to the soon to open Brive Souillac airport (June 2010).
History
Several megalithic monuments surround the village: dolmens, cairns, menhirs… They prove that humans were present in the Neolithic period. Then, Cressensac parish was probably created at the end of the 11th century-beginning of the 12th century. During the Middle Ages, Cressensac was part of the Vicomté de Turenne. Thus, its history is linked to this area. Vicomté de Turenne was between the current Lot, Dordogne and Corrèze departments. The owners of the land took advantage of the weak central government and were almost independent until 1738.
Activities
The traveller can discover the Castles of Quercy area : the 13th century Château de Chausseneige is a private property, Château de Croze in Sarrazac (6km from Cressensac), Loubressac which is an old fortified village (35km from Cressensac), fortifications in Martel (13km from Cressensac), in Milhac (35km from Cressensac). Rocamadour is also a fortified village (35km from Cressensac) that is worth seeing.
In Cressensac, the second week end of August, the Quercy Lamb is celebrated. Craftsmen exhibit their work in the streets of the village and, on Saturday night, a meal is organised: Cabecou (goat cheese), grilled lamb, melon are part of the menu.
Every Sunday morning, the market takes place in Place de l’Eglise.
Food and Drink
In the Causses du Quercy, farmers breed a very peculiar sheep with black marks around its eyes. Its quality was the first labelled in France and is due to the race of the lamb but also to the way it is being bred (fed with its mother’s milk and then cereals). Saffron is also a characteristic of Quercy: it was imported during the 13th century in this area and is used a lot in cooking. Also, melon, truffle, and chestnut are part of the Quercy gastronomy. Finally, Cabecou is a goat cheese from Rocamadour dating from the 15th century.
Restaurants
- HOTEL POQUET, Le bourg, 46600 Cressensac. Tel: 05.65.37.70.08
- L’AUBERGE DE CRESSENSAC, Le Bourg, 46600 Cressensac. Tel: 05.65.37.78.92
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.