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Aiguillon (probably from ‘the needle’) lies at the narrow confluence between the Lot and the Garonne. Significant and strategic it has been important since Gallo-Roman times.

The Benedictine Abbey at Clairac held an international reputation in politics, religion, literature and gastronomy. It was at its peak during the C12th and C13th, wealthy and influential.

In the C10th monks from Clairac Abbey established a ‘grangia’ – meaning a chapel and farm combination. The village was known as Saint-Damien-de-Granges.

By the C13th a settlement called Castelmoron had become established, grouped around a castle, located by a meander of the river.

The high hydro-electric barrage at Castelmoron had a deep lock created to one side, and just above the village a new inland port was dug out and built – called Port Lalande.

The imposing Commanderie building by the river at le Temple-sur-Lot was an important location of the Knights Templar.

The timber pontoon at Fongrave is a most delightful place to moor up. The village that the river pontoon adjoins is a perfect French village.

Folk legend has it that the relics of Sainte Livrade, a female martyr, were taken from the village to the historic Spanish city of Sigüenza.

Villeneuve-sur-Lot (or, before 1875, Villeneuve-d’Agen) has a history that dates back at least to Roman times, when there were legionary camps, craft districts, temples and fora.

Penne d’Agenais, set on a hilltop overlooking the Lot (where there is a sister village, Port de Penne) is today peaceful and beautifully ancient in appearance.

The fortified mill and adjacent château at Lustrac were constructed in the late C13th. The historic background to their creation was a series of wars and attacks.

It was in 1847 that the site by the Lot was developed and the steel-making industry became highly significant, based on nearby iron-ore mines and power from the river.

The château or castle of Bonaguil began construction in the 13th century, then it was entirely transformed at the end of the 15th century.

Puy-l’Évêque emerged from obscurity when in 1228 the Count-Bishop of Cahors commandeered the village as part of the crusade against the Cathars.

The historic village is located on an isthmus or peninsular formed by the Lot’s looping meander. The central square now occupies the site of the former canal cut.

Cahors has been an important city throughout its long history, the capital of the Quercy region of south-west France, rich in architecture and culture.

One of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, its position on a steep cliff 100m above the river, originally selected for defence, has made the village a popular tourist destination.

The high point of iron production at Decazeville was reached early in the 20th century when some 9000 employees produced 1 million tons of steel.

Conques (“basin” in Occitan) is located at the confluence of two small rivers. It is one of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (most beautiful villages of France).

Entraygues (“between two waters”) is located at the confluence of the two rivers Truyère and Lot. It marked the historic upstream limit of navigation on the river.