The route was to La Roque St Christopher thence St Leon sur Vezere. Again a relatively early start with a brisk climb at the beginning, which of course meant a great descent on the return.

The route for the day

On the road to La Roque St Christopher

The prehistoric site La Roque St Christopher

A fascinating education on cave dwelling in which for more than 20000 years humans and their ancestors carved villages out of the cliff face using the natural caves with modifications. It was primarily for security rather than to market penthouse dwellings!

One of the more fascinating pieces of history which caught my eye was the reign of Charles 111, King of West Francia from 879 to 929. He managed to father 6 daughters by his first marriage, a son by his second marriage and several “bastards” . He was affectionately called Charles the Simple, although obviously able to do more than simple arithmetic! Actually the French word was more literally translated as “straightforward”.

Britain will, in the near future, have its very own Charles the Simple.

The longest staircase carved out of a single piece of rock in all of Europe

The Romanesque church in St Leon sur Vezere

The interior of the church – which has parts of the original frescoes on the dome

Yet another small street this one in St Leon

The river Vezere running through St Leon