East of Padirac and about 9km from Bretenoux on the River Bave, a minor tributary of the Dordogne, you come to the medieval town of ST-CÉRÉ, dominated by the brooding ruins of the Château de St-Laurent-les-Tours and full of ancient houses crowding around place du Mercadial. The two powerful keeps of St-Laurent, partially rebuilt, date from the twelfth and fifteenth centuries and were part of a fortress belonging to the Turennes. During World War II, the artist Jean Lurçat operated a secret Resistance radio post here; after the war he turned it into a studio, and it's now a marvellous museum of his work, mainly huge tapestries but also sketches, paintings and pottery (mid-July to Sept daily 9.30am–noon & 2.30–6.30pm; also two weeks at Easter; tel 05.65.38.28.21; €2.50). The site is spectacular at over 200m altitude, with stunning views all round.St-Céré has one very pleasant and reasonable place to stay: Victor Hugo, 7 av des Maquis, by the river (tel 05.65.38.16.15, www.hotel-victor-hugo.fr; €30–55; closed two weeks in March & three weeks in Oct; restaurant from €14, closed Sun eve and Mon). Otherwise, there's Le Soulhol riverside campsite (tel 05.65.38.12.37, fax 05.65.10.61.75; closed mid-Sept to April) nearby. Bikes can be rented from Cycles St-Chamant, 45 rue Faidherbe (tel 05.65.38.03.23) – one of the best trips you could do is to the hugely pretty little village of AUTOURE, in a tight side valley, about 10km to the west of St-Céré. Much hillier but glorious country lies to the east along the road to Aurillac via Sousceyrac and Laroquebrou.
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