We had decided to take the relaxing option, and just walk into the town of Martel, about a three kilometre walk there, we would have the option of exploring the town, having some lunch and then returning to spend, hopefully some time by the swimming pool in the afternoon.
As we left the guest house the mist had heightened all the many cobwebs in the grass and bushes by the path. We turned onto the road, and reacquainted ourselves once again with the road side orchids.
As we turned onto the road I could hear the song of a Black Redstart, but a little way on came across a Common Redstart singing from the top of a concrete post.
As the road wound down into Martel we passed meadows on either side. the sun was now beginning to break through and meadow Fritillaries could be seen within the grass stems.
Entering the town we had to cross a railway line. The line was constructed between 1880 and 1884 and originally ran between Bordeaux and Aurillac. Its main use was the export of truffles to the markets of Paris, and was named Le Truffadou, a bit like our Watercress Line here in Hampshire. The line was closed in 1980, and again like the Watercress line was resurrected by enthusiasts in 1997and is run now as a major tourist attraction. Unfortunately the trains were not running today so we were not able to enjoy the hour long return journey, which by all accounts goes through some spectacular tunnels and viaducts.
With the skies now almost clear we walked towards the old town withe blue sky above and Swifts screaming around the towers of the buildings.
We passed a small garden where a pair of Redstarts had a nest. We were obviously a little too close to the nest as the male was a little concerned by me looking to take photographs.
I didn't linger long but was fortunate to get some close pictures.
Martel is a thriving little town, and is seen as a central market for walnuts and has developed its name for its fine foods. The markets take place on a Wednesday and a Saturday so we had missed one today.
Martel is also known as the town of Seven Towers, and is thought to have been named after Charles Martel, one of the early Frankish kings of France, and the grandfather of Charlemagne. the town developed because of its prime location as a crossroads of tradings route between Toulouse and Paris, and an important East-West route for the trade of salt and wine. Its closeness to Rocamadour made it also a stopping off point for pilgrims.
We entered the old town and were greeted by the narrow lanes and limestone buildings.
I make no apologies, I was taken once again by the perspectives of the lanes with the lamp lights, and the shutters and windows.
We made our way to the town square where we sat for awhile to take in the buildings and to drink coffee.
The town prospered in the thirteenthth century, and many of the merchants built houses within the shelter of the town defences. However as it grew the houses spilt out of the walls such that a second defence had to be built.
The Hundred Years War saw the town, like many in the region, pass back and forth between the English and French crown. the town recovered quickly after the war, and prospered once more, resulting in some rich architectural heritage that can be seen in ornate doorways, stone staircases and mullioned windows.
Where we were sitting in the Place des Consuls there was a large covered market built in the eighteenth century. It was difficult to appreciate the building from the outside as it pretty much fills the square. but from the inside looking up, the timbered roof structure was very impressive.
We left the square and wandered around the streets and lanes taking in the sights and sounds of the old town.
there were many arches and passage ways, this leading to the tourist office.
The square was the centre of activity, with restaurants, cafes and wine shops. Above all this were houses, and sitting quietly were cats on the window ledges.
And on the stoops (these are for you Ian!).
I never counted the seven towers, so I can't confirm if they are all in place, but there were a lot of them.
You could imagine a young woman letting down her hair from this tower.
There was a feel of Disney about the place which in a way is sad because this beautiful old town came very much before the Disney media machine took over our lives.
In the right hand corner here is a small cellar selling fine wine at very reasonable prices.
The one tower that dominated the sky line is that belonging to the Eglise de Saint Maur, an enormous church that originally formed part of Martel's fortifications. The bell tower is forty metres tall, and resembles a castle keep.
The hexagonal; bell tower at the top was added in the nineteenth century.
We continued to walk around the lanes taking in the little quirky things that sprang out at me. This lamp hanging in the centre of an arch with the red geraniums behind it.
These lovely cream and pink roses starting to frame the similarly painted window shutters.
The Gendarme
A window box casting a shadow on the wall.
many of the building had narrow openings that would have allowed air in when constructed, but today have glass or are bricked up, the ledge used to hold a pot plant.
It was our intention to have some lunch before heading back for a relaxing afternoon, as we made our way back to the main square two Black Kites flew overhead. This must have been a regular site back in the thirteenth century when the town was a busy trading post, the kites living off the rubbish that I am sure was plentiful in those days.
By now the square was quite busy, and despite the many restaurants and cafes we could not find what we were looking for, we were not wanting a three course lunch. here you can see the whole of the covered market in the square, and to the right the little cafe where we had coffee earlier
We eventually settled for some cheese and charcuterie in a bar on the outskirts of the old town, and after headed back along the road, past the orchids once again to the guest house.
By now it was very warm, and we headed to the swimming pool to make the most of the afternoon. The water in the pool was acceptable, and I did have a few swims. All around us though there was activity, and i couldn't relax for too long. behind me a Cirl Bunting sang from the top of a conifer, while in front of me I could hear the scratchy song of a Melodious warbler in a tree. I sat and watched the leaves move as it chased insects under the leaves.
Eventually it showed much better sitting out in the open.
here you can see the characteristic profile.
A Common Redstart sang to my left from an Oak tree, and not to be out done a Black Redstart was singing from a barn to the right.
It wasn't just the birds, there were plenty of butterflies about, this Adonis Blue took a liking to Helen's bag.
Honeysuckle lined the pool, and you could smell the perfume on the breeze. On taking a breif walk yesterday I had seen a Southern White Admiral without my camera, and this afternoon it reappeared on the honeysuckle.
Quite a stunning butterfly
Beyond the pool was a field in which sheep grazed, amongst the grass were thistles and these were attracting the Black-veined Whites. I caught a couple mating on one of the purple flower heads.
It is wonderful how the presence of the black veins turn what would be just a white butterfly into an insect of beauty.
I left the pool area and walked around the meadow. parts of the lawn had been cut but much of the area was left to grass and flowers, and of course the butterflies loved it. There were mostly Meadow Fritillaries and they were both very active and distant.
The owners have seventeen acres of land and much of this consists of woodland. The ground was quite dry now, and I wandered along one of the open rides where Adonis Blues were nectaring on the Trefoil.
Much of the ground appeared to have been turned over, indicating the presence of Wild Boar. Where there was dappled sunshine there would be Speckled Wood. This one sat on the stem in the sunlight while the darkness of the shade produced a love black background.
Coming out of the wood I chased a Painted Lady over the grass but it continued on its way. I had seen Meadow Brown, but a large dark butterfly again caught my eye, this time flying with a fitful flight just over the grass. It went to settle several times before continuing, but I didn't give up. I suspected something special once again, and when it finally did settle I could confirm it was another Woodland Brown
This one was not so confiding as the one seen yesterday, and did not settle for long. I managed to get one more shot on the ground before it flew off into the trees and out of sight.
For the record this is where I found the Woodland Brown, under the cover of the large Oak tree.
I walked around the meadows one more time, then returned to the pool for one last swim. The evening was a wonderful experience, as described dinner is served on a long table and with all the guests. That evening we were joined by a party of eight French friends, and along with a French couple already staying we stumbled our way through an evening of drink and food, us trying to assemble enough French to have a meaningful conversation while our fellow guests were doing much the same with their skills in English. Bizarrely we managed to understand each other and laugh and joke through a lovely evening.
Much wine was consumed, and when we returned to the room there was a need for fresh air. Leaning out of the window, with the sky still showing signs of light I could hear the churring of a distant Nightjar, this along with the chirps of crickets and frogs was the perfect end to the day.
In the morning we were leaving for Toulouse, via train from Soulliac, and then onward to Gatwick, unfortunately our plane was delayed, and eventually we were abiout two hours late getting home.
The holiday started out difficultly, with the thunderstorms and the rain. The forecast didn't help as it meant we were always worrying about what might be. Of the walks, the rain aside the first two were through woodland, and not the landscape I was expecting, from Loubressac the conditions and landscape improved considerably and recovered the situation.
All of the properties were very good, we especially enjoyed the guest house experience for the last two nights. As always the preparation provided by Inntravel was impeccable, we even received a call in the week to update on the possibility of French strike action.
The wildlife seen was not extensive, but there was much of interest and some new species for us on our walks.
68 species of bird heard or seen:
| Mallard | Jay | Starling |
| Quail | Jackdaw | Blackbird |
| Grey Heron | Carrion Crow | Song Thrush |
| Honey-buzzard | Goldcrest | Robin |
| Black Kite | Firecrest | Nightingale |
| Sparrowhawk | Blue Tit | Black Redstart |
| Buzzard | Great Tit | Redstart |
| Kestrel | Woodlark | Stonechat |
| Peregrine | Skylark | Dunnock |
| Black-headed Gull | Crag Martin | House Sparrow |
| Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon | Swallow | Grey Wagtail |
| Woodpigeon | House Martin | Pied Wagtail |
| Collared Dove | Cetti’s Warbler | Tree Pipit |
| Turtle Dove | Long-tailed Tit | Meadow Pipit |
| Cuckoo | Bonelli’s Warbler | Chaffinch |
| Nightjar | Chiffchaff | Serin |
| Swift | Blackcap | Greenfinch |
| Kingfisher | Garden Warbler | Goldfinch |
| Hoopoe | Whitethroat | Linnet |
| Green Woodpecker | Melodious Warbler | Bullfinch |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Nuthatch | Cirl Bunting |
| Golden Oriole | Short-toed Treecreeper | Corn Bunting |
| Magpie | Wren |
29 Butterflies and Moth Species, of which six were new to me
| Painted Lady | Adonis Blue |
| Peacock | Grizzled Skipper |
| Pearl-bordered Fritillary | Scarce Swallowtail |
| Glanville Fritillary | Lesser Marbled Fritillary |
| Heath Fritillary | Meadow Fritillary |
| Wood White | Woodland Brown |
| Brimstone | Pearly Heath |
| Large White | Black-veined White |
| Clouded Yellow | Southern White Admiral |
| Speckled Wood | Box Tree Moth |
| Wall | Latticed Heath |
| Meadow Brown | Mother Shipton |
| Small Heath | Burnet Companion |
| Small Blue | Cistus Forester |
| Brown Argus |
And while there were many different plant species seen, we focused on the orchids, and here we found eight, a small number considering the large number that are present in the region
| Lizard Orchid | Spider Orchid |
| Lesser Butterfly Orchid | Tongue Orchid |
| Bee Orchid | Pyramidal Orchid |
| Fly Orchid | Military Orchid |
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