Gorges de l'Alzou Trail
The Alzou river carves a lush, intimate gorge directly beneath Rocamadour's cliff, and the marked trail along its floor is one of the Lot's most rewarding short hikes. Ancient watermills, wild orchids, and the vertiginous sight of the sanctuary looming 150 metres overhead make this a walk you will not forget.
The Valley Floor Walk
The classic route follows the GR6 long-distance path from the Moulin du Saut (a restored 13th-century mill, 3 km downstream) upstream to the base of Rocamadour's cliff. The path is largely flat, shaded by ash and maple, and follows the clear, shallow Alzou river closely enough that you can hear it the entire way.
In May and June the meadows beside the path erupt with wild orchids — early purple, bee orchid and fly orchid among them — making this one of the finest orchid walks in the Périgord-Quercy region. Botanists regularly make special trips here in late spring.
Wildlife and Hidden Mills
The gorge shelters kingfishers, grey wagtails and, in summer evenings, little egrets fishing the shallows. Patient walkers sometimes spot European otters, which have recolonised the Alzou over the past decade. The canyon walls themselves host peregrine falcons that nest on the same limestone ledges that make Rocamadour's architecture possible.
Several ruined and restored moulin (mills) punctuate the route, including the Moulin de Roquefraze and the Moulin de Sirogne, their millstones still in place. The full out-and-back walk from the valley car park to Moulin du Saut and back is around 10 km and takes 3 hours at a leisurely pace.
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