A beautiful river in a absolutely gorgeous valley.
Less than an hour drive, on the way towards «Padirac» (30 min), «Grottes/Caves de Lacave» (15 min) or «Rocamadour» (17 min), you might want to drive through the «Vallée de l’Ouysse».
The river Ouysse has its source in Espeyroux in the foothills of the Massif Central north-east of the Lot department. Its tributary is the Alzou river, which lies to the east towards Gramat. Both of these smaller rivers are tributaries of the great river Dordogne. You will find many beautiful spots for picnics and refreshment, by the water or above with beautiful viewpoints.
The great particularity of this tributary of the Dordogne is, that most of its course is underground and its exact route is still largely unknown! Indeed, the stream disappears at «Thémines» to reappear on the surface only several tens of kilometers downstream in the form of resurgences. One of them is the «Résurgence de Saint Sauveur». Very refreshing small lake in the midst of green. Pass by Gramat for restaurants or shopping, if you want to picnic.
You surely have to visit the «Moulin de Cougnaguet» on the bank of the Ouysse. “The visit of the moulin is undoubtedly worth the detour. People come here for the exceptional place, for the mill and for Hubert. Three good reasons to discover this somewhat secret, hidden place at the end of the road” (Cathy, a visitor to the moulin).
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Activities in and around the valley
… visit the water-mill «Moulin de Cougnaguet»
… visit the caves «Grottes/Caves de Lacave»
… take a 2-3 h hiking circuit «Entre Ouysse et Alzou»
… stroll the 2 h easy circuit «Circuit le Moulin du Saut»
