Dry-stone walls and oak woodland shape one route in the Verdus; another passes through vineyards, follows the lakeshore and continues along stony forest paths. Historic buildings and prehistoric sites add a cultural perspective. These specific landscape and history themes offer a way to explore Masquières and plan your stay.
Forest trails and planning your time
The “Masquières, balade dans la forêt du Verdus” route starts in the commune of Masquières. Its paths are often lined with dry-stone walls and shaded by the oaks of the Verdus. “Masquières, à travers la forêt du Verdus” crosses a vineyard, follows the lakeshore and then takes winding, stony paths into the Verdus Forest. When choosing between the routes, you can use these landscape features as a guide: often-shaded paths lined with dry-stone walls on one route, and vineyards, lakeshore and stony forest paths on the other.
The “Masquières, à travers la forêt du Verdus” route is suitable for hiking, horse riding and mountain biking. The stated times are 3 hours 30 minutes on foot, 2 hours 20 minutes on horseback and 1 hour 45 minutes by mountain bike. The walking time is therefore twice as long as the mountain-biking time; the horse-riding time falls between the two. This comparison helps you gauge how much time to allow for your chosen mode of transport before factoring the route’s landscape features into your plans.
Church and Château
The Church of Saint-Vincent in Masquières was built in 1240. It was formerly the chapel of a priory affiliated with Moissac Abbey and has a wooden roof framework. Its construction date, former religious function and roof structure each offer a different way to understand the history of this building.
A square tower dating to the 16th century survives at Château du Bosc. A private chapel stands at the end of the right wing. The surviving, dated tower and the chapel are two distinct architectural features of the building. Together with Saint-Vincent, they invite a comparison between church and château architecture, although the two buildings do not share the same history.
Megalith and Grotte du Cordonnier
In the forest section of the route through the Verdus Forest near Masquières are the remains of a prehistoric megalith in the form of a covered passage: the “Tombeau des Géants.” The protected site includes three rows of stones and two tumuli. It was placed under protection by decree dated 17 April 1952. The decree date refers to the site’s protection, not to the construction of the megalith.
The Grotte du Cordonnier near Masquières is an underground gallery about 30 metres deep, above Lac de Lartel. It opens on the south side of a small rocky escarpment above the Vergnotte stream. The cave was inhabited or used from the Palaeolithic through to the Bronze Age. Masquières therefore brings together different archaeological themes: a prehistoric megalith in the forest and a cave with a period of use spanning the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age.
Bikes for planning your trip
Toc Vélos rents out mountain bikes, electric bikes, conventional mountain bikes and hybrid bikes, as well as children’s mountain bikes. Check the current selection in advance if you’d like to include bike hire in your plans.
Discover more destinations: Cavarc, Mézin, Auradou, Montauriol, Pailloles, Boé, Montastruc, Castelnaud-De-Gratecambe.
For the broader travel overview: Lot Et Garonne.
