We haven't seen a car in more than half an hour. All the stresses of cycling in the UK are distant memories. But while our shoulders feel light, our bicycle panniers are starting to strain from the local foods we have bought from markets.
We are following the curves of the Lot river on the 80km Lot valley cycle route, along quiet country roads and riverside paths, and past romanesque churches. We are taking in ancient castles and picturesque bastides – charming, fortified medieval "new towns", designed on a grid plan with arcaded central squares and half-timbered houses.
The riding is leisurely and easy; even our mothers couldn't work up a sweat. I have rarely felt so relaxed on a bike. The noise and congestion of home have been replaced by sweet birdsong and the gentle lapping sounds of the river. Serious cycling friends would do the whole route in a day, but we have adopted the relaxed lifestyle of the south-west, preferring to meander along over several days.
We start in Aiguillon, where the Lot and the Garonne rivers meet, before passing through the charming village of Clairac with its half-timbered houses on the banks of the Lot.
Early on it is clear we are cycling into a bowl of muesli. An orchard landscape abounds, predominantly plum trees, but also hazelnuts. After passing kiwi-fruit orchards, we stop off at the Prune Museum in Granges-sur-Lot.
But it is not wholly a fruit-and-nut case: in the next village, Temple-sur-Lot, we receive an unexpected art history lesson. Without the nearby gardens of Latour-Marliac, Claude Monet may not have painted his masterpieces. When founder Joseph Latour-Marliac exhibited his hybrid water lilies in Paris in 1889, they captivated Monet, who immediately placed orders for his garden at Giverny, thus beginning an obsession that took up the rest of the artist's life. Several of Monet's original handwritten orders are on display.
A small country road delivers us to Casseneuil and then Villeneuve-sur-Lot. We ride into this ancient bastide through the Porte de Paris, one of its two ancient gateways (now historic monuments). This medieval fortified town has been developed, but an ancient heart still beats in its centre. We explore the attractive timbered houses in the streets around its main square, the Place Lafayette.
It is Saturday, market day, so we stock up with local produce from the town's stone and cast-iron covered market. Our panniers have now become mobile larders: full of bread, cheese, wine and fruit – for which Lot-et-Garonne is renowned – apples, pears, nectarines and, of course, plums, believed to have been brought to the region from Damascus by the crusaders. This is where the regional speciality Pruneaux d'Agen is produced. No cyclist need go hungry on this route.
South of Villeneuve-sur-Lot we reach the picturesque fortified hilltop village of Pujols. We dismount our bikes and enter the village through an impressive archway, the St Nicholas bell tower. High on a hill above the Lot valley, the views from the village are superb: north over Villeneuve-sur-Lot and the Lot river, and south over open country. It is the perfect spot for our picnic lunch.
Once satisfied, we ride on to the old fortress village of Penne d'Agenais, another place perched on a hill above the Lot valley. We wheel our bikes through its narrow, medieval streets and small alleys up to the basilica of Notre-Dame du Peyragude. There are more great views from here: medieval villages and sunflower fields, gently rolling green countryside and small farms.
We twist and turn through lush countryside and continue along the river path, north-east until Fumel. Here we rest our muscles before visiting one of the finest castles in France, the imposing and fairytale-like 15th-century Château de Bonaguil. Positioned on a steep, rocky promontory, the castle is a masterpiece of military architecture and perfectly sited. No wonder it was never attacked.
The next leg of our two-wheeled adventure takes us to Dordogne. Cycling friends had told us about the great routes to be found around Bergerac's vineyards. However, we are nearly out of time and want to try the Green Way (Voie Verte), a 15km cycle route through Périgueux, Dordogne's historical capital.
It passes through Périgueux old and new, hugging the banks of the river l'Isle. Upon leaving the mottled sunlight by the riverbank, we weave our way through the tangle of narrow ancient streets and squares that make up its beautifully restored medieval and Renaissance quarter. We only rejoin the 21st century when we reach the modern Place Francheville.
Soon we are pedalling alongside the riverbank again, under a shadow of trees. The route crosses Périgueux from east to west, from Trélissac to Marsac sur l'Isle.
While we shared the Lot valley cycle route with occasional cars, Périgueux's Green Way is a dedicated leisure track. En route we are joined by other cyclists, some walkers and rollerskaters, all no doubt attracted by the smooth tarmac and peacefulness. We ring our bells just before we pass so as not to alarm them – we would hate for them to think we were a car.
