Montcuq-en-Quercy-Blanc
The very word Montcuq makes this town worth a visit (the full version is Montcuq-en-Quercy-Blanc). A research of its origin suggests that it means a high place. And indeed the town of Montcuq is beautifully perched up on a hill.
When the locals pronounce Montcuq, it sounds like Montcuke. But with Parisian pronunciation, it sounds like Montcu — which has the identical pronunciation of “my arse”! I am not joking. Indeed, the village owes its great notoriety to the French comedian, Daniel Prévost, and his puns on this theme in his 1976 television show Le Petit Rapporteur.
But that is not the reason why I am visiting Montcuq. An old Australian friend of mine comes here regularly, and swears by it. And yet, after living some 25 years in France, I had never heard of Montcuq!
First of all, let’s situate Montcuq. It’s located about 600 km directly south of Paris. It lies inland about midway between Bordeaux and Toulouse. (Please look at my map at the bottom of this article!)
To get there by public transport, means taking a train from Paris to Cahors, and then a local bus or taxi. The buses are not very frequent, so I shelled out for the taxi ride of 25 km.
There is no high-speed train (TGV) from Paris to Cahors, fortunately. The train, “Transport express régional” (TER), is lovely as it stops at lots of little stations along the way. It is also a delight for a former student of geography like me, as the train trip cuts right through the centre of France, giving the traveller a nice feel of the diverse geography of France.
Like all of France, Montcuq is loaded with history. The foundation of Montcuq dates back to the Gallo-Roman era – the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. A medieval tower, built as part of the Castle of Montcuq, in the 12th century still overlooks the village (see photo).
Montcuq was apparently very prosperous in the 12th century, but was completely destroyed during the Hundred Years War of 1337–1453, a conflict between England and France during the Late Middle Ages and also a civil war within France. But Montcuq recovered.
Wandering around the medieval streets, there is so much beautiful architecture to enjoy. The churches, Saint Hilaire and Saint-Privat. The town hall (mairie) is among the oldest buildings in the village. And there are many beautiful half-timbered houses which reportedly date from the 15th century (see photo).
Today, Montcuq is also a stopover village for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago (chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle in French). I saw many courageous walkers in town.
But what is most striking is the number of British people living here. According to INSEE, the French national institute for statistical and economic studies, in 2020 there were some 65,000 British people living in France’s South-West. Overall, France has 148000 British residents, while Spain has twice that!
And I have the feeling that a whole bunch of these Brits are living in Montcuq! Indeed, I am currently staying in a bed & breakfast run by an 80 year old English lady, “Jane”, who has led the life of a nomad and found her true home in Montcuq.
All this would seem to confirm the British paradox – that the Brits voted to leave Europe (Brexit), but loads of them would prefer to live in Europe! I have even met two Kenyan ladies of British origin, who are more at home in France than England.
Another curiosity is that there are apparently a good number of Australians who own property on the outskirts of Montcuq, and come here to escape the Australian winter, and soak up some French culture. I have not met any.
All things considered, Montcuq has the atmosphere of an open-air, international holiday camp – and this atmosphere will no doubt of itself attract even more foreigners.
So what about wine? Now Montcuq lies just 25 km from Cahors, the home of one of France’s great country wines, a bold red made from the Malbec grape. But Montcuq is not a great producer of wine, even though there are many nearby vineyards.
Indeed, there is no official appellation for wines made from grapes from Montcuq. Great wine is a question of nuance. From one hill to the next, the quality of grapes can change greatly. And Montcuq is obviously not on the good side of the hill!