A small commune beside the Dordogne
Le Roc is a commune in the Lot department of Occitanie, within the Causses et Vallée de la Dordogne community of communes. INSEE assigns it to the Souillac living area. Its reference population for 2023 is 207 municipal residents; four people are counted apart, bringing the total to 211. These figures apply to the whole commune, not just a village centre, and took legal effect on 1 January 2026. The local setting is best understood through the Dordogne corridor and the crossing that has linked this bank with the Périgord Noir. Rather than promise a large visitor infrastructure, the verified local offers point to a river-based stay and seasonal outdoor access.
What the records say about Mareuil and Le Roc
The regional heritage inventory keeps two histories distinct: Mareuil and the now-vanished Château du Roc were both connected to the castellany of Carlux. In 1518 the Salignac exchanged the lordship of Mareuil, retaining homage rights. Around 1575, Odet de Lafage had a fortified house built on the Mareuil ridge. A tower still recorded by the inventory has a gun-loop dated to the middle of the sixteenth century and may belong to that building campaign. The inventory describes the remains as privately owned, in poor condition and overgrown; they are not an advertised public visit. This is a documented account of the site, not a basis for adding an unverified legend or opening schedule. Lot Tourisme separately lists Saint-Roch church in Le Roc, but its page describes an exceptional two-day opening and warns that hours are not guaranteed, so visitors should check before planning an interior visit.
River activities, work and local services
INSEE counted 28 jobs located in the commune in 2023 and three employer establishments at the end of 2024. These are small totals from different statistical measures, not a complete description of every livelihood. Housing data add context: the 2023 comparator records 96 households and 182 dwellings, of which 45.2% were secondary or occasional homes. One verifiable visitor service is Les Boulous, a riverside holiday village listed at Le Roc with six independent chalets; its tourism entry mentions swimming, fishing and canoe-kayak nearby. Check current availability directly. The municipal directory links residents to Cauvaldor social, planning, sanitation, cultural and economic services. Its school and health pages currently show no local entries; that reflects the directory at research time, so consult it for nearby provision rather than assuming none exists.
Crossing plans need a current check
The mairie published a 2026 season for the ferry L’Espérance between the Lot and Périgord Noir, with a departure at Camping Les Belles Rives in Cazoulès and arrival at Le Roc beach. A later municipal notice changed the timetable: from 17 August through 15 September 2026, it ran Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00–12:30 and 13:30–18:00, and not on Mondays or Tuesdays. That season has ended. Lot Tourisme also warns that posted ferry hours are not guaranteed. Its greenway listing describes the 24-kilometre Cazoulès–Sarlat route and notes that a signposted Souillac–Le Roc ferry connection was provided for summer 2025; a separate access sheet gives a different route length. Treat the dated link as historical until current signage and service are confirmed. Check timetables, route conditions and opening hours before travelling.
