Gluges is a small riverside village in the Lot department of southwestern France, set beneath high limestone cliffs on the Dordogne and located close to Martel and Rocamadour.
The Dordogne is a major river in south-central and southwestern France that rises on the flanks of the Massif Central and flows broadly west to join the Garonne at the Bec d’Ambès, forming the Gironde estuary before reaching the Atlantic; its total length is about 483 km and its drainage basin is roughly 23,870 km².
The river’s headwaters originate on the Puy de Sancy (Massif Central) from the confluence of the Dore and the Dogne and it descends through volcanic and limestone country (including the Dordogne gorges) before traversing the Périgord and Gironde regions; major towns along its course include Le Mont-Dore (upper reaches), Argentat, Souillac, Bergerac and Libourne.
The Dordogne watershed contains significant natural and cultural patrimony — limestone gorges, rich riparian habitats and numerous prehistoric cave sites in tributary valleys (Vézère) and Périgord that have world significance. The Dordogne basin was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2012 in recognition of its combined natural and cultural values.
