Local Interests and Links:
Warm sunshine in early spring transforms the landscape with a myriad of colours, making stunning backdrops to the many castles, bastide towns and prehistoric sites.
With an array of wild flowers at every step, May and June are the most colourful months. June, July and August are usually hot with occasional dramatic thunderstorms. Street markets and village fetes with balmy evenings give an opportunity to enjoy the wealth of local produce. September brings a fragrance and colour scheme of unmatched splendour.
Enjoy the beautiful countryside, explore the medieval towns and villages with many delightful restaurants, visit the many grand chateaux.
The region is a dream for those who wish to include horse riding in their holidays. There are miles of signposted routes, and many stables and riding clubs.
There are fifteen or so sites along the Vezere Valley bearing testimony to the lives of tribes of hunters who lived there over 400,000 years ago. Discovered in 1940 by four teenagers looking for a lost dog, the Lascaux cave near Montignac is the ‘Sistine Chapel’ of prehistoric art.
The Grottes de Villars with caverns and chambers with stunning white concretions boast incredible formations of yellow and ochre draperies, 17,000 year old prehistoric paintings, rimstone pools, and thousands of stalactites and stalagmites.
Some 60 km north of Labarthe is the ancient city of Perigueux, with the Byzantine silhouette of the cathedral bristling with pinnacles and overlooking the medieval Puy St. Front district. This truly gastronomic city should be visited on market days (Wednesday and Saturday), when stalls in the lively squares offer the pick of local specialities, including truffles, charcuterie and the succulent pies called pates de Perigueux. Local foie gras has become world famous. Discover the Renaissance facades, courtyards, staircases, elegant town houses and shops on a walk around the old town.
Sarlat-la-Caneda possesses the highest concentration of medieval, Renaissance and 17th-century facades of any town in France, with its narrow lanes and archways, and ancient, ochre-coloured stone houses rich in ornamental detail. Protected by law since 1962, Sarlat’s buildings now form an open-air museum. The town is also famous for one of the best markets in France.
The Dordogne is one of the largest departments in France and yet it has a very low population density.
COUNTRY and CITY WALKS:
Forty-one wonderful country and city walks are listed in the Dordogne walking guide 'La Dordogne ....a pied'.
The guide is convenient pocket-book size with superb colour photography and pictures of local wildlife. Each walk is described in detail with a TOPO-GUIDE map. These range from short and easy one hour 2 km strolls through the historic cities of Perigueux and Bergerac, two hour 6 km walks commencing at a town or village, to a five hour 19 km more demanding walk for the more experienced rambler.
Details are provided on features of interest passed en route, flaura and fauna, information on parking, as well as a general description outlining the nature of the walk.
Copies of 'La Dordogne ....a pied' (ISBN 2-7514-0052-3) are available at news shops and supermarkets for around 12 euros.
ACTIVITIES:
A free booklet 'La Fete en Perigord' is published for Dordogne each year listing hundreds of fetes, events, fireworks displays, etc., and is available at all local Tourist Offices who will provide information on local attractions and activities.
And for the Golfers amongst you click the links below to go the web sites for:
and
A major development is planned just south of Bergerac, covering about 300 acres of land in the communes of Monbazillac, Ribagnac and Rouffignac-de-Sigoulès. The development will include two golf courses – one of 18 holes, built to international standards, the other of six holes – a driving range and practice area, with an adjoining 50 room four-star hotel. But there is also to be a "spa village" over some four acres, and 350 to 400 villas and apartments of varying size and cost. These will include a "retirement village", holiday accommodation and places for prospective employees working in the complex. With a total investment cost of some 40 million euros, the project is warmly supported by the local authorities, for whom it is a "win win" situation. The prospect of 250 new jobs in the area, not to mention the local taxes and general benefit to the local economy, is too tempting to resist.
Corinne Langlois, the local Architecte des Bâtiments de France, responsible for local heritage controls, has issued a cautionary note. The development will be close to the listed Château de Bridoire, and will involve considerable clearance of woodland. The development also covers a small road that was part of the pilgrim way to Compostela. At this stage there is no prohibition, but a request for safeguards. The architecture is to blend in with local styles, and care is to be taken with land clearance. Work is intended to start on the golf courses in October 2008, with construction of the houses and villas beginning in 2009 and lasting for five or six years. Labarthe is approximately 8 kms south of this new exciting development.
All these courses are within easy driving distance of Labarthe.
The amalgamation of geographical and climatic factors which make up the local 'terroir' of Bergerac's wines are those of a great and long-established wine-producing region. During the English occupation, local vignerons were exempt from taxes on wine in order to facilitate wine exports to England. Henry III of England was happy to hand out safe-conducts to ensure his personal supply of barrels of Bergerac wine, as was Charles de Valois, Philip the Fair's brother. As early as the fourteenth century, Bergerac barrels were exceptionally granted the right to distinguish their barrels with a griffin and a tower as a mark of recognition. Later, with the Reformation, Holland became virtually the exclusive importer of Monbazillac. Throughout history far-ranging exports have perpetuated the nomadic tradition of Bergerac's wines: England, the Low Countries, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Japan, and China have all been steady importers. Bergerac's wines can be found in the most prestigious restaurants and on the tables of the rich and famous across the world.
The leading wine producing centre in the region is Bergerac. There is a well-marked wine route around the vineyards. The varieties grown are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cot, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
Check out flights on balloons, microlights, cycle tracks, quad bike circuits, 'velo rail' pedal bogies on railway tracks, and unusual restaurants.
Canoes can be hired by the hour, half day or full day. The more adventurous may wish to try the massive river Dordogne starting next to its confluence with the river Vezere at Limeuil. The views can truly be described as world class.
The Golfer's Bar, Hotel, 18th and
9th greens at Chateau des Vigiers.
© 2007 Site designed & built by Bryan Neal
The Bastide Towns: Click these links to view a short U-tube clips
of attractions in the region.
