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PERIGORD
“””””””””””””””””
"It may be that one day France ceases existing, but the Périgord will survive, just like the dreams, whose is nourished the human heart"
Henry Miller
The Colossus of Maroussi
(the quote above was snipped from a French website)
The Periogord better ... Read review
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Advantages: stunning, exciting, relaxing, everything Disadvantages: Hilly and don't think about the geese
...France ceases existing, but the Périgord will survive, just like the dreams, whose is nourished the human heart"
Henry Miller
The Colossus of Maroussi
(the quote above was snipped from a French website)
The Periogord better known in English-speaking countries as the Dordogne is a very popular place for tourists. Absolutely packed with castles and caves, crossed by many rivers that have through ... ...green forests and fabulous scenery, makes the Dordogne a wondrous place to visit.
The part of the Perigord that I covered over the last few years is the Period Noir (Black Periogord) and it’s capital Sarlat and surrounding towns, villages and rivers.
Sarlat-La-Canéda
+++++++++++++++
This city is simply known as Sarlat and is the capital of the Periogord Noir. It grew up around a Benedictine ... more
The Perigord is a region in France that is big, hilly, beautiful, packed with history and full of fields of white geese and ducks, tobacco, maize, walnut trees and vines. The houses are beautiful and have a distinct rooves that sit on a rich golden and ochre sandstone. It’s the home of Fois Gras and wonderful delicacies confits, truffles, walnuts, wine and many more wonderfully fattening things. It is steeped with historical finds dating back to the beginning of man and through the middle ages and the battles of the Knights Templar to today a modern a lively region that welcomes visitors and offers you so much. There are many caves, sheer rock faces and cliffs cut by the fabulous rivers of the Dordogne and Vezere, with huge chateaus perching precariously on the top. Believe me, its spectacular. Miss it! Miss out! That’s just my opinion of the region, interested?
Let me take you further in and share our experiences as my partner Chris and I explore a truly wonderful place and have returned there for the last three years by incorporating the Perigord in our summer holiday as the last part of our two week two centre annual France adventure.
PERIGORD “””””””””””””””””
"It may be that one day France ceases existing, but the Périgord will survive, just like the dreams, whose is nourished the human heart" Henry Miller The Colossus of Maroussi
(the quote above was snipped from a French website)
The Periogord better known in English-speaking countries as the Dordogne is a very popular place for tourists. Absolutely packed with castles and caves, crossed by many rivers that have through the course of time cut cliff faces and caves, lush green forests and fabulous scenery, makes the Dordogne a wondrous place to visit.
The part of the Perigord that I covered over the last few years is the Period Noir (Black Periogord) and it’s capital Sarlat and surrounding towns, villages and rivers.
Sarlat-La-Canéda +++++++++++++++
This city is simply known as Sarlat and is the capital of the Periogord Noir. It grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the 9th century and was a quiet place. Unfortunately though Sarlat was caught between both French and English territory as it was a border town during the Hundred Years War and was decimated.
Even through these the town grew and still retains a distinctive medieval flavour with its ochre-coloured sandstone buildings and enticing streets. Sarlat is beautifully preserved with splendid medieval buildings, interesting alleyways and huge market square. It is truly beautiful, even in the rain!
It is also the centre of Fois Gras a sort after delicacy (poor geese) and the “caviar” of the pate world. There is a bronze statue of three geese by all the fancy shops.
Shopping is a delight if you want good Begerac wines, walnuts (caramalised, fresh, pickled, as vinegar and walnut oil, wine and liqueur) and things with pictures of geese on! No honestly though there are some lovely shops for locals as well as the tourist shops. Amongst the fabulous alleyways are an abundance of little restaurants all serving exceptionally good meals. These alleyways offer a cool place to sit during the summer months where of course the Dordogne reaches a hot 35 to 45 centrigrade. The last two years we have been lucky to be in Sarlat for the Bastille Day celebrations and fireworks. The town comes alive with music and dancing and street acts and about 9pm the fireworks are lit. This is amazing, you climb to the top of the town (the newer area) and stand right below the fireworks as they shoot skyward and explode. It’s a bit haphazard and health and safety isn’t big there LOL, but it was amazing to see the spectators dodge the falling bits of rockets and cinder sparks that fell. The display is free and involves the whole town. Hundreds of people turn up to celebrate the liberation of France. Although there are many people there you do not feel as though you are in danger. The “feel” of the place is wonderful and although you need to take precautions (as you would anywhere) e.g. not leave your wallet handy or your handbag open etc, it was great to see the children running about and enjoying themselves and people as a whole having a great time. For a serious feel good factor this is the place and time to be there (Oh yeah it’s the 14th July for those of you who aren’t sure).
Last July in Sarlat in on of their posher restaurants I tried out my newly learned (improved) French and still managed to make a total ass of myself LOL. In the Dordogne you eat EVERYTHING if you are not careful and things like, the oesophagus of a goose or the strips of gizzard of a duck… possibly nice, I wouldn’t know. I asked the waitress what some of the things were to have her point them out on her body, kidneys, liver, neck etc to help us. Anyway the menu was only in French and there was one last thing to ask what it was and I decided the ask “Ou est les Cepes?” (Where are the Cepes?) And pointed to my body. She laughed so hard she nearly fell over and said that Cepes were mushrooms! I said Champignons? And laughed with her. Oh well there’s never a dull moment with me around LOL.
Saint-Nathalene +++++++++++++++
We camped at a fabulous campsite in a tiny hamlet of St-Nathalene a few kilometres NW of Sarlat. St-Nathalene is a hamlet of a few houses, a church, an hotel and shop and a fabulous traditional Walnut mill. Still family run this mill uses a waterwheel for powering the mill and traditional preparation methods. It has one tour a week for English speakers and this summer has to be closed down to modernise the mill and bring it up to health and safety levels for the workers and tourists alike. It’s a shame as the owner said that it will change the mill forever and many of the traditional methods will be lost. It’s a shame as sometimes progress is a bad thing.
The hotel is fab it’s sort of like Faulty Towers on Valium. The family run business is bonkers and typically French. Some friends stayed there and loved every minute. The food is good and they have set menus of the day plus an a la carte menu. We had a four courses meal for two and a litre pitcher of house red and it came to Ł15.
This particular time we visited there was a camel chained up on the green and a circus parked on the car park of the hotel.
The campsite (there are two in the hamlet) is the one up the hill called Las Grottes De Roffy and its great. The campsite is set on terraces down the hill with a lovely shop, restaurant, bar and pool on the top. Jerome is a partner of the campsite and makes the most amazing pastries fresh every morning and cares about his guests. There are Eurocamp tents and caravans there and many pitches. It’s a spotless site with clean loo blocks, laundry block etc.
Google search Les Grottes de Roffy
We have been for three years now and love it.
Canoeing on the Dordogne River +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We took a canoe trip down the river organised by our campsite so transport was laid on and so was lunch. It was great fun we received good instructions, lifejackets and a two-seater canoe plus single paddles. We set off from the centre and headed downriver (of course!). The company was Canoes Loisirs Vitrac and we started from Vitrac and ended at Beynac. The trip was spectacular taking us along the valley past towering cliffs filled with prehistoric cave dwellings and on our right was a village cut into the stone called La Roque-Gageac. This magnificent village, officially classified as one of the most beautiful in France, nestles into its high, south-facing rock cliffs in a bend of the River Dordogne and enjoys an almost Mediterranean climate. It was most enjoyable and relaxing and we never capsized once! Be aware though the river can get busy and after rain it is high and very fast indeed. It cost about 23 Euros. Our verdict - it’s a MUST!
La Roque-Saint-Christophe ++++++++++++++++++++++
La Roque-Saint-Christophe is a wonderful half a day of interesting history and culture whilst being most enjoyable. It was an old cliff settlement with timber framed building front onto carved our caves and paths. It was in fact a self-sufficent town literally on the sheer cliffside. It was originally a prehstoric cave system that they took over and made their own with shops, schools, a church, butchers, bakers, and abattoir. There was a blacksmith and a port on the river that ran at the base of the cliffs with a huge winch to unload cargo and lift it to the settlement.
It represents one of the largest cliff settlements in the world, with an area of occupation over a kilometre in length and as many as 8 levels high! It is truly amazing. The site was occupied for nearly 20,000 years in all.
There were English translated information books you took around with you as you got to a number you read that part. A café was in the carpark by the river at the bottom.
We enjoyed it and used a rainy morning to explore.
Crossing the Border +++++++++++++++++++
We popped into the Lot a region south and went to Rocamadour....what a fab place, gobsmacking, stunning, astounding.... and perhaps another review as it is not this region.
Getting there +++++++++++
Fly to Bergerac or Bordeaux Drive from Calais (10 hours) Drive from St Malo (4 hours) Train (TGV) to Brive, coach to Sarlat Coach to Sarlat from London
Round Up +++++++++
Well what can I say? You just have to experience it, to smell, feel and live it and then fall in love with it. France is big, REALLY BIG, remember that. It is so varied and interesting and truly beautiful and it worth leaving the peages (toll roads) and finding corners that will touch you forever.
This review of course does not really cover the whole region but has hopefully given you a snifter and the desire to try it out.
Advantages: great food, glorious scenery Disadvantages: other tourists!
Picture a balmy summer lunchtime one mid-June. My mother, my teenage son and myself piled into the car and headed south from Norwich to the Chunnel. The journey went well; we even survived the M25, which my mum is terrified of. After a little delay we boarded and soon we were back on French soil. I have to say that after my initial resistance to the idea of travelling underneath the sea, the Eurotunnel has got be one of the best inventions ever, ... ...a very long way away, but now we get there in a matter of a few hours. At Calais we queued up for buffet trays to eat on the night train, with the obligatory bottle of red wine… when in France…! Just as we were served we heard the last call for all cars travelling to Brive… talk about by the skin of our teeth! We had decided after our last trip on Motorail to upgrade from standard class and a soon as we entered or cabin we knew it was the right decision. ...
raeisthehippychick 02.10.2003
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Have you used the Chunnel yet? What an impressive set-up. I mean, I had a vague idea of how it worked and so on but I was totally unprepared for the sophistication and thought which has gone into the service. The Shuttle trains are huge. Imagine a long wide train, as high as a double decker bus. Then imagine a carriage where the whole side drops down horizontally forming the long wide drive-on ramp. This allows you to drive easily on to the train. ... ...the other, until you are brought to a stop by the car in front of you. Each carriage takes four cars. It takes only a few minutes to load the whole train. The 'crossing', as they call it, takes about 35 minutes and within no time at all you are off the train and on your way. It is a brilliant system and we should be as proud of it as the French, justifiably, are. We visited France for a driving holiday in July 2001. We wanted to spend time in the ...
tagheur 02.11.2002
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Advantages: Lots of history, lots of good places to vist, drink and eat! Disadvantages: You need a car to get around
It never ceases to amaze me, how the British accept terrible quality food. You can go to almost any supermarket in Europe, and will find fresh wholesome, and above all tasty food.
During my recent trip to the Dordogne, we visited two markets, one in St Cyprian (sunday), and one in Sarlat (wednesday). The markets were excellent food experiences. The vegitable stalls sold beautiful fresh wholesome tomatoes, crunchy tasting cucumbers (you only get ... ...and an excellent choice of green vegitables , that Mr Tesco could only dream about. In addition, there are fantastic cheese stalls in French markets, including a stsall selling Gouda and Cumin flavorued cheese (why can't we get hold of this in the UK - the first Gouda and Cumin cheese importer will make their fortune, believe me), and meat stalls selling fresh meat (OK the chickens come with their head tucked decoratively around their attached feet ...
Slug 14.10.2001 (20.10.2001)
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Advantages: Good Weather, Food, Wine, Ambience Disadvantages: Mosquitos, Can get Busy with Tourists
Picture this; the year is circa 1980, 2 families, each with 2 children under 5, and one aunt, roped in to being a nanny, get into an old school minibus and make there first foray into France. They struggle with the children all the way down through France and eventually tell them that the French Police (Gendarmes) come to arrest little girls who aren’t asleep by 8pm. The children sleep and awake to the beautiful scenery of the Dordogne. Their ... ...the river underneath the magnificent village of Domme.
What followed was 10 years of camping holidays at the same site, with the same people, on the same pitch. For 6 weeks of the year 2 families lived in harmony, children ran around playing, learnt to swim in the river and had many adventures. This was my introduction to the Dong Dong (or Dordogne as I believe it’s officially called).
The Dordogne region (or Département) is named after the ...
josarah 12.05.2004 (13.05.2004)
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Advantages: Nice weather normally Disadvantages: Don't recommend visiting out of season. Many shops/restaurants close and weather does get bad.
My Grandparents moved to the Dordogne, or Perigord, when I was just a wee nipper, back in the late eighties. Since then I’ve been back time after time, and last visited during August and September last year, but I'll be off over there agai in about 2 weeks (end of May)(YIPPEE!!). The house is just outside the tiny village of St Martial De Viveyrol, about 12 miles south of Riberac, and is surrounded by nothing more than green (or yellow if the ... ...often appear bare for all but the occasional walnut tree, and the sky is of course…blue (sometimes)(Fridays only)(and every alternate Easter)(Actually, just scrub all that. The weathers often nice!!).
The area, despite the huge number of Brits (and a lot of Dutch too) who have bought homes holiday there, is possibly the most ‘French’ part of France I’ve ever seen. I normally go there for my free holidays in the sun, but the ...
BJEEE 23.02.2001 (11.05.2001)
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