A week in Dordogne

We spent the first week of our self-drive holiday to France in a delightful house in the beautiful and picturesque village of La Roque-Gageac perched right up on the banks of the River Dordogne. We arrived early afternoon having taken a late afternoon Eurotunnel the night before and stayed at a little motel close to Orleans on the way down. We chose not to use the toll roads all the way down to the Dordogne, instead taking the A road through some very pretty little towns and villages which passed the time away nicely!

We were blown away by, and never tired of, the view of the River, the Chateau and the village from our wonderful house. The photos really hadn’t done the property justice. We had views from the double bedroom on the top floor, the living room on the ground floor, the children’s room on lower ground floor and from our private swimming pool and breakfast patio! Most mornings and evenings we watched the hot air balloons travelling up the River and over the hills and chateaux in the distance. It was truly spectacular!

Of course we spent a lot of time chilling by the pool, reading books and marvelling at the view. However, we were active on some days….we spent a full day canoeing on the Dordogne…hiring 2 kayaks from ‘Canoe Dordogne’ we paddled 16km from Vitrac to Les Milandes passing through La Roque-Gageac en-route which gave us a different perspective of our town and house and stopping for a picnic lunch on the river bank. Although this is a very popular ‘excursion’ and the river packed with fellow travellers it was still good fun.

Having enjoyed the kayaking so much we decided to spend another day on the water, this time in the River Vezere. This was a much quieter and very picturesque river and we found it much more relaxing with very few other people on the river.

The Gardens of Marqueyssac were absolutely stunning and well worth a visit. The 150,000 boxwoods are quite amazing and the views from the Belvedere balcony, 192 meters high and 130 meters above the river, unveiled an exceptional panoramic view of the Dordogne River. We spent a few hours waking around the gardens and admiring the spectacular views of the valley and beyond.

We spent a late afternoon in the fortified village of Domme which stands 150 metres above the Dordogne River. We stayed for an early supper at a lovely little bistro called ‘La Poivriere’. The plat du jour was excellent value.

Another drive took us to Beynac, Chateau de Castelnau, Chateau des Milandes, Saint Cyprien ….all very attractive towns and vistas….and we had a wonderful few hours wandering the medieval town or Sarlat with its fine examples of architecture, interesting buildings and alleyways. Not to mention the most amazing market….farmers’ cheeses, olives, fresh produce, olive oil, nuts and wines….the sights and smells were far too tempting!

And of course we were quite happy wandering down the steep steps into La Roque each morning to buy our croissant and pain chocolate and our baguettes each morning from the local boulangerie and then again in the afternoons for an ice cream and watch the canoes go by!

A truly wonderful week in the Dordogne.