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Still working on this one -- there is SOOOO much to tell you about and SO many amazing photos to post !
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Bridge
to Le Port de Trémolat
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View from the famed Cingle de Trémolat
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But
first a little teaser. This gorgeous bridge carries the little country road we live on. The photo
was taken from our picnic table at the river's edge. Our riverbank is a protected area for the swans, cranes, ducks
and herons that flourish on the languid Dordogne. Fishing is from the opposite bank, along a little path in the woods. The panoramic shot to the right shows
our bridge in the upper left corner, and the farmland that surrounds us. Pretty, eh?! But you'd never guess how
energized the neighbouring villages can be -- with markets, festivals, concerts and antique fairs. Plus, this is the
region of France that introduced the now-ubiquitous Marchés Nocturnes -- communal dinners in town squares
where you bring your own place settings and shop the booths for dinner. This being the Dordogne, foie gras
and amazing confits de canard are always on offer, and with pommes sarladaises, of course! The Key Drives
You’ll find several travel
books in the bookcase, plus a fat folder of maps and pamphlets for the sights we recommend. But before you get here,
Google any of these place names, and stand back!
Here are the three must-see drives:
1) Follow the river eastward
to La Roque-Gageac, then swing up to Sarlat, less than an hour east of here, as that will sweep up lots of the best sights
in one short trip. Go on a Wednesday or Saturday so you can sweep up the amazing food market in Sarlat. Spend
an hour or two strolling the wonderful cliff-top yew-tree garden at Jardin de Marqueyssac (and get some amazing local ice
cream there, too!).
2) Take an hour-long long diagonal trip southwest of here, sweeping up historic Cadouin, Beaumont,
Issigeac and Eymet, catching Monbazillac on the way back. (Do get out and walk around Cadouin, Issigeac and particularly
Eymet, the best part of which is car-free.) This wonderfully pastoral route is particularly good on a Sunday, when Issigeac
has one of the very best markets in the region.
3) Finally, take the
hour-long drive northeast up to Lascaux II, the public replication of the famous pre-historic painted cave which is now shut
to the public. You don’t necessarily need to see the cave, it being a reproduction and all, but the drive up the
Vézère river valley is splendid and full of genuine and fascinating ancient sites to visit – plus a worthwhile
chateau or two! We particularly love the Chateau de Losse on Route D 706, which is (unusually) partly furnished and
incredibly graceful. www.chateaudelosse.com
The impossibly-pretty
little village of Paunat, ten minutes north-east of us, is a must-see visit. Each August they feature first-rate classical
music recitals in the ancient abbatiale. And each December they have a truffle fair -- food stalls serving nothing but truffle-based
hot foods, well, and wine of course!
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DINING OUT Tempting though it is to eat at home every night (and al fresco, at that -- no bugs!), there is fantastic
food to be had here at every price range. Tremolat alone has its Michelin-starred Vieux Logis (hailed by the American Gourmet
Magazine in May 2009 as the finest restaurant in all the Dordogne) AND the best pizza restaurant in the region. There's
a list of our favourite restaurants in the kitchen, and you'll surely have done a bit of research on your own. Within
a half-hour radius you can find restaurants ranging from world-class refinement to a retired couple who serve the best confit
and foie gras in the world on tottering little tables in their pretty back yard. Note to October visitors, GET THEIR
CASSOULET!! The classic cuisine of Perigord features, besides duck and goose, the other key regional products which
it grows and ships throughout France and around the world: strawberries, walnuts, truffles, Bergerac wines and the elegant
Sauternes-like Monbazillac. Don't miss the night markets, where you picnic on regional food specialties in rustic village
squares throughout the region.
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THE
RIVER & ITS CANALS The Dordogne, shallow in summer
and rather slow-moving in many spots, is considerably warmer than you might expect, and a delight to swim in. There
are many beaches along the roads from which swimming is fun, quiet and easy. (Though our own bit of protected riverbank
is a bit wild -- it's very picturesque, but not suitable for swimming.) Canoe rentals are available throughout the region
so you can enjoy any number of leisurely hour-long scenic spectaculars. Waterskiing and pedalos are available at the
Trémolat Bassin Nautique, and short barge trips can be booked in the fantastic carved-into-the-cliffsides village of
La Roque Gageac on the road to Sarlat. Rent a basic bike in Trémolat (or a fancy one a bit farther away) and
cycle the tranquil towpaths beside the local canals which skirt the occasional rapids which made it rough sailing when goods
from the region drifted downriver to Bordeaux two centuries ago. Climb Richard the Lionheart's spectacular fortified
castle in Beynac.
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There are a dozen golf
courses within a 40-minute drive. Many will rent clubs if you haven't brought your own. Enjoy your own golfing holiday
and send the others off to one of the many canoe hire places, tennis clubs or equestrian centres. (The many fine stables
here and glorious scenery make for extraordinary riding.) Pike and perch abound in the local rivers. Though we prefer picking the wild
flowers along the quiet country lanes, you will also find places for quad biking and go-carts if you really need to! And of course at every turn in the
road you can take in the historic towns and villages, including the fortified bastide towns which still bear the scars of
the 14th-Century Hundred Years' War, or see Europe's earliest art treasures, the cave paintings of early man at Lascaux. Or
visit Les Milandes, where Josephine Baker raised her rainbow tribe of orphans, or gape at the stunning natural rock formations
in the region's many spectacular caverns. Or cross from our Perigord Noir over to the Perigord Pourpre, where you can
visit the vinyards of Bergerac and Bordeaux. Make a long but stunning all-day jaunt down to the wilds of the Lot River.
Or just stay home by the pool and enjoy all the peace, calm and modern conveniences of your home-from-home, 'Le Chabrol'
!
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