TRAVEL • DORDOGNE The guide to the Impossibly picturesque: Château de Castelnaud towers over the village and the Dordogne, with Beynac in the distance DORDOGNE France’s most celebrated region, with its mellow villages, sun-dappled hills and delectable food and wine, is just a drive away. Here’s what to do when you get there… Words by Carolyn Boyd 38 BOUNDLESS.CO.UK BOUNDLESS.CO.UK 39 TRAVEL • DORDOGNE WHERE TO STAY HOTELS house for 10 and a cottage for There are plenty of hotels in two. Some more selective the Dordogne for every budget. companies include Holiday At the luxury end, Le Vieux Cottages and Villas; Sawdays Logis in Trémolat is a cosy and Simply Perigord. And if it’s former inn with great character. luxury you’re after, take a look For mid-range, Hôtel Edward at CV Villas. 1er in Monpazier has its own pool, while the Hôtel Les CAMPING Glycines et Spa at Les Eyzies- Camping is very popular in the de-Tayac has a spa. For views, Dordogne, and many campsites look no further than the are set next to the rivers cosy L’Esplanade in Domme, Dordogne or Vienne – perfect which perches high over the for enjoying water sports such Dordogne River. as canoeing. Eurocamp’s Camping Le Capeyrou boasts SELF-CATERING one of the most dramatic There is an enormous choice settings on the river under the of self-catering gîtes, and gaze of the clifftop château and narrowing them down can be village in Beynac-et-Cazenac, a challenge, especially when while the Domaine de Soleil some of the bigger operators Plage at Vitrac has a river offer so many. beach. Limeuil is one of the ith the eponymous Clockwise from BEST MARKET meats and fromagers sell a selection A good one for area’s most beautiful villages river winding its way above Taking REGIONAL SPECIALITIES AT ISSIGEAC of excellent cheeses. Other local sun-drenched snaps both bigger groups and Le Port de Limeuil past golden-stone between the river With many visitors to the Dordogne arriving on a specialities are walnuts, so look and couples is Campsite is set on the river just villages and dramatic and the cliffs in La Saturday, the must-do activity is a Sunday morning out for walnut liqueurs and walnut Le Mas & Le Mazet outside. It’s also a good one for Roque-Gageac; FRANCE cliffs, the Dordogne is market in order to stock up on food for the week cakes. Of course, the Dordogne’s (lemasdordogne. easy reach of the prehistoric mouthwatering a quintessential view of and for that, the village of Issigeac is hard to beat. most famous specialities are confit com), which has a sites in the Vézère Valley. temptations are MOLINEUX BRITTANY MAP ILLUSTRATION: France, where the sun found in every town With pastel-coloured timber-framed houses above, de canard, duck preserved in its shines and life slows and village; Le Mas the market stalls line the winding narrow streets own fat, and foie gras, duck or goose down to a gentle pace. Across the rolling landscape offers self-catering down to the church square and offer a bounty of liver pâté. With both stalls and small W accommodation you’ll find walnut groves and vineyards, magnificent with stunning views produce all year round. Local farmers bring their village boutiques selling them, it couldn’t châteaux and carefully curated gardens. Hidden piles of soil-flecked vegetables to sell, laying them be easier to snap up a few tins to enjoy while there from view are some of the world’s most important out on trestle tables, while charcutiers sell cured or to take home. Issigeac’s night market takes place prehistoric and geological caves. Pause for lunch or every Thursday in July and August, when visitors dinner and you’ll discover the area’s hearty and rustic and locals all sit down at shared tables in the pretty cuisine, with local chefs using ingredients such as church square to enjoy a meal, with live music duck and goose as enthusiastically as their forebears, contributing to a fun, carnival atmosphere. giving it a modern twist with locally grown produce Find out more at issigeac.fr and served with excellent local wines. Yet with this much to see, do, eat and enjoy, you can feel almost too spoilt for choice. The question is ‘where to start?’. So, if you’re new to the region, Issigeac’s Sunday we suggest a taster of the area by picking one cave, one garden, one château, one village and one morning market market. It’s an approach that will also work for those who have visited several times, exploring lesser- is hard to beat if known attractions on further visits. But whatever you choose to do on a trip to the you want to stock Dordogne, you can be sure of a wonderful holiday in one of France’s most idyllic areas. BEN PORRITT ALAMY, GETTY IMAGES, PHOTOS: up on tasty food 40 BOUNDLESS.CO.UK BOUNDLESS.CO.UK 41 TRAVEL • DORDOGNE BEST CHÂTEAU The Sistine Chapel HANDS-ON FUN AT CHÂTEAU DE BRIDOIRE of Prehistory: vibrant The Château de Bridoire is a relative newcomer to paintings at Lascaux the Dordogne tourist trail. After decades of neglect by absent owners, the 12th-century castle fell into ruin. Its entire contents were plundered, including the staircases and the fireplaces, while other parts Above Boxing clever BEST GARDEN BEST CAVE of the building were vandalised. In 2002, it was in the gardens of JARDINS SUSPENDUS DE MARQUEYSSAC PREHISTORIC ART AT LASCAUX requisitioned by the state and then in 2011, bought Marqueyssac There can be few gardens anywhere in the world WHERE TO The Lascaux Caves house some of the world’s most by the Guyot family, who had Above left One of that feel as magical as the hanging gardens of impressive prehistoric art, but it wasn’t until 1940 previously restored other the painstakingly Marqueyssac, overlooking the spectacular Dordogne ENJOY LOCAL that the vibrant paintings of rust-red, black and châteaux in France. With restored lounges at Valley from a rocky outcrop between the villages of ochre bulls, horses and stags were revealed. Dubbed Château de Bridoire love and passion, the La Roque-Gageac and Beynac-et-Cazenac. The most DELICACIES ASK A ‘The Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’, the caves were family have breathed iconic attraction here is the complex of 150,000 LOCAL discovered by four teenage boys after their dog fell a wonderful new life boxwood trees pruned into neat domes and balls When eating in the Dordogne, into a hole created by a storm-felled tree. This “The Dordogne is into the place, with of varying shapes and sizes, with curvaceous paths the best local products are heartwarming story is told in more detail in the just perfect for its rooms restored to weaving between them. Every Thursday evening in duck, foie gras, truffles new replica, Lascaux IV, which opened in late 2016. and walnuts, which touring in a all their former glory. summer, the paths are lit by some 2,000 candles classic car: one The €57 million project is set in a futuristic building you’ll find on most Rather than being while jazz bands fill the air with atmospheric music. of our favourite tucked into the side of a hill just a few hundred menus. For fine a ‘look don’t touch’ While it would be tempting to lounge on the café routes is to metres from the original, which was closed in 1963 dining, the restaurant kind of place, you can terrace in the shadow of the château overlooking the follow the river when humidity from visitors’ breath was seen to be at Le Vieux Logis in try on armour, helmets view, the wider garden holds myriad attractions, valley east from causing damage. It houses an entire replica of the Trémolat is led by Bergerac, enjoy a and chainmail. In a games from dry-stone huts, rockeries, art sculptures and, of Michelin-star chef 17,000-year-old cave art and, as part of the tour, the lazy lunch at La room in the château and an course, a wide variety of plants and trees. Make time Vincent Arnould. Also in guides explain how sophisticated the Cro-Magnon Roque-Gageac area of the gardens, there are some to walk up the grand boulevard through the garden Trémolat is the Auberge les artists were, showing the animals’ movement and 80 different games to play, including bagatelle and and up a long staircase that criss-crosses a trickling and finish off at perspective in their work. Following the tour of the Truffières, which offers a more Domme.” target practice. With various events and initiatives stream to the top of the belvedere, where the view is caves, a gallery shows each part in more detail, and rustic dining experience. In Bergerac, La Table Andy Sayle, going on throughout the year, such as treasure spectacular. On the river below, you’ll see traditional du Marché Couvert is excellent, as is the Table Cross Channel with the help of a tablet guide, you can learn more hunts, evening openings and festivals, there’s never fat-bottomed gabares boats cruise past the village of de Léo at Saint-Avit-Sénieur and L’Atelier in Sports Cars, about the original art and the painstaking work by a dull moment at this vibrant attraction. La Roque-Gageac, where golden-stone cottages are Issigeac. In La Roque-Gageac, reserve a table at Tarn-et-Garonne an international team of modellers, sculptors and Entry: €9 adults/€6 children (4-10 years); tucked into the rocks along the riverfront.