Dordogne and Burgundy regions France. (Sep 21)
We have just spent the last two weeks exploring southwest France 🇫🇷.
Our destination, a roomy GĂ®te (HPB site) just north of the Dordogne river, near the village of St-Felix-de-Villadeix, was closer both in time and distance than the area I visited in the highlands of Scotland a few weeks ago – only in the opposite direction!
Castles and walled towns are everywhere, both original and restored. Every village has its own character and is rich in history. No wonder the English and French were arguing over this region for centuries.
We had to check the tide maps on Wednesday (on a little overnight excursion we took out of the Dordogne) in order to kayak up the Eyre river to Biganos, exploring the Arcachon basin river delta. It’s a wildlife sanctuary here too so plenty of nature to see. Up and down the estuary on the tide made for an easy morning.
On Tuesday, we visited the Dune du Pilat which is an amazing natural spectacle on the west coast just south of La Teste-de-Buch. It is so huge (over 100m high) it has to be seen to be believed; I’m sure the photos will not do it justice (zoom in on the photos to see the little dots are actually people). On one side the dune looks down to the lush green forests stretching as far as the eye can see, on the other, across deep blue lagoons and the constantly shifting white sandy islands just off the coast. We walked down to the almost empty, pristine beach and took our time meandering along the bay to Petit Nice, stopping there for lunch (a ridiculously large bowl of mussels, and plate of seafood!)
The rest of the two weeks were spent pottering about on kayaks or bikes on the Dordogne and La Vezere river valleys. There is a wonderful (relatively flat) cycle track that starts at Mauzac and ends at Bergerac; it’s easy, following the line of the river, and well worth the effort with the bonus of great eateries at either end and along the way. Thanks also to Martyn and Julie Smith for recommending TrĂ©molat during our first week, we had a great cycle to the view point at the Cingle de TrĂ©molat and an excellent meal back in the village, the local speciality – duck!
We have also taken in the impressive sights of Domme and Sarlat-la-Caneda plus a few local markets, but our favourite unexpected moment was stumbling across St.Cyprien, a tiny, unspoiled village with a huge church. At times it looked like we were walking through an empty film set, or had passed through some kind of time warp.
We lucked out with the weather too. Most days have been sunny, with temperatures between 26-29 degrees.
Yesterday, after our (negative) antigen test, we headed for BrantĂ´me en PĂ©rigord, wow, just wow! We have to come back and spend more time here! And then on to the commune of AngoulĂŞme for a cycle and a cold beer in a quirky local bar.
Back home tomorrow with tons of great memories, a car boot full of wine and a few extra pounds around our waists! Jo Wicks exercises start again on Monday!
The HPB Gîte at St-Felix-de-Villadeix
