DORDOGNE - Les Cabanes de Breuil

I really loved the Cabanes de Breuil. I have seen a similar type of thing at Gourdes in Provence but this one felt much more intimate, perhaps because it incorporated as part of a working farm with geese and chickens that run freely.

The Cabanes themselves are absolutely beautiful – perhaps more so because of their sandstone colouring. When I visited in June they were surrounded by lavender, rosemary and various herbs and fruit trees which were all labelled for children as part of the educational aspect of the site. Some of the chickens had tiny chicks and the kids were mesmerised as they all ran around in a little group.

Inside, the Cabanes were tiny and it made me wonder about the size of the Benedictine inhabitants leading up to the 15th century, and later the Perigordian artisans who inhabited them during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Some have been decked out with artefacts of ages all of which is explained by the accompanying guide. However, the most exciting part of the visit is where you can try to build your own at the end – they have provided the stones and what it should look like, but no one had managed it so far…