DORDOGNE - La Roque-Gageac & Gabarres

I came across La Roque-Gageac by chance whilst following signs for the Château de Castelnaud, and it was so beautiful I just had to stop. It is another village built into the overhanging rock, but the situation right on the banks of the Dordogne makes it particularly striking and perhaps the best example I’ve seen.



The village was busy and I couldn’t find a spot in the car park, but luckily managed to find a free spot close to the departure point for the Gabarres. These are traditional flat bottomed boats that were used for carrying cargo along the Dordogne, but which now offer pleasure trips of about an hour from La Roque-Gageac and Beynac. I am really not a boat person, but it looked such a fab thing to do that before I knew it, I’d booked myself on the next departure!



We didn’t actually travel that far, but we had a lovely view of the village from the water and explanations in French from the guide or English/other nationalities by audio guide. We sailed along past La Roque-Gageac and the Château de la Malartrie to the junction with the Ceou – a privately owned river – and then on to Castelnaud-la-Chapelle.



Apparently, Gabarres are not allowed to pass under the bridge at Castelnaud because in the summer up to 4,000-5,000 canoes per day travel up and down this section. Blimey!

On the way back we saw limestone strata, herons nests, the source de la Bullide where the village of Castelnaud still take most of the drinking water from, and whose constant cool temperature of about 13 degrees even in the summer attract lots of fish such as trout and salmon. I also spotted a kingfisher and an abundance of brightly coloured green and blue dragon flies.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to visit the troglodytic dwellings above the village or even the church, so after a quick lunch of delicious salmon quiche, I was on my way again.

DORDOGNE - Château de Castelnaud

The Château de Castelnaud is the most visited castle in the south west of France and I have to admit is was impressive, but you don’t get a real sense of the sheer scale of it as you approach as it is crowded by the village at its feet



As well as being an important historical monument in its own right, Castelnaud is a museum dedicated to the 100 years war. Apparently, the castle fell into English hands seven times during the conflict. Inside there are lots of exhibits of weapons, armour and the biggest crossbow I have ever seen!



The visit follows a set route through the castle and grounds, onto the ramparts and then down to the bastion where there are also replicas of huge catapult type weapons.



Below the bastion is a small cottage garden, and an area that would have been used for games or war games such as sword fighting. A couple of the rooms such as the kitchen have been arranged to give visitors an idea of how life would have been, and in July and August they do evening visits with costumed guides as well as daytime activities such as a demonstration of how to use a canon but as it was only June I’d missed out by a couple of weeks.



The village below is quite twee and worth a short detour for coffee or ice cream before making your way back to the car park. This is another one where they have decided to charge 3€ for parking so it makes the entrance fee of 7€ seem slightly less reasonable. However, I did discover they did a twin ticket with the ‘Jardins Suspendus de Marqueyssac’, so I did save a little there!

DORDOGNE - Jardins de Marqueyssac

When I first noticed the photo of the Jardins Suspendus de Marqueyssac in my guide to Perigord Noir, I was immediately intrigued and just knew I had to visit. The most visited gardens in Perigord, it is easy to see why as it really does offer something different.



Made up of tens of thousands of sculpted boxwoods, from a distance, the gardens look like a blanket over something lumpy – not a very enticing description, but impossible to accurately explain! What I hadn’t appreciated is that the gardens surround a beautiful château with pale lavender coloured shutters and some rooms which are also open to the public.

When I first saw the bedroom, I was so pleased that Florence wasn’t with me as I knew she’d want to move straight in! The décor actually struck me as very English in style, also the dining room which had a very formal feel to it

The park is designed for walking and offers 8km of paths so I was glad I’d brought my walking shoes as I was in hogs heaven! I first took the Promenade des Falaise (cliff walk) but it wasn’t as energetic as it sounded. The walk was mostly flat along gravel but was hugging the cliff face on one side. This brought me to the Esplanade where there was a little folly and beautifully laid out grass gardens

A little further on was the Belvédère which was a sort of tree house vantage point with views across the valley, but I was too much of a cowardy custard to go up! Shortly after the Belvédère was a small children’s play area where there was a drinks machine and toilets. However, I was more interested in the Cascade nearby.

The waterfall was only a small one, but it was fascinating as the basin was full of steam as though the water was boiling hot. It clearly wasn’t as I don’t think the goldfish would have been too happy, so I suspect it is to do with the humidity. I didn’t fancy returning by the same route, but luckily there was lots of choice so I choose the main boulevard and headed back to the aviary where I came across a beautiful peacock.

Amazingly, he let me get so close that I didn’t need to use the zoom at all! After the aviary, I visited the nature pavilion, but it was all a bit macabre with stuffed badgers, ferrets, weasels, foxes and other small predators preying on seagulls and other birds. Yuk!

After a last trip round the château and a visit to the formal gardens at the front and the tea room at the back, it was time to visit the gift shop for a couple of ‘mange chagrin’ – beetles and ladybirds in a small wooden box that you tell your troubles to when you’re sad, close the box and in the morning your sadness has been eaten by the beetle/ladybird. I also managed to get a magnetic dragonfly to replace the crocodile I decapitated in Domme!

DORDOGNE - Beynac-et-Cazenac

Having seen so many beautiful places in the Dordogne, I was slightly disappointed with Beynac-et-Cazenac at first sight, but that was before I discovered the château and the old town!

My plan was to head up to the château first which is a couple of kilometres above the village and then explore the village afterwards. I could feel my hackles rise as I realised that once again I would be charged for parking at the château, but it turned out to be just 2€ and the ticket was valid for all the other parking areas – including the lower town – so it wasn’t so bad.



Most of the châteaux in this area are actually fortified castles rather than the stately home type châteaux of the Loire and other areas I’ve visited, and Beynac is no exception. Some of the rooms have been set up to illustrate castle life through the ages such as the kitchen, the great hall and other reception rooms, more opulent in style.

Flags adorn the walls as do weapons and even suits or amour, so there is no doubting that this is first and foremost a feudal castle.

Visitors can climb the towers where the views are stunning and you can really appreciate the strategic positioning, and the difficulty for invaders. It is said that Richard the 1st (Richard the Lionheart) stayed here in 1194.



For some reason, the Château de Beynac really captured my imagination, and if the village of Saint Léon sur Vezère was like something out of a Miss Marple film, The Château de Beynac could be the set for a Cadfael mystery!



The village below is actually very pretty once you turn off the main road, and it is worthwhile spending some time just wandering through the cobbled streets and passageways. I made the mistake of following the sign marked ‘vieille ville’ which is a pedestrianised street and also gives access to the château by foot (1200m). What they don’t say on the sign is that the ascent is virtually vertical for the first 100m or so, and I was desperately in need of oxygen by the time I got to the top!

Fortunately, it soon levels off and you have a lovely view of the sandstone houses with the Dordogne River below where the Gabarres meander along. The houses are also adorned with flowers, so it’s a nice deviation.

Rather that retrace my steps, I followed the path down to river level and walked back along to rejoin the lower town. I was tempted to pass the time of day in one of the cafés lining the riverbanks, but with so much else to see and do, it was time to push on to Belvès.

DORDOGNE - Belvès

Belvès was another of the villages on my ‘must see’ list, and I wasn’t disappointed! I arrived just before lunchtime, and made a quick tour of the village before finding myself on the Place d’Armes where the tourist information office is.



I’d seen a sign for a guided visit to the troglodyte dwellings in the caves below the village, so I was hoping there would still be a place for the midday tour. The lady behind the desk asked if preferred English or French, so I said English, and she said there were not enough people as they needed 4 minimum. Thinking quickly I said the French tour would suit me just as well, and she replied that there weren’t enough for the French tour either – why bother asking! She did give me a photocopied map of the town with all the main sights marked, so I set off again on foot.



The Castrum was definitely worth a visit with its ancient sandstone houses and narrow cobbled streets which lead to the little castle. The street here is very slightly terraced and another visitor – a French lady of 80 years old – unexpectedly threw herself at my feet. We were just in front of the old hospital at the time, but they weren’t accepting any new patients. Fortunately, nothing was broken, so after settling her on the wall to get her breath back, I carried on.

I came across the Hotel Bontemps by pure chance as my town plan had blown away while the old lady was telling me repeatedly how old she was. The building itself dates back to the 12th century but the Renaissance façade which is absolutely beautiful even in it’s current state of age and disrepair was added later in 1520. It is named after Bontemps, a French Captain who fought for the King of England during the hundred year war.



Using my common sense and following the rue du Château, I managed to find the brightly coloured château. It must be something to do with the colour of the rocks/sand in the area as all the medieval houses were the same orangey/pink colour. The château itself was quite striking, but looked like it’d been built by a child; I’ll just add this bit here, and this bit here, and then this can go over here, and I’ve got a bit that doesn’t match but that can go there…

DORDOGNE - Monpazier

I’ve never heard of Monpazier so it wasn’t a place I’d planned to visit, but on the advice of my host at La Boiseraie, I decided to take a look, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip!



The main parking area is outside the main gates of the Bastide, and it’s free – hurrah! I could see through the arched gateway that more treasures lay beyond.



On this side, the town is accessible through two gates, each with a pedestrianised street linking them to the central square. These wide streets are lined with artisanal shops, and intriguing boutiques that I could have spent hours exploring.

The central square is absolutely stunning. Each building is essentially on stilts, with the ‘feet’ linked by beautiful arches. The space below the buildings is covered above but completely open on all sides so these days they are home to souvenir shops, restaurants, the tourist office and even a small gallery.

The restaurants take full advantage of the beautiful setting and what a fabulous place to while away the afternoon with a sport of people watching. Ah, bliss!

DORDOGNE - Cadouin & l’Abbaye de Cadouin

The Abbey at Cadouin is reputed to hold a peace of the cloth that covered Jesus, but don’t they all say that? What interested me was the cloister, which is meant to be one of the most beautiful in the area. I’d read in the guide the tourist office sent me that it was closed until July, but I decided to take a detour anyway and see what the abbey was like from the outside.



I wasn’t expecting much of the village itself as it doesn’t seem to be mentioned in any of my guide books, but what a gorgeous little place. The square is dominated by the abbey which is absolutely huge, but there is also a beautiful ‘halle’ (ancient market place), a couple of café/restaurants and even a wine cellar where a jug of the house wine costs just 2.50€ - what a bargain!



I’d read on the information panel that the cloister was in fact open in June, but not until 2pm so I decided on a quick Panini and glass of Rose while I was waiting – for tasting purposes only of course. 2pm came and went, and a number of visitors were milling about the information board waiting for them to open. By 2:15 we began to suspect that there was a problem so having got nowhere enquiring at the town hall, the lady at the wine cellar pointed out ‘except Tuesdays’ in tiny writing below the times. Drats!



Luckily, when I explored the abbey earlier in the day I discovered that the door leading to the cloister from the church had a Perspex window which was slightly broken at the bottom. Risking injury (or perhaps being hailed as a stigmata when I slashed my wrist), I stuck my hand through the gap and snapped off a couple of shots.

There was just time for a spot of quick window shopping at the antique type shops opposite before heading off again. These shops where chocked full of the things that we English think of as typically French and therefore absolutely love, and it reminded me again of the heavy British influence in this area.

What a shame it was Tuesday and also that Cadouin is just a little too far for a return visit another day.