What to do and what to see
(click on a photo to go to a relevant website about the activity)

Dordogne river... links to the Vezere
rivers		 Inspired by the sunflowers ? - grow your own !
fields of sunflowers		 Buy a good map of the Dordogne and discover all the wonderful villages !
villages 		Enjoy the blossoms and later in the year the fruits
orchards		 Castles of the Dordogne
castles
Bererac wines are delicious
vineyards
 All 557 towns and villages in the Dordogne !
towns 		Enjoy the wide variety of wildflowers (site in french)
wildflowers		 lakes for fishing, boating, or just enjoying the view
lakes		 Chateaux of the Dordogne
chateaux
canoeing on the Dordogne canoeing horse riding
horse riding 		hiking
walking/hiking		 GABARE at Bergerac Gabarre boat trip geese
foie gras farms
market
markets
 cheese
cheeses		 wine tasting
wine tasting 		figs and grapes
succulent summer fruit 		art classes
art classes
Museum of pre-history at les Eyzies
museums
 antiques / brocante / bric a brac
antique/brocante
 fine dining
fine dining 		Padirac cave
Padirac cave		 Re-created working village spread over 8HA - activities and fun for adults and children
Village Bournat
cycling
cycling		 golf
golf		 balloon
hot air balloon
Bridwatching - Cranes in flying formation
birdwatching		 A variety of caves and grottos to visit
caves
prehistoric park
lifelike prehistoric park		 World famous cave at Lascaux
cave at Lascaux

Bordeaux - less than 80 mins on the 189 motorway - superb museums art galleries shops and markets
city of Bordeaux

Ideal motorcycle roads !
motorcycling		 cepe mushroom - you can take mushrooms into any French pharmacy for identification ! This is to stop people poisoning themselves ! fungi gathering
The famous 'Clan of the Cave Bear' book series are partly based around the Vezere river
read the book?
Garden at Eyrignac
garden at Eyricnac

other gardens to visit in the area
other gardens

 wonderful local produce and artisan items
shopping		 Truffles - available in winter markets
truffle hunting
Arcachon Bay and the Atlantic Coast - 2 hours drive away
Arcachon Beach 		go carting
Go carting 		Aquariums at Le Bugue and Creysse
aquarium		 want to live here permenantly ??
house hunting... 		Fun for all the family
rides, shows, events
The largest strawberry tart in the world !
Largest strawberry
tart in the world! 		pumpkins
seasonal produce

 Practise your French !!

Parlez-vous français ? 

 bee orchid
orchids galore		 relax with a good book.....
r e l a x ....

The cottage is situated in a tiny hamlet of six dwellings, with the immediate neighbors being retired farmers and their adult son and daughter, who still live at home but work  respectively in the local farm cooperative and school.  They  have chickens, ducks, cats and kittens roaming their garden, their windowsills are a riot of geraniums in summer and they produce an abundance of salads and vegetables for their own consumption and are always ready to stop for a chat if you have the time.

The nearby village of Pont St Mamet has a excellent bakery and  small grocery (producing wonderful loaves, quiches, fruit tarts and of course croissants and pains au chocolat made on the premises). The village now has a good Bar Restaurant offering a good set lunch and a varied evening Menu à la Carte and a cosy bar with an open fire, and there is also a Post Office, a junior school  and tennis courts. It is an easy 20 minute drive down the nearby N21 to Bergerac, or about  the same distance north to Périgueux which is the capital of the Dordogne. Both cities are built alongside rivers and have superb medieval pedestrianised centers which are worth a visit, together with Museums and Cinemas for those occasional rainy dull days, and boat trips for when the sun is shining.

The surrounding area offers a variety of beautiful countryside and superb views. There are mixed farms (maize, sunflowers, tobacco and barley being the main crops) , small vineyards (the main wine producing areas are to the south of the river Dordogne and further west eg Monbazillac, Côtes de Duras, Ste Emilion, Montravel, Entre deux Mers to name a few) but here in the hills and valleys north of Bergerac there are some smaller vineyards producing unusual wines that are worth trying (eg Pecharmant, Rosette etc) -  wine tasting and purchase is usually possible on site.

The woodland stretches for miles - oak, pine and chestnut, with acacia plantations (the wood is used for posts for supporting the vines as it is hard and long lasting) - and offers paths for walking/cycling, horse riding etc.  Be careful on Sundays and Wednesdays during the autumn/winter months please as these are the days the farmers go out hunting. The hunting season starts in September and ends in February.

The villages and market towns are worth exploring, built of stone and offering architecture that dates back to medieval times - when the French and English fought over Aquitaine, when Lords of the Manor built complete Bastide towns to gain the loyalty of the local people and build up their armies, when markets were the main meeting place for farmers and special market halls were built to accommodate them.  Wander the quiet back lanes and take in the sense of history.   Take a  'petit crème' in the local bar and just watch the people.   Enjoy a special 'ouvriers (workmans) 11 euros lunch' in the local restaurant and enjoy the sight and sound of people enjoying their food and making the most of their long lunch hours!  

Relax, take your time, slow down - that's what holidays are all about!nuts

There are weekly markets in most local towns and at Vergt there is an Intermarché supermarket (Vergt is only a few minutes drive from the cottage and is the strawberry capital of the Dordogne - worth visiting the area in May and June just for the abundance of mouth-watering strawberries in the markets !)  There are most of the big name supermarkets in the area (Leclerc, Intermarché, Champion etc at Bergerac and Perigueux  plus Auchan at Marsac east of Perigueux and Carrefour at Boulazac west of Perigueux)

However, if you prefer the small local businesses then the Pont St Mamet village bakery/general store can supply you with most basic goods and certainly very very tasty bread, croissants, pains au chocolat, gateaux and savoury pies etc. Villamblard has a small Monday market and there are local farms for Foie Gras  etc   This is not the time to consider a diet - there is plenty of time for that when you get back home!
 
Périgueux boasts superb museums, the  Versuna museum of Roman history is in a stunning new building and there is also the original museum of prehistory/art etc.  At Les Eyzies is the National Museum of Prehistory and many other towns have collections and museums worth visiting.

The Dordogne is known as the land of 1000 Châteaux, they dominate the river, nestle in the countryside, preside over towns – if you like medieval history then the châteaux and bastide towns will give you many weeks of pleasure.

Bergerac old town has the Museum of Tobacco and a superb ancient church and if you stroll down to the river there is the quay where boat trips can be taken along the river Dordogne and where you can learn about the local wine in the superb CIVRB premises set around the converted cloisters overlooking the river - it also has an excellent shop with a very good selection of local wines and knowledgeable and helpful staff to guide you in your choice (see photo below for link to their site)

There are rowing and canoeing clubs, walking groups, art lessons and language classes galore  (see the photos above and click on the links to give more details)

Plus of course there are  the wonderful Restaurants in towns and villages or the Auberges hidden deep in the countryside - lunchtime is when you get the best value for money with their Menus at set prices which will leave you wondering where you can sleep the afternoon away gently, and in the evening you can treat yourself to the Menu Gastronomique perhaps .. or simply go back to the Cottage and sit in the garden with a selection of wines and cheeses and salads and listen to the birds   (see links above for food and drink and local produce)

Convinced - if not, then there is not a lot else to say about this delightful and slightly 'old fashioned'
region that draws so many people from all over the world to return time and time again.  nuts
Queyssac church at dusk Web sites of interest :

average temperatures in the Dordogne ( Cº or Fº)

interactive map of the Dordogne

english language weather forecasting

a good guide book for your trip

another fantastic guide book

Health Cover whilst on holiday in Europe


Weird and wonderful photo's of South West France !

similar (tasteful) contributions can be sent to Sue on sueimmorama@wanadoo.fr (compressed to less than 100kb please)
Is this a joke or truly a place name ? very pleased to learn that duck is the most popular dish in the Dordogne! Trompe d'oeil
Let's hope it doesn't rain before they collect their bread! A truly multi-cultural society ! Sign for literate cows ?
but you should try to speak French ! True gypsies in South West France Hare cages - thankfully no longer used in the Dordogne
Merry go round at Dordogne country fair Surfing a river bore Dragon at St Font
nuts
Enjoyed your holiday in the Dordogne ?
Want to have a permanent or holiday home here ?
Go to www.bergerac-and-beyond.com
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