A Trip to the Dordogne:Part 1

The Dordogne River

{be sure to click on the photos to view them larger…}

Last autumn we made one of our most favorite trips to France. [ I know.  I say that about every trip to France.:)] Not only did we spend 8 days in the beautiful parc du Perche, but we also spent a week in the Périgord Noir, in the department of the Dordogne.

The Dordogne is a region of France that has become a very popular tourist destination. It has also become home to many British expats, owing, perhaps, not only to its green, bucolic beauty,and the warmer-than-English weather, but also to its honey-colored houses which look very similar to those in the Cotswolds. 

We stayed near the town of La Roque-Gageac,a picture postcard village on the banks of the Dordogne River, in a beautiful little house called La Bergerie.  This cozy spot was part of a complex of gîtes known as Rocquecombe




Here is the property, with three of the other houses which rent to guests by the week.

La Bergerie is tucked away in the pines.  Here we had  our apero every afternoon.

Our hosts, Phillippe and Anne-Marie, graciously invited all the guests for an aperitif one evening.  I had never tasted these delicious cocktails before, but they reminded me of Dubonnet or cream sherry.

The next day Philippe took us all on the most marvelous tour of some the châteaux in the area where we were staying.

This one is in Saint-Crépin-et-Carlucet, about 15 minutes from Sarlat

 Château Pierrelacy,

 a sweet little castle dating back to the 16th century

We were enchanted by this adorable dependance...

…and by this fellow who peeked out to say hello! What was a goat doing in the attic?

I can't remember the name of this castle, but it was abandoned and was in ruins on the backside.  Ooo.  Could I have some fun playing there…!

Chateau de la Grand Filolie

in Montignac

This was our favorite château of all.

We would never had found this had it not been for our host.  In addition to stopping to takes photos here, we also took the time to go on a 1 kilometer randonné on a chemin which completely encircled the  property.

This is a view of the west side of the castle.

I took this shot from the back of the property and made it into my Halloween greeting!

There is so much more to show you from the Dordogne, like this scene from Beynac, one of the towns where they filmed "Chocolat"...

Next time, mes amis…

love, dawne