![]() The Dordogne Valley is ideal for nature lovers with an endless choice of hiking, biking and riding tracks in unspoilt countryside. The Dordogne Valley proudly owns a stunning cultural heritage and some of the prettiest sites in France, including the mighty fortress of Castelnau-Bretenoux and the Renaissance castle ofĪlso not to be missed are the impressive Tours de Merle, some medieval towers that look like a set from Game of Thrones. Another must-see is The Gouffre de Padirac, the biggest chasm inĮurope and a fascinating boat journey into a magical underground world, 103 metres under the surface. The caves of Lascaux contain some of the most terrific examples of Paleolithic art in Europe. With its limestone plateaus, the region is also home to an infinite number of cliff dwellings and adorned with extraordinary stalactites, stalagmites and prehistoricĭrawings. Holds the renowned statue of the Black Virgin, worshiped here for over a millenium. The basilica Saint-Sauveur and the crypt Saint-Amadour are both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites and the chapel of Miracles Great pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages. Spectacularly clinging to the cliff, Rocamadour is situated on the Way of Saint James and has been a With its cobbled streets, manors, artisan shops, cafés and restaurants, it seems to glow in the evening sun.Īt the heart of the Dordogne Valley stands the sacred city of Rocamadour. The Dordogne Valley boasts no less than 5 of the « Most Beautiful Villages in France », including Collonges-la-Rouge, a fairy-tale like villageīuilt entirely in red sandstone. From cave paintings to Roman occupation, or from the Hundred Years War to the Renaissance, all have shaped the landscape you see The Dordogne Valley retains many traces of its historic past. Of Biosphere Reserves, a prestigious recognition for an environment of exceptional quality. It is the only river in France to be part of the UNESCO World Network Of the Dordogne river provide lots of fun activities including swimming and canoeing. In the region there is some amazing caves full of stalactites and stalagmites. There are various good maps of the region or otherwise quite a few local, independent walking holiday providers can help you on your way. and were too heavy to be used in reassembling.With its fascinating cultural heritage and beautifully preserved natural environment, the Dordogne Valley has it all. The Dordogne is a wonderful area for walking and hiking. Not very far away, the village of Le Fleix, nestling in the “cingle” (river bend) that bears its name, invites you to discover its reminders of the inland waterway activity in particular the hold of a gabarre and timber-framed houses, some of which were built using wooden frames that were recovered when the gabarres were disassembled. You can also go trekking along the towpath, along the riverbanks, to Bergerac’s dam, then continue on to Prigonrieux, by following the river flow. And, why not head off from Bergerac’s charming port on the Dordogne for…a gabarre trip a wonderful way to view the town from another perspective. Just a stone’s throw from the port, the streets and alleyways of the historic centre are an invitation to stroll around and discover the magnificent architectural heritage overflowing with history. There is also an amazing elevator reserved exclusively for migrating fish, and a self-guided signed interpretative trail relating the history of the channel and its “gabarres”.Īt the heart of the om Bergerac to Port-Sainte-Foyīergerac’s history goes hand-in-hand with that of the Dordogne River because, although the town developed around its castle, which no longer exists, its real heart was down by the port - an ever-so generous heart, beating wildly in time with the movements of the many gabarres which moored there. paraded by upstream and downstream… Then the railway arrived on the scene and, just a few decades after it was commissioned, it went on to replace the waterway, elegant craft made way for trains, deckhands became railway workers…The channel bears witness to the inland waterway life of the Dordogne through a hiking trail which begins at Mauzac, takes in the bastide de Lalinde, the Port-de-Couze catchment, Saint-Capraise-de-Lalinde port and channel-bridge and ends at the Tuilières Dam here, an ingenious staircase of locks prompts the channel to flow into the river. When the water was high, heavy cargoes of wood, cereals, paper, iron and wines produced in the region, as well as salt, sugar and spices which were obviously from far-distant lands. On the other side of the port, a lock marks the entrance of the Dordogne’s side channel : this 15-kilometre-long infrastructure, engineered in the middle of the 19th century, enabled “gabarres” (traditional flat-bottomed boats) to reach Tuilières safely, as they avoided the fearsome rapids of the Grand Thoret, of the Gratusse and the Pesqueyroux with its legendary dragon, the Coulobre. Back in the days of inland waterway om Mauzac to Bergerac
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