Dordogne is an administrative department in the Aquitaine region of south-west France. The French refer to the area as Périgord in much the same way that the British describe parts of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire as the Cotswolds.
Les Bouleaux is situated towards the northern boundary of the Dordogne and is central for exploring a wide variety of attractions that many describe as the most interesting in France. You could head north, south, east or west and within 2 hours find plenty to see and in most instances something for the children as well.
To the east first, and only 30 minutes away is Périgueux, the capital of the region, where you will find a good selection of shops, a Hypermarket (Auchan), and if you go on Wednesday, a bustling market. The market is set up around the narrow lanes of the old town not far from the cathedral.
Further east from Périgueux is the village of Hautefort, dominated by a large castle. The gardens here are particularly worth a visit. To the south-east of Périgueux you are now heading into the cave and castle country of Perigord Noir (Black Perigord, so called because of the dense forestation in this area). Les Eyzies is the centre of an area renowned for prehistoric caves. There are many to visit, and maybe caves are a good choice on a cloudy day when sunbathing is off the agenda! About 15 miles north of Les Eyzies is the world famous cave at Lascaux. Now you can only visit a replica of the original, discovered by two boys playing with their dog 70 years ago. But even the replica is worth the trip. (Beware long queues in the summer!)
On to Sarlat, a very attractive Perigordian town with many shops selling the local produce and all the buildings in the local golden coloured stone.
South from Sarlat and heading back in a westerly direction alongside the great Dordogne river itself are many small towns, villages and chateaux that have established the region as a major tourist area. Domme, Beynac, Castlenaud, La Roque Gageac to name but a few, and on to Bergerac. A full day trip from home will enable you to visit two of the most popular sites in the region. 100 miles to the east of Les Bouleaux are the ‘perched on a cliffside’ town of Rocamadour and the Gouffre De Padirac, a giant chasm in the ground with visits to the caves underground by boat on the subterranean river.
Bergerac is directly south of Les Bouleaux and is similar in size and ‘feel’ to Périgueux. There is a wine and a tobacco museum in the town. The Bergerac area is the centre of the Dordogne wine industry and the town is surrounded by vineyards, especially to the south where there seems to be vines as far as the eye can see! Monbazillac is a worthwhile visit for the chateau, and our favourite is Chateau De La Jaubertie where you will find excellent wine produced by the Ryman family. Their story is a fascinating read in the book ‘A Chateau in the Dordogne’
There’s plenty to see and do west of Les Bouleaux, although the themes of your days out will be different to the Dordogne river valley. The wine buffs will be in their element at St Emilion, and north of Bordeaux in the Médoc. About an hour from Les Bouleaux to the north-west is Cognac where (mostly free) visits to the world famous distilleries are popular.
Bordeaux is the major city in the south-west of France. The city centre caters for shopaholics and is interesting to see anyway for the architecture. An enormous shopping centre to the north of the city has mega stores such as IKEA, Auchan and Toys-R-Us.
The other possible destination west is the coast and beaches. A good 2 hours to Royan, more to Arcachon and L’Isle d’Oleron.
Finally north, Angoulême has excellent shops, a comic museum and a bustling café life.
About 2 hours north-east is Limoges, where you can find the producers of its famous porcelain. Limoges is also famous for, er, trolley buses! More seriously there is a town, well a ghost town, that many people visit to pay their respects. Oradour-Sur-Glane was visited by the Nazis on 6th June 1944. When they left every inhabitant (save for a handful of escapees) had been murdered and their homes set alight. To this day the remains of the houses, the cars in the streets and even the trolley bus cables can still be seen where they were on that fateful day.
A real treat for the whole family is Futuroscope at Poitiers. A theme park based on the moving image. The 3D filmshows, simulators and giant screens are amongst some of the best you will see anywhere.
SPORT
The Dordogne is not famous for its sporting facilities, although tennis and horse riding are well catered for along with plenty of swimming and watersport locations. Canoeing is easily available on all the rivers and lakes. Fishing is popular with details and licences available from Riberac town centre. I can vouch for some excellent golf courses from 30 minutes to 2 hours distant.
Spectator sports are limited to watching local boules matches, perhaps a village football match and if you’re really determined the ex-pat Brits. have established a couple of cricket venues in the region!!?