Ding Dang Dong Dong
Written: Apr 08 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Sun, Food, Drink
Cons: Mosquito's, Other Holiday Makers
The Bottom Line: A great get away for all, with culture, sun, excellent food and plenty of wine!
|
|
|
| joosy's Full Review: Périgord - Dordogne |
Picture this; the year is circa 1980, 2 families, each with 2 children under 5, and one aunt, roped in to being a nanny, get into an old school minibus and make there first foray into France. They struggle with the children all the way down through France and eventually tell them that the French Police (Gendarmes) come to arrest little girls who aren’t asleep by 8pm. The children sleep and awake to the beautiful scenery of the Dordogne. Their destination was the ‘Camping Verte Rive’ campsite nestled next to the river underneath the magnificent village of Domme.
What followed was 10 years of camping holidays at the same site, with the same people, on the same pitch. For 6 weeks of the year 2 families lived in harmony, children ran around playing, learnt to swim in the river and had many adventures. This was my introduction to the Dong Dong (or Dordogne as I believe it’s officially called).
The Dordogne region (or Département) is named after the river that flows through the region after rising in the Auvergne Mountains of south-central France and flowing about 483 km (300 mi) southwest to join the Garonne River north of Bordeaux. The area is famous for fois gras, truffles, walnuts, wine and dates, along with many other things that aren’t edible!
The Dordogne is split into 4 separate areas; Perigord Noir, which is the area around Sarlat, and is given it’s name from the oak and pine trees which are in abundance throughout, this is probably the main tourist area in the Dordogne, overlooking the two rivers of the Dordogne and Vezere; the Perigord Verte, given it’s name from the greenery and the myriad of streams that cross it; the Perigord Blanc, built on a limestone plateaux; and the Perigord Poupre, where they make wine.
My main experience of the Dordogne has been around the Perigord Noir, having spent every summer there for 10 years I feel that I have a good feel for the region. Unfortunately my folks decided to buy a house in France which was not near the Dordogne, but last year I went with my bf on a camping holiday to revisit the area which rekindled some lovely memories.
We travelled to Portsmouth after work on a Thursday night, arriving well in time for our 10:30 ferry across the channel. After embarkation and finding the cabin we settled down for a good night’s sleep.
Woke up
Driving
Had Lunch
Driving
Sleep
Driving
Arrival
We arrived on Saturday lunchtime at our first campsite, Port de Limeuil, situated at the confluence of the Vezere and the Dordogne. The campsite was lovely, quite small and well shaded, there were all the usual things in terms of take away food, swimming pool, shop, bread delivery, bar and reception. After we had put up the tent and the bbq we decided to go for some food. The nearest town to Limeuil was Le Bugue, which had a handily placed Intermarche.
Towns
While we were at Limeuil we visited a number of places. Most of the villages along the river have a sign proclaiming them to be one of the most beautiful villages in the region. Could they all be one of the most beautiful? Yes is the answer! From Le Bugue you have a choice of which direction you can go, either you can head across country through Lez Eyzies to Sarlat, or go alongside the river through St Cyprian, Beynac and La Roque Gageac. My advice would be to take the river route. The towns along the river are well worth a visit; St Cyprien has a busy market every week, details of which you should be able to get from either your tour rep or campsite. Further along the river you will come to Beynac and Castlenaud (opposite sides of the river) which both have fantastic Châteaux, the roads are quite narrow and busy here so my advise is not to get out of your car to take a picture without checking whether or not you will be blocking traffic.
Again further up river is La Roque Gageac. The narrowness of the gorge at this point means that houses have had to be built up the side of the cliffs. Historically 56 tons of rock fell from this cliff onto the houses below. Fortunately not many were injured as it happened on a Sunday morning when the majority of people were at church or in the pub (both at the top end of the town). You can still see the dent left in the rock where it fell from. The boat trip on the river is well worth a go; sailing down river to Castlenaud in a flat bottomed barge you get a real sense of the importance of the river to the people of this region. Also the opportunity for some good photos and some time away from the tourists.
If you follow the river through La Roque Gageac you will come to a T junction at which you can go left to Sarlat, or right to Cenac St Julien. After crossing the river towards Cenac you will find a canoe school on the right. If you go canoeing from here please stick to the right of the rapids as now that I’m all grown up I can’t come and rescue you when you capsize!
In Cenac you can turn left and start winding your way to Domme. Domme is a village perched on the top of an outcrop of rock that is truly lovely, again there is a weekly market where you can buy all sorts of local produce. My favourite thing about Domme is that it feels like you are entering a special place, as you have to get into the town through an archway that formed part of the original town walls and then navigate the single car width windy streets. The main square in Domme is shaded by large trees, with cafés all around. As a child we always came here for special occasions. I would advise you try the pistachio ice cream, and the blackcurrant ice cream (yes, as a two scooper) as they are both so fresh. For children there is also a park and some public gardens. The main reason that people come to Domme is to look from the various viewpoints, down the valley. If you can arrange to be here at sunset it is truly spectacular.
Our second campsite was further away from the river, in between Sarlat and Lez Eyzies. La Moulin de Roche; from here we only went to Sarlat. Sarlat is the main town in this region. The old town is so picturesque, with narrow alleyways opening out onto large squares. The Market here is well worth a visit, as it is the largest in this area. Although the Dordogne is quite well known with tourists, you are able to find places that are more quiet and secluded. Parking in Sarlat can be a bit of a nighmare, there is a one way system that can prove difficult, and you really need to try to get in the central raised car park so that you are near to where you want to be. We had lunch in Sarlat at a fab creperie (although I couldn’t tell you where it was! I reckon there are loads of great eateries in this town, you just have to be brave enough to stop at one)
Our Holiday
Our holiday was absolutely what was needed at the time. We had just over 2 weeks relaxing in the sun, eating fresh foods cooked on the BBQ (I found out how to do Roasties!!) generally living outside, playing games, relaxing, reading etc. This kind of holiday is great in this area. The weather is usually fine, although towards the end of the season you can expect some evening thunderstorms.
To Summarize, the Dordogne is a place for getting away from it all, great outdoor living, great scenery, great food and great wine. Enjoyed most if you love camping like me! If you are feeling energetic enough try a canoeing trip down the river, or, if like me you’re not, take a canoeing trip with your bf and let him do all the paddling while you lie back and relax!
The downside to this area is that it’s a good 10 hour drive from the channel ports, also if you are attractive to mosquito’s you will certainly know about it quickly.
If you are the type of person who likes to be occupied all the time I would suggest that you forward plan your holiday in this region with activities, although why not try just sitting around doing nothing for a change? You might just find you like it.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
joosy
|
|
Member: Jo
Location: UK
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
In another world I write reviews as josarah, here I like to be joosy!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.