dossier

The Dordogne Valley - 10 days

Travel Information
Arrival: Between5pm and 7pm on first day.

First hotel:Meyssac, 2km/1mi from Collonges-la-Rouge, 25 km/16mi from main line railwaystation at Brive (cost approx. 35 Euros/US$47 per taxi, or 50 Euros/US$66 onSundays and holidays and from 7pm to 7am).

End of Tour:As first hotel. Taxi to train station at Brive.

Nearest Airports:

(a) Toulouse then shuttle bus (20 min) to trainstation and 2hr 30 min non-TGV rail journey to Brive (infrequent trains,especially on Saturdays). Then train toQuatre Routes plus taxi.

(b) Paris. Then RER and metro to Gare d'Austerlitz(50min) and non-TGV train to Brive (4hrs), plus train to Quatre Routes and thentaxi to 1st hotel.

(c) By car ferry or Le Shuttle tunnel Dover toCalais then 800km drive via Paris and Brive. (Or overnight ferries Portsmouth -le Havre or Caen.)

(d) By Eurostar and train, Waterloo-Paris-Brive.

Train times vary greatly. To check times visitRail Europe's website at www.raileurope.com or call toll free 1-800-848-7245.

Although not a TGV route, advance seatreservations are strongly advised.

Train timetables change over to summer service inlate May and back again in late September.

Season:April to mid-October

Level of Difficulty
Fitness:This tour is graded Moderate. This walk should present no difficulties foranyone in reasonable condition and accustomed to walking.

Day stages:14km to 22km (9mi to 14mi) per day with average altitude gains of 350m. 4 to 7hours walking per day.

Waymarks: Waymarksfor the 10-day tour are usually Grande Randonnee style (white over red). Thetrail follows in the main, well-established paths and presents no specialdifficulties.

Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation is on a half board basis(evening meal, bed and breakfast each night) in country inns and hostels. Allthe accommodation has en suite facilities. Picnic lunches are not included inthe tour cost but are available from hotels at a cost of up to 10 Euros/US$13.(order the previous evening) or materials can usually be bought from local shops.We indicate in the route notes the various possibilities for each day.

Nights 1 & 9: A small but comfortable hotel (2*Star) near the center ofthe pretty market town of Meyssac, which is 2km/1.2mi from Collonges-la-Rouge.The hotel has its own swimming pool. Like Collonges, Meyssac is mainly built ofthe local deep red sandstone.

Night 2:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. A splendid great building (** Star) once part of the oldXIIc Abbey in the center of this pleasant riverside town. There is an ancientspiral stone staircase, vast stone fireplaces in some bedrooms, and a notablerestaurant opening onto a shady terrace.

Night 3: Portde Gagnac. Old established family-run hotel overlooking the River Cere.Previous clients have remarked on the quality of the food.

Night 4:Autoire. A pleasant old auberge with modernized bedrooms in the center of thischarming village dominated by cliffs and a waterfall.

Nights 5 & 6: Carennac. An elegant family-run hotel (** Star)with swimming pool in the center of this lovely and historic little village onthe banks of the Dordogne. Excellent restaurant with a good local reputation.

Night 7: Creysse.Another family run hotel (** Star) in the center of this delightful littlevillage. A stream runs beneath the hotel and its terrace.

Night 8: Sarrazac.The cellar of this establishment (1* Star) was formerly a smithy where, threegenerations ago, the blacksmith's wife would serve refreshments to waitingcustomers. Tiny Mme Aussel and her jolly daughter Chantal are as hospitable astheir ancestors, the smithy has vanished, and guests are housed in a venerablebuilding nearby. Nowadays people come from far and wide to eat here, as it ismentioned in the esteemed Gault et Millau guidebook.

Night 9: As night 1.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive at the first accommodation in Meyssac.

Day 2: Meyssac to Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne 22km/14mi. Over undulating country to Curemonte, a mediaeval village where the writer Colette once lived. The day ends with a long descent of an ancient cobbled mule-track into Beaulieu. Don't miss the abbey church with its magnificent doorway. A footbridge links the pleasant waterfront of Beaulieu with the further bank of the Dordogne, where there are tennis courts and a swimming pool.

Day 3: Beaulieu to Port de Gagnac, 17km/11mi. Great views as you climb out of the Dordogne Valley on the GR 480. From the crest the route takes you descend through splendid mixed woodland (chestnut, oak, conifers) and past a trout farm to the valley of the formerly navigable River Cere. One or two short sections of the days walk are little frequented and may be rather overgrown in summer. The village of Gagnac (1.5km/.9mi) is worth a visit, particularly if you are lucky enough to find the church open.

Day 4: Port de Gagnac to Autoire, 15km/9mi. A walk through mixed farming country and the one serious wine-growing district on the tour (Glanes). It is a surprise to stumble upon the dramatic red bulk of Castelnau Castle, built on a shoulder of red ironstone. The village of Autoire with its 'gentilhommieres' and its waterfall is unforgettable. [Occasionally continue to Loubressac for the night.]

Day 5: Autoire to Carennac 15km(9mi)/19km(12mi). After a steep ascent past the limestone crags of the Cirque d'Autoire the next hour is spent crossing a typical plateau of oak scrub and dry-stone walls to the village of Loubressac on its panoramic hilltop. The 10km/6 mi option follows the edge of the scarp past the ruined castle at Taillefer to Carennac. The 14km/8.5mi walk diverts to take in the Gouffre de Padirac where a huge hole in the limestone plateau opens into a most interesting cave system incorporating a 1km(.6mi) trip on an underground river. Around the Gouffre is a typical karst (limestone) landscape of the Causses. The day ends with an abrupt descent to Carennac on the banks of the Dordogne.

Day 6: Rest day in Carennac. Time to explore this well-preserved mediaeval village, one of the list of 143 most beautiful villages in France. There are various possibilities for walks on both sides of the Dordogne. We describe a circular day walk of about 15km(9mi).

Day 7: Carennac to Creysse. 20km/12mi. A walk along the heights, with views over the Dordogne river, then close below the limestone cliffs overhanging the tiny village of Gluges, before crossing farmland to the ancient village of Creysse, clustered around a little rocky hill crowned by an ancient twin-aisled church.

Day 8: Creysse to Sarrazac 19km/12mi. The day starts gently, heading north along a pleasant valley, before ascending steeply onto the limestone plateau or Causse de Martel. Martel retains its covered market square and the house is still visible where Henry II's son, Henry Court-Mantel (so called from the new short cloak he made fashionable) died of his wounds after sacking Rocamadour in 1183. The route continues through scrub oak and along rocky paths to the tiny old village of Sarrazac.

Day 9: Sarrazac to Collonges la Rouge 18km/11mi. Passing through the ancient village of l'Hopital St Jean (the site of a mediaeval leper hospital), your walk takes in Turenne, the former capital of the region, its houses straggling picturesquely down from the ruined castle. Woods and rolling farmland lead to the glowing red turrets and Romanesque church of Collonges la Rouge. The small town of Meyssac, also mostly of fine red sandstone, is some 2 km/1.2mi further on.

Day 10: Depart Meyssac after breakfast.

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