
Dordogne River Walk
This walking holiday explores the limestone cliffs, wooded valleys and beautiful medieval villages that are so unique to France’s Dordogne region. World famous prehistoric sites and fine local wines add a further dimension to a stay here.
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Reviews 21 Reviews5/5
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Vacation Style Holiday Type
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Self Guided
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Walking
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Activity Level Moderate
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Perigord is one of the largest and most picturesque areas in France. It is divided into two by the River Dordogne which founded the historic frontier between France and England during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Along its banks you’ll find over a thousand castles steeped in legend and history, and witness to centuries of conquests and conflict. Today the rich and varied culture of this land is still here for you to discover. You will meander along paths that follow the twists and turns of the valley and you will climb through fields and shaded woodland to hilltop towns and fortified strongholds with impressive views.
You’re never far from the River Dordogne, the walks will take you past dramatic limestone cliffs, along tranquil riverside paths and through quiet mediaeval villages and sleepy hamlets – you might walk for miles and see no one but the occasional farmer or angler!
The Perigord is renowned for its traditional gastronomy and at the end of each day you’ll experience a delicious Perigord feast, perhaps washed down with fine Cahors or Bergerac wines. Try the gourmet fare of foie gras, truffles, confits d’oie and the walnut liqueur eau de noix. You will stay in characterful *** and **** hotels throughout, including a grand country manor set in its own private parkland, two beautifully preserved chateaux and a traditional family-run auberge. All hotels have private swimming pools.
- 8 Nights accommodations, hotel-to-hotel in a mix of *** and **** hotels
- Services of your local Headwater representatives
- Continental breakfasts and 6 evening meals
- Route directions and maps
- Luggage transfers between hotels
- Flights
- Arrival & departure transfers (available on request, inquire for supplement)
- Room upgrades and extra nights at selected hotels (inquire for prices and details)
- Single Accommodation (available on request, inquire for supplement)
Highlights
- Unspoiled scenery, woodland valleys, well-marked tranquil riverside paths
- Pretty medieval villages; traditional Perigourdine markets, fairy tale chateaux
- La Roque Gageac, one of ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’
- Wonderful river wildlife: heron, coypu,kites, kingfishers, buzzards and dragonflies
- Friendly, family-run hotels, all with pools and good food
- Day 1 Day 1 - Arrive in Martel
- Day 2 Day 2 - Martel to Meyronne 10km/6.5mi/2.5hr
- Day 3 Day 3 - At Meyronne
- Day 4 Day 4 - Meyronne to Souillac 18km/11mi/5hr
- Day 5 Day 5 - At Souillac
- Day 6 Day 6 - Souillac to Carsac 13km/8mi/3.5hr or 16km/10mi/4.5hr
- Day 7 Day 7 - At Carsac
- Day 8 Day 8 - Carsac to Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse 23km/14mi/5.5hr or 19km/12mi/5hr
- Day 9 Day 9 - Leave Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse

Continental breakfasts and 6 evening meals.
The Dordogne has a rich cuisine based on ‘produits du terroir’ (locally grown produce). A typical first course would be ‘tourain’, an onion and garlic soup cooked in a broth with duck or goose fat, and ladled over slices of country bread and cheese. Paté, often duck or goose, is equally popular, as is foie gras. Main course specialities also include duck and goose, often served in light cream sauces and, in the autumn, fresh cepes. Duck or goose fat is also used for the accompanying pommes de terre sarladaises – slices of potato sauteed in goose fat, with garlic, parsley and wild mushrooms. Traditional desserts include tarte aux noix, and flognarde, a type of flan with fruit and liqueur. A local cheese that is worth tasting is Bleu des Causses, similar to Roquefort, as well as Rocamadour goat’s cheese. There are also some fantastic wines that come from the local area and a little further afield in Bordeaux that will accompany your meals perfectly.
Classification:Â Self-Guided
Activity Level: 3 (Moderate)
Average daily distance: 16.5km/10.5 miles
No. of days walking: 4
Terrain and route: The suggested walking mainly follows Peaceful well-marked walks mainly through forests, sunflower fields and along riverside paths. Rolling hills, so no need for a head for heights.
Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to walk independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can walk at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next. A representative will be there to meet you and will be on call throughout the trip should you need.
It is important that you are happy reading maps and following route notes, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked.
As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The route notes contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the local representative is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.
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Le-Relais-Sainte_Anne_Martel
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Hotel-La-Terrasse-Meyronne
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La-Vieille-Auberge-Souillac
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La-Villa-Romaine-Carsac
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Chateau-de-Monrecour-Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse
Package Confirmed Dates | Trip Status Trip Status | Price (PP) Excluding Flights | Price (PP) Including Flights | |
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July 1, 2021
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Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 17, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 9, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 11, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 13, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 15, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 17, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 19, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 21, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 23, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 25, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 27, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 29, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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May 31, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 2, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 4, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 6, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 8, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 10, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 12, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 14, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 16, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 18, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 20, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 22, 2021
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Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 24, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 26, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 28, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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June 30, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 2, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 4, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 6, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 8, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 10, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 12, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 14, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 16, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 18, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 20, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 22, 2021
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Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 24, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 26, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 28, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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July 30, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 1, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 3, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 5, 2021
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Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 7, 2021
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Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 9, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 11, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 13, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 15, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 17, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 19, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 21, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 23, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 25, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 27, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 29, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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August 31, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 2, 2021
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Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 4, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 6, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 8, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 10, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 12, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 14, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 16, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 18, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
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September 20, 2021
|
Available |
$2,549.00 |
N/A |
Mr Sykes
This was our third walking holiday with Headwater and lived up to expectations. The walking was lovely, although the second one was quite challenging! All the hotels were comfortable and the last two were luxurious, but all had wonderful food. France is not an easy place to be if you are gluten free, as one of our party is, but the last two hotels were particularly good. Taxis too, are scarce and very expensive, if you wish to go out on your rest days. However, the reps (Janet and Andrew) were very helpful and we all had a lovely holiday, and would certainly use Headwater again.
Mr Allen
Very enjoyable walks with excellent notes. We are experienced walkers but even we struggled with very high temperatures on Day 4. We were offered the opportunity to swap one day’s walk to canoeing; this is an example of Janet and Andrew ( the reps) going out of their way to tailor our holiday to suit both us and the weather conditions. We thoroughly enjoyed the canoeing and it added a new dimension to our holiday! The hotels were very high quality as we have come to expect with Headwater ( our ninth holiday with you). The only exception was La Terrace in Meyronne where the menu was limited and was the same on both evenings. It gave the impression that we were less important guests and didn’t add to the ambience.
Headwater response:
Thank you for leaving a lovely review. We are so pleased that you enjoyed the canoeing a great alternative to walking in the extreme heat that you were experiencing. Janet and Andrew will be really pleased to read what you have written. I am sorry that the menu in La Terrace was limited and would like to assure you that your comments have been fed back to them.
Kind regards
Customer Services
Mr Hewson
Wonderful walking in picturesque varied countryside with many historical features. Ample shade. Hotels luxurious and/or extremely comfortable with delicious food.
Mrs Loaring
Very well planned and organised by knowledgable and helpful staff. Route notes generally accurate and helpful, although the wording can at times be confusing and imprecise as can some of the distances between way marks. The degree of difficulty on some days is under estimated and had we not been as fit as we are,we may have struggled with some of the climbs.. The local reps were superb, always charming, helpful, patient and totally reliable. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them. All of the hotels were excellent and two in particular were superb, both in terms of the cuisine and the rooms that we were accommodated in. However, in two hotels the menu did not change from day to day, and therefore, as non meat eaters we were limited to having the same meals on consecutive evenings; particularly as there were no vegetarian options and only one type of fish (which my wife does not like) available. The walk routes were glorious, beautiful scenery, varied terrain, and wonderful spring flowers (particularly many and varied orchids).
Mr Ekers
Wonderful trip! Everything was so well set up for- transfers, trip notes etc. The walks themselves were stunning, and it was amazing to jump into the pool at the end of the day. A great way to see the Dordogne and experience a different part of France.