Hiking, cycling, canoeing, climbing

The Dordogne is of course known for its lovely green landscape.  The valley of the Vézère is also in its entirety on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The extensive forests and hills offer beautiful views.  The many walking routes are all well marked and with walking route planners such as Visorando you can determine in advance how far and how long your trip will be.  Your gte is therefore the perfect centerpiece for a walking holiday.

But also over the water of the river Vézère, nature is of an overwhelming beauty.  There are several places to hire a canoe. The nearest is in Montignac, a 10-minute drive away.  You will of course go downstream with your canoe and be picked up in lovely Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère and taken back to Montignac.

There are also a number of climbing forests nearby.  The coolest is L'Apple de la Fôret, my son says.  There are 10 courses laid out from low to high in the trees.  Adrenaline rush guaranteed!

History

But not only nature is worth it.  The valley of the Vézère was the home of the Cro-Magnon people, the first people in Europe.  In the caves of Lascaux you will find the beautiful drawings that these first people made.  Lascaux is no more than 10 minutes away from us.  Lascaux IV is a sight to behold, but the caves of Rouffignac, Tourtoirac and the Gouffre de Proumeyssac are also exciting and well worth a visit.  And then there are the shelters, the roofs carved into the steep walls of the hills along the Vézère, in which the early people but also the medieval people found a safe haven.  For example, La Roc Saint Christophe and La Madeleine in Tursac.

And of course there are many castles along the Vézère.  Many of those castles are open to the public.  Think Château de Losse, Château de Sauveboeuf, Château de Marzac, etc. Or to the north of us, the enormous castle of Hautefort.  All from 5 to 35 kilometers away from us.  Some of those castles contain exciting escape rooms, others are complete museums.

Chateau de Sauveboeuf

Going out

Restaurants, terraces, shops, markets

In our vicinity you will find many opportunities to eat out.  To start with, right next to us within walking distance: Château La Fleunie with a beautiful restaurant.  In the old village center of Condat-sur-Vézère you can eat well in the old Hostellerie de la Commanderie.  In Le Lardin there is a delicious pizzeria and in the nearby village of Coly is the exquisite La Table de Jean.  La Table d'Aubas is truly French, in a village 5 minutes away, where you will be served a simple but very tasty 5-course dinner of your choice for € 15.

Montignac-Lascaux and Terrasson-La Villedieu are beautiful places with a choice of shops, restaurants and terraces.  Many music festivals also take place here in the summer.  Montignac has its World Music Festival at the end of July and the Festival de Périgord Noir, at the beginning of August.  And in Terrasson, every year at the beginning of July, the Festival les Chemins de l'Imaginaire takes place, with comedy, theatre, music, circus, dance and parades in the old town and along the banks of the Vézère.  Also in Terrasson in summer live music every Wednesday evening on 4 different squares.

Terrasson and Montignac also both have their own cinema.  More and more often the films are also offered in “vo” in addition to the dubbed version.  That stands for version original, the original language of the film.  Please pay attention to whether you reserve the "vo".

And then of course Sarlat, 30 minutes from here.  A beautiful medieval town with nice streets and alleys and a great range of terraces, restaurants, shops and markets.  Here too there is always live music on one of the squares.

Brocantes

And we wouldn't live in France if there weren't flea markets.  In Terrasson, in Brive and in many other places there are the regular flea markets, but every once in a while you have the nicest vide greniers (attic clearances), in small villages, usually on Sundays.  Your hostess will keep an eye on them all!