here - Holiday gites in the dordogne Les Gites de Carlux Gites for

Destination
DORDOGNE
Luscious countryside, golden towns and villages, awesome
prehistoric sites, gorgeous gardens and more than 1,000 chateaux...
CARMEN KONOPKA discovers why we love the Dordogne
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100 Kilometers
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View of Carlux with its castle
from les Gîtes de Carlux
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DORDOGNE
T
he Dordogne in south-west France is one
of the most popular destinations with
British visitors – and for countless good
reasons! The landscape is gorgeous, with
rich agricultural land, vineyards, lovely
woods and stunning rivers, some with spectacular
limestone cliffs, while Dordogne’s ancient towns and
villages are full of architectural treasures. What’s more,
the area is positively packed with chateaux – some say
there are more than 1,000 while others claim a figure
higher than 1,500.
It’s thought that people have lived here for 400,000
years and along the Vézère Valley there are awesome
remainders of prehistoric life, from the painted caves
at Lascaux and Font de Gaume to the cliffs of la Roque
Saint-Christophe where for millennia people made their
homes in caves.
Another major attraction are the Dordogne’s gardens,
14 of which have been awarded the jardin remarquable
label. And then there’s the food... The Dordogne is a
land of plenty and both markets and menus are packed
with gourmet delicacies such as foie gras, black truffles,
cep mushrooms, walnuts, goose and duck. It’s really
no wonder that the area has become such a favourite
with both British visitors and home-owners that it’s
sometimes nicknamed Dordogne-shire!
The département takes its name from the river
Dordogne that rises in the Auvergne mountains and
flows 500km west towards Bordeaux. Before Dordogne
became one of the original 83 départements created in
the French Revolution, it was known as Périgord and
even now that’s the name that’s more commonly used
in France.
Traditionally it’s split into four different colours
– green, white, purple and black. Périgord Vert
in the north is so called because of its profuse
vegetation; it’s an area of meadows and forests and
is home to part of the Parc Naturel Régional Périgord
Limousin, which stretches across the border into the
neighbouring département.
Périgord Blanc, in the centre, is named for the
local white limestone; at its heart is Périgueux, which
dates back to Gallo-Roman times and is now the
departmental capital.
CLOCKWISE AROUND OPPOSITE PAGE:
F Small street in Sarlat F Geese and ducks are staples of
Périgord cuisine F Pâté de fois gras, truffles and wine are
regional specialities (Picture: OTSI Perigeux) F Troglodyte life at la
Roque Saint-Christophe F Manoir d’Eyrignac
F Enjoying a beer in Domme F A traditional Gabare
F Canoeing down the Dordogne F Château de Castelnaud
To the south-west is Périgord Pourpre, a land of
vineyards, most notably those of Château Monbazillac,
home of the exquisite dessert wine. The main town here
is Bergerac on the bank of the river Dordogne and a
key point on a historic trading route.
Last, but definitely not least, is Périgord Noir in the
east of the département, which is said to take its name
from the darkness of the woods above the Dordogne
and Vézère river valleys. For visitors this is one of
the most appealing parts, with its Palaeolithic sites,
riverside castles, the golden medieval town of Sarlat,
and plus beaux villages like Domme, Beynac and La
Roque-Gageac.
We made the Périgord Noir our base on our journey
to the Dordogne, staying in a gîte called Hortensia
at Les Gîtes de Carlux, booked through Brittany
Ferries’ Holiday France Direct. (See page 36 for more
information about Carlux and the gîte.)
MORE INFO
www.dordogne-perigord-tourisme.fr
HOW TO GET THERE
To get to the Dordogne we travelled on Brittany Ferries’ Portmouth-Caen
route, which offers both daytime and overnight sailings. From mid-March
to the end of October the company offers a high-speed service on this route
which gets you there in under four hours, but I have a soft spot for the
more leisurely ‘classic’ crossings, particularly those at night because you
can sleep in a comfortable cabin and arrive first thing in the morning, in
time for breakfast in France and a full day’s driving.
It’s around 380 miles from Caen to Carlux, driving via Argentan,
Alençon, Le Mans, Tours, Poitiers and Limoges. I suppose you could just
go for it in one non-stop dash, but it seems a pity to rush and miss the
opportunity of exploring some lovely towns. On the journey down we
spent a night at Poitiers, a delightful city with lots of historic buildings,
including a magnificent Romanesque church in the centre, and close to the
extraordinary Futuroscope theme park.
On our return we avoided Le Mans because we would have run into the
crowds leaving the famous 24 Hours event (this year it takes place from
June 12-13). Instead we stopped in Angers overnight and the following
morning we had plenty of time to explore the castle with its 100m Tapestry
of the Apocalypse, as well as the fascinating Galerie David d’Angers which
houses plaster versions of the sculptor’s monumental bronzes.
Then it was back to Caen to catch the overnight ferry back to
Portsmouth, leaving at 10.45pm. We deliberately arrived early at Caen’s
Ouistreham terminal so that we could enjoy a last taste of France. The
little town is packed with cafés and restaurants offering good food at
competitive prices and we enjoyed steaming dishes of moules and crêpes
at Le Channel in Avenue Michel Cabieu, a brasserie filled with fellow ferry
passengers. (Many of them were returning from the Le Mans 24 Hours, and
the carpark was overflowing with classic sports cars!)
As well as Portsmouth, Brittany Ferries sail from Poole and Plymouth to
western France. Return fares in the Spring start from £224 for a car and two
passengers, based on a stay of up to 10 days. For more information visit
www.brittanyferries.com or call 0871 244 1400.
For those who want to fly to the Dordogne, Bergerac has an airport
which is served by Flybe with flights to Southampton and Exeter, and
Ryanair with routes to Stansted, Bristol, East Midlands and Liverpool.
(Picture Jean-Marie Laugery / Château de Castelnaud)
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DORDOGNE
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT
We stayed in Hortensia, one of 12 properties at Les Gîtes de
Carlux in Carlux, a village a few miles east of Sarlat. Its one, two
and three-bedroom gîtes are on a 1.5 hectare site with lawns,
woods, play equipment and a spacious heated swimming pool.
Our booking was through Holiday France Direct, the
holiday arm of Brittany Ferries which offers a huge choice
of French holiday homes with special cross-Channel fares.
For more information call 0871 244 1245 or visit www.
holidayfrancedirect.co.uk – the reference number for Les Gîtes
de Carlux is AD000161.
Hortensia has two double bedrooms and a large living/
dining room with a well-equipped corner kitchen. However,
the feature we most enjoyed was the patio, with table, chairs,
loungers, barbecue and breathtaking views across the valley
to the village of Carlux and its chateau. Most evenings were
spent eating and drinking here.
When we fancied a change, however, there was the GR6
bar-restaurant in the village, a short walk down a wooded
path. One night we ate at the Hostellerie de Béquignolles,
an old manor house just down the road, where we enjoyed a
gourmet meal.
Also near Les Gîtes de Carlux is the Domaine de
Béquignol, a small factory which makes Arlequines de Carlux
– delicious chocolate-covered walnuts – and other Périgord
confectionary. You can buy packs of the chocolates at the
little shop at Les Gîtes de Carlux and you’ll also find them
accompanying coffee in many of the restaurants throughout
the Périgord Noir.
GR6
24370 Carlux
Tel: 00 33 (0)553 29 01 74
Reasonably priced bar-restaurant offering local food in a
friendly, informal setting
L’Hostellerie de Béquignolles
24370 Carlux
Tel: 00 33 (0)553 29 08 87
Gourmet menu served in a stylish dining room by the owner
of this lovely manor house. Booking is essential
Le Relais de Cinq Châteaux
24220 Vézac
Tel: 00 33 (0)553 30 30 72
Excellent regional specialities. Meals can be eaten on the
pretty terrace as well as indoors
La Meynardie
24590 Paulin
Salignac
Tel: 00 33 (0)553 28 85 98
A traditional restaurant,
popular with locals, with
tables indoors and outside
on the vine-covered
terrace
Hortensia at Les
Gîtes de Carlux
Le Bistro de l’Octroi
111 Avenue des Selves
24200 Sarlat
Tel: 00 33 (0)553 30 83 40
Informal dining in an old
stone building with terrace
outside. Regional cooking
and reasonable prices
Castle at Carlux
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TOWNS AND VILLAGES
egional capital of the Périgord is
Périgueux, a city that dates back 2,000
years and which has some significant
Gallo-Roman remains. The modern
outskirts of the city are sprawling, but
make your way to the Old Town around the Cathédral
Saint Front and you will be rewarded by a maze of
narrow streets, many of them pedestrianised, crammed
with medieval and Renaissance buildings.
Saturdays and Wednesdays are good days to visit
because there are colourful market stalls in several of
the Old Town’s squares, while in the winter months there
is a marché aux gras selling duck and goose products,
together with local truffles. Both shoppers and lovers
of architecture will enjoy Rue Limogeanne whose
Renaissance buildings now house some nice boutiques.
Other highlights of the Old Town include the Mataguerre
Tower, the last remaining of the medieval defences.
Saint Front Cathedral may remind you of Sacré
Coeur in Paris – which is no accident. Although the
handsome limestone church dates back to the 12th
century, it was virtually rebuilt in the 19th by architect
Paul Abadie who used it as a model for his later work
on the great Montmartre landmark. Its domes and
the tiered Romanesque bell tower are topped with an
extravagance of pine-cone lanterns.
To the south-west of the Old Town you’ll find the
Roman town. Here the Musée de Site Gallo-Romain
Vesunna is a wonderful modern glass building that has
been erected over the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa.
It’s well worth a visit. The Tour de Vésonne is a tall
tower that was once part of a temple built in the 2nd
century, while the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre can
be found in le Jardin des Arenes. Keep your eyes peeled
as you walk around the streets because you can spot
lots of fragments of ancient buildings, from columns to
the foundations of villas.
Bergerac to the south-west, on the river Dordogne, is
the capital of the Périgord Pourpre. Its name may make
you think of a fictional Jersey detective or Edmond
Rostand’s comic hero Cyrano de Bergerac, but in fact
neither had any connection with the town. Locals
are baffled by the Jersey policeman of TV fame, but
Bergerac has ‘adopted’ Cyrano with enthusiasm, first
erecting a stone statue to to the big-nosed character
in 1977 and then a much more colourful one in 2005
– you’ll find it in Place Pélissière. This square, named
after the tanners who worked here in medieval times, is
the largest and most beautiful of the Old Town, with a
fountain that that was once used for laundry.
It’s pleasant to wander around the old part of
Bergerac, where highlights include the old port on the
river, the Romanesque St Jacques Church and attractive
streets with interesting stone and half-timbered
buildings, among them Rue Saint James, Rue Saint Clar
Saint Front Cathedral in Perigueux
(Picture: OTSI Perigeux)
A traditional gabare
Statue of Cyrano de Bergerac in Bergerac
(Picture: Untypografico at flickr.com CC-BY)
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DORDOGNE
and Place de la Mirpe. When you’ve had enough of
strolling, stop at a pavement café with a glass of local
wine and watch the world go by.
Bergerac was founded on wine and river traffic,
and you can visit many of the local vineyards. But
while you’re still in town you can taste wines at the
Récollets cloisters, now home to Maison des Vins de
Bergerac. There’s also a wine and river museum, as
well as the national tobacco museum.
The most popular town in the Dordogne for visitors
is Sarlat-la-Canéda in the south-west. Established
around a large Benedictine abbey, it has been
immaculately restored and is an absolutely lovely
place, its 13th-16th century sandstone buildings
glowing gold in the sunshine. Most of the buildings
are grand, with lauze roofs created from limestone,
located alongside little courtyards and narrow streets.
The town’s beautiful condition is largely due to the
work of André Malraux, the Minister of Culture from
1959-69, who restored Sarlat as a pilot project for
his Loi Malraux, which was then used to transform
many other neglected towns in France. He is
commemorated with a plaque in the town centre.
Unless you loathe crowds, it’s fascinating to visit
Sarlat on Saturdays and, to a lesser extent, on
Wednesdays when market stalls are squeezed into
almost every street – but go early or be prepared
to park some distance away! If you want a more
peaceful visit, pick another day – though it has to be
said that in tourist season Sarlat is always bustling.
There are so many splendid buildings that it’s
hard to select just a few, but you certainly shouldn’t
miss Maison de la Boétie, birthplace of the writerphilosopher friend of Montaigne, a fine four-storey
townhouse with a steeply-pitched roof.
The cathedral was extensively rebuilt in the 17th
century and is not especially inspiring, but in the
graveyard behind it look out for the curious Lanterne
des Morts, which looks a bit like a medieval version
of London’s Gherkin building. It’s not really known
what it and similar structures in the Dordogne were
for – maybe it was a monument to Saint Bernard, or
perhaps it was designed to hold a lantern, or possibly
as a home for those suffering from the plague.
The Eglise Sainte Marie is another unusual
building. Now housing an indoor market and
exhibition area, it has a massive pair of doors that
are taller than some of the surrounding buildings
– they made me wonder if giants were once part of
the congregation!
At the back of Place Marché aux Oies, with its
bronze statue of three geese, is the grand Hôtel
de Vassal, a 16th century mansion in two parts,
wonderfully linked by twin turrets tucked outside its
second and third floors. But everywhere you wander
in Sarlat you’ll spot fabulous architectural gems.
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TOP LEFT: Lanterne des Morts at Sarlat
TOP RIGHT: Hôtel de Vassal in Sarlat
ABOVE LEFT: Bronze statue
of geese in Sarlat
RIGHT: Sarlat’s Eglise Sainte
Marie with its giant doors
A few miles to the east of Sarlat is the little village
of Carlux, where I stayed. Normally a tranquil place, it
welcomed us with a spectacular firework display, put on
for its annual fète. The crowning glory of the hillside
village is its castle, which dates back to the 10th and 12th
centuries. It’s now largely ruined, but you can climb up to
it and enjoy great views of the surrounding countryside.
The village also possesses a house with a rare
medieval chimney, a slender, elegant structure
reminiscent of something you might find in Venice. As
in many of the villages in this region, it’s easy to spot
the town hall because a tree has been chopped down
and mounted outside, decorated with tricolour flags.
Another local peculiarity is that many of the graves
in the cemetery are topped with small glass structures,
looking rather like miniature greenhouses, though I
never discovered why.
Just outside Carlux is a lovely garden which deserves
to be visited by many more people (see page 46). In an
area famed for beautiful villages, Carlux is not a special
draw for tourists, but it is a quiet and delightful place
to stay in.
The Dordogne has nine official plus beaux villages,
of which seven are in Périgord Noir. One is Saint Léonsur-Vézère, a picturesque riverside village where we
found the local gentlemen playing pétanque and lots of
mellow stone houses with roses around their doors. It
was a joy to explore the back streets, peeping into pretty
gardens, and we stood for ages by a honeysuckle hedge,
enjoying not just its heady scent, but also the rare sight
of hummingbird moths feeding from its blossom.
This was once a river port and down by the river we
caught glimpses of the elegant 16th century Château
de Clérans – one of Saint Léon’s three chateaux – over
its back wall. From the river you can also enjoy pretty
views of the Romanesque church, particularly if you sit
at Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe, a café with an enchanting
waterside location and outdoor tables covered in blue
gingham. A river, lovely views and a cool drink... what
could be nicer on a sunny day!
La Roque-Gageac is another stunning plus beau village,
perched at the foot of a cliff on the Dordogne river. It has
a troglodyte fort built into the rock and its stone houses
are crammed against the cliff, linked by pathways. It also
has masses of exotic plants crammed into little pockets
along the paths, adding to the enjoyment of a walk
here. Down below on the river you can see gabares, the
traditional flat-bottomed boats once used to carry cargo
and which are now used as pleasure craft for tourists.
A couple of miles away, Domme is another of the plus
beaux villages. Perched on a high cliff with spectacular
views across the river below, it was built as a bastide
town in a grid pattern. One of its main major attractions
is its grotto, the largest in the Périgord Noir with 450
underground galleries. The entrance is through the
flower-decked 17th century town hall and you can
return in a panoramic lift which brings you up the cliff.
After exploring Domme we sat at a café with glasses
of cold beer, just soaking up the sun and the atmosphere.
One of the local residents flung his garage doors wide
open and started practising on his saxophone, giving us
an impromptu but virtuoso jazz concert. One of many
magical moments in the Dordogne...
Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe
and the Romanesque
church at Saint
Léon-sur-Vézère
Hummingbird moth
enjoying the
honeysuckle at Saint
Léon-sur-Vézère
View of the
river Dordogne
from Domme
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La Roque
Gageac
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DORDOGNE
C
CHATEAUX AND THE RIVER
hateaux and rivers often go hand-inhand because the water provides a superb
commanding position, especially if, as in
the Dordogne, the river cuts deep valleys
and the castles can be built high on the
cliffs above. Like the river Loire, the river Dordogne has
castles all along it and the département as a whole has
in excess of 1,000 chateaux.
My favourites include Castelnaud to the south of
Sarlat, which is said to be the most visited chateau in
the southern part of France. Perched high above the
river it looks sternly magnificent from the water, while
from the castle you can see an amazing panorama. It
houses the Museum of Medieval Warfare with displays
of weapons, armour and war engines. A real treat for
boys of all ages!
Nearby is a very different type of chateau, Château
des Milandes. A pretty place with round towers and
pointy roofs, it dates back to 1489, but is most famous
for having been the home of Joséphine Baker, the
glamorous black dancing and singing star who bought
Milandes in the 1940s. Joséphine’s professional fame
came from her performances in places like the Revue
Nègre and the Folies Bergères, and from her then
scandalous banana skirt, worn with nothing else except
a string of beads.
But there was much more to Joséphine than just
singing and dancing. She became a French citizen in
1937 and was very active in the wartime Résistance,
becoming the first American-born woman to be
awarded the Croix de Guerre. Later she adopted 12
children of different races and was involved in the US
Civil Rights Movement, though she turned down an
offer to be its leader after the assassination of Martin
Luther King. Sadly she eventually lost all her money
– and her beloved chateau. But her gripping story is
now told through fascinating displays at Milandes.
Château de Montfort seems to only just stay in place
high above the river. A storybook construction with
steeply sloping roofs and circular towers, it clings right on
the edge of a rocky promontory and almost seems part of
the cliff face. It has been rebuilt several times in the last
eight centuries and, as is so often the case, has changed
hands several times. Originally held by the Cathars, it
was razed by Simon de Montfort in 1214 and was later
occupied by the English in the Hundred Years War.
The privately-owned Château Beynac, located up
on the cliff with the village below it, is another castle
that looks amazing from the river. You can take guided
tours of the interior, which looks much as it would
have done during the Hundred Years War.
Château Lanquais, east of Bergerac, is a little
distance from the river and surrounded by woods. Part
medieval fortress and part Renaissance additions, it
was nicknamed the ‘unfinished Louvre of the Périgord’.
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SPRING 2010 Destination France
Château de Montfort at Vitrac
(Picture: Trevor Yorke)
Château de Castelnaud
from the river Dordogne
The team from
Randonnée
Dordogne
Château Beynac from the river Dordogne
Château de Monbazillac
(Picture: Alain Béguerie / CRT d’Aquitaine)
Unlike many chateaux, this one is interestingly
furnished. Highlights include a Renaissance bedroom,
19th century neo-Gothic dining room, an armoury and
medieval kitchen.
To the south of Bergerac, Château Monbazillac is
romantically pretty, with pointy-roofed towers at its
Poetry at the Jardins de
sides and surrounded by vineyards which
produce
Cadiot
in Carlux
the dessert wine of the same name. A visit here is
worthwhile for exploring the vineyards and the interior
of the 16th century chateau, but mostly for tasting the
wines. Monbazillac wines are golden in colour, rather
than white, and have a luscious sweetness. Sample a
few and you’re sure to want to buy some to take home.
One of the best ways of enjoying views of Dordogne’s
chateaux is to hire a canoe and spend a lazy day on the
river. If you have never manned a boat before, don’t
let that put you off. The hire companies see that you’re
safely kitted out with life jackets and there’s almost no
need to paddle – the current of the river will carry you
gently downstream.
We rented our canoes from Randonnée Dordogne in
Cénac (tel: 00 33 (0)553 28 22 01). If we had wanted
we could have booked them for up to a week, together
with a tent, but instead we opted for the 10km trip
from Cénac to Beynac. We packed a picnic, which
we stowed into a waterproof barrel provided with the
canoe, and pulled up onto a beach along the way where
our lunchtime companions were ducks and dragonflies.
Along the way we
passed the chateaux at La
Roque-Gageac, Castelnaud
and Beynac. If I have
the opportunity to do it
again, next time I’ll start
further upstream at Carsac
because this stretch of the
river is said to give you
an incomparable view of
Château de Montfort... As if
I need an excuse to return!
Joséphine Baker in her
infamous banana skirt
Chateau des Milandes
(Picture: Jean-Yves Didier)
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DORDOGNE
Château de
Clérans at
St Léon-surVézere
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I
GORGEOUS GARDENS
Crazy shapes formed by
box at Marqueyssac
Peacock at Marqueyssac
Views from Marqueyssac stretch for miles
t would be hard to avoid the gardens of the
Manoir d’Eyrignac in Salignac because they
are signposted from almost every town in the
region! But these gardens are so lovely that
you really wouldn’t want to miss them.
Privately owned by a family that has lived in the
manor for 22 generations, the gardens cover four
hectares and contain some of the best topiary you’ll see
anywhere. A hornbeam walk leads towards the Vase
Alley where yew has been clipped into crisp shapes.
Yet this is not just a traditionally French formal
garden. There’s an English influence too which has
led to the creation of more natural areas. I especially
liked the courtyard near the manor house with roses
around the door, shaded by a plane tree and where the
focal point is a little pond with hydrangeas blooming
alongside. Nearby is a little Romanesque chapel with
some intriguing modern stained glass.
Around the fish pool are more neat examples of
topiary – box balls in pots, well-groomed cones and
tidily arched hedging – while slender cypress trees draw
you onwards to explore the Enchanted Terrace with its
majestic Blue Atlas cedar.
The White Garden is different again. It’s divided into
four by low box borders, within which are set scores
of white roses. At the centre a circular raised pool is
fed by a quartet of gushing ceramic frogs, while at the
end of the garden is a scarlet Oriental seat, cleverly
positioned to lead your eyes to the panorama of rolling
countryside beyond.
If you struggle to keep your grass mowed at home,
it’s comforting to know that the 2.5 hectares of lawn
at Eyrignac are cut no fewer than 30 times a year. And
they have worked out that they cut a total of 45,000sq m
of hedge each year – by hand!
However, even these hedges pale when compared
to the remarkable tapestry of box that you find in
the gardens of Marqueyssac at Vézac. The ‘hanging’
gardens here are ranged along a thin spur of land 400ft
above the river, with great cliffs dropping steeply on
either side. At one end of the spur is a chateau, dating
back to the 18th century.
The views are extraordinary – from the garden’s
paths and terraces you can see miles away to
Castelnaud, Fayrac, Beynac and La Roque-Gageac.
And there’s a pretty tea terrace where you can make
the most of the view while enjoying an icecream or a
coffee in the company of the resident peacocks.
Complementing the views is the stunning planting,
which is almost entirely box, punctuated by tall cypress
trees and pines. The boxes are cut into remarkable
shapes that erupt into a mad tangle of hummocks and
mounds, framed by low box hedges and paths.
Your first thought on seeing this crazy green
landscape is that nobody could have deliberately
Destination France SPRING 2010
45
Poetry at the Jardins de Cadiot in Carlux
Roses at the Jardins de Cadiot in Carlux
Gardens at Eyrignac
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SPRING 2010 Destination France
planned it – which is partly true. It was first created in
the mid-1800s by Julien de Cervel who was inspired by
Italian gardens. Originally the box trees were clipped
into formal geometric shapes, but eventually the garden
was abandoned and the plants took on a life and a
shape of their own. When the gardens were restored
some years later, it was decided to keep them in the
shapes sculpted by nature.
Both Eyrignac and Marqueyssac are deservedly
famous. Less so are the Jardins de Cadiot at Carlux,
but they are still a delight to visit. They are made up
of 10 separate ‘rooms’ over two hectares and although
there are some formal areas, there are also parts of the
garden that are much more English in style.
Old roses are in abundance here, both climbing over
arched paths and in great borders alongside a grass walk.
Little walled patios are prettily finished with tiles, lanterns
and furniture to create secret hideaways, and sculptures
are dotted all around, including some from Zimbabwe
which are on sale as part of a fair trade scheme.
One of the areas I liked best is the Jardin de Poésie.
Scattered around are verses of poetry written onto
pieces of pottery. Very thought-provoking and pretty.
I
CAVES AND PAINTINGS
t’s hard to take in that people were living in
the Dordogne 400,000 years ago, but they have
left traces of their occupation to prove it. Along
the Vézère Valley there are at least 15 sites that
bear witness to the hunters who first made their
homes in this area, many of them listed by UNESCO.
Of these Lascaux near Montignac is the best known. The
caves were discovered in 1940 by four teenagers and a dog,
and within them are some of the most wonderful prehistoric
paintings in existence, believed to date back 16,000 years
from the Upper Palaeolithic period. Among them are
representations of bulls, horses, stags and other animals.
The caves were opened to the public in 1948, but by the
mid-50s it was evident that the breath from visitors was
damaging the paintings that had been secret for so many
millennia and in 1963 they were closed to the public.
But such was the public fascination with these works
that in 1983 Lascaux II was opened. Just a couple of
hundred yards from the original, it contains facsimiles
of the paintings, beautifully recreated using original
techniques and pigments. There is also a museum on
the site explaining their background.
Ancient troglodyte steps at Roque
Saint-Christophe
The massive ledge
at Roque SaintChristophe
www.destinationfrancemagazine.co.uk
SPRING 2010
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DORDOGNE
Many prehistoric cave paintings are closed to the public
because of the damage we can inadvertently cause, but
at Font de Gaume near Les Eyzies it is possible to see
original works, with depictions of bison, mammoths and
horses. It’s thought they date back to 14,000BC, but the
caves here were first settled by Stone Age people during
the last Ice Age, about 25,000 years ago.
Altogether there are around 250 paintings, of which 30
can be seen by visitors. One of the most famous is a frieze
of five bison which was discovered only in 1966. To protect
the paintings, only 200 visitors are allowed in each day, so
it is essential to book first (tel: 00 33 (0)553 06 86 00).
If you’re staying in the Dordogne and are really
keen to see cave paintings, you might like to make the
trip to Cabrerets in the neighbouring Lot département
to the extraordinary Pech Merle site. Again the
number of visitors is limited and you’ll need to make
reservations several days in advance in high season
(tel: 00 33 (0)565 31 27 05).
The caves at Pech Merle are beautiful natural
formations with lots of stalagmites and stalactites
as well as paintings dating back 25,000 years. It’s
awesome to look at the horses, mammoths and bison
painted by our ancestors and I was especially moved
by the ones where artists had painted around their own
hands. Somehow these works give you an immense
connection with the past.
Back in the Dordogne, there are numerous caves,
shelters and troglodyte dwellings in and around Les
Eyzies. Also in Les Eyzies is the National Prehistoric
Museum, built into the overhang of a limestone cliff.
It contains some fascinating archaeological discoveries
and describes the Palaeolithic era, the history of the
Neanderthals and of Cro-Magnon man.
Another fascinating place is the fortress and city of
La Roque Saint Christophe at Peyzac-le-Moustier. In the
great limestone cliff overlooking the Vézère river there
are caves and a massive platform ledge protected by
an overhang. People are thought to have lived here for
55,000 years and by the 10th century it was developed
into a proper fortress with separate houses alongside. It
was so impregnable that during the Hundred Years War
the English managed to take it only by starving out the
inhabitants.
Visit it today and you can see numerous traces of
the people who lived here, from the steps they cut
in the rock to the rings they carved for the tethering
ropes of their animals. There are also some very good
reconstructions of early medieval homes and some of
the machinery they used, such as cranes for lifting
stores up the cliff.
As you stand on the lofty cliff, looking down on
the Vézère and the surrounding countryside, it’s
extraordinary to think that man has been looking at
and enjoying this very same panorama for so many
thousands of years.
48
SPRING 2010 Destination France
The Vézère river
from Roque
Many prehistoric cave paintings are
closed to the public because of the
damage we can inadvertently cause,
but at Font de Gaume near Les Eyzies
it is possible to see original works,
with depictions of bison,
mammoths and horses.
Cave paintings at Lascaux II
(Picture: J-Jacques Brochard / CRT d’Aquitaine)