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Perigord, gastronomic heartland of France, divided into four regions of colour because one was simply not enough to encapsulate the character of this fascinating area! It is a region blessed with beauty by nature, marked by the dawn of mankind and ravaged by the Hundred Years War – a unique charm, centuries in the making, for today’s visitor to delight in. This is a tour with all the classic Francophiles ingredients of history, culture and culinary delight. Our visit is based in and explores two towns – medieval Bergerac, nestled on the banks of the Dordogne; and Perigueux, capital of Perigord, a city of two towns, Roman and medieval, evoking the spirit of bygone days.
From our bases we explore the land of early man – from the famous representations of prehistoric wall paintings of the Lascaux II cave to a town built into the cliff ledges of La Roque St. Christophe. This town was home to hundreds from its early ‘cave dwelling’ establishment and during the turbulent times of the Hundred Years War, before its destruction during the Wars of Religion at the end of the 16th century. The influence of the Hundred Years War is also apparent in the fortified castles and bastide towns in the area, such as the impressively preserved town of Monpazier, one of our visits on the holiday. We also visit the more recent chateau of Hautefort, with its lovely park and early history of brotherly strife in the time of Bertrand de Born, the famous troubadour. The more recent appeal of the region is also apparent in the Chateau de Milandes, once home to the singer and later Resistance heroine Josephine Baker and her ‘world village’ of adopted children.
There is also great beauty in the river valleys of the Isle, Vezere and Dordogne and in the lovely pastoral scenery of walnut groves, orchards and vineyards. Beyond the attractions of nature and history however, as our visits and wine tastings at the Maison des Vins in Bergerac and the Chateau du Monbazillac will demonstrate, it is no accident that this region is known as the gastronomic heartland of France! Be it the truffles, foie gras or one of the numerous appellations of wine, rest assured the gourmet in you will not go unsatisfied….Gastronomy, history, nature and relaxation, how could you refuse?
We invite you to explore with us the delights of this region of splendid chateaux, memorable wines, delicious food, historical interest and scenic beauty. We offer all this plus the significance of the Périgord colours - white, black, green and purple!
This eleven -day holiday includes:
• ten nights half-board in a double, twin or single room (single supplement £140).
• all coach and ferry travel.
• all excursions and the services of a courier throughout.
Cost: £1,045
Specialist guide services and admission charges are not included in the holiday price.
ITINERARY
SUNDAY
Depart Bristol at 7.30am for the drive via London to Dover and the lunchtime ferry to Calais. Dinner and overnight at the 2** Hostellerie Saint Vincent in Beauvais.
MONDAY
Morning drive skirting Paris, via Versailles and Rambouillet, to stop near Orléans for lunch at leisure. Afternoon we travel down through the Centre region of France. We have dinner and overnight at the 3*** Bois de la Marche hotel near Poitiers.
TUESDAY
Our drive this morning takes us through the lush greenery of Limousin to Périgueux for lunch at leisure followed by a guided tour to the Gallo-Roman areas of the city. We then continue south to cross the River Dordogne at Bergerac to the 3*** Verotel hotel, our base for the next three nights.
WEDNESDAY
A relaxing day today as we have a guided tour of the Old Quarter of Bergerac. Lunch and early afternoon at leisure then we meet at the Maison du Vin for a talk on and tastings of the regional wines.
THURSDAY
The loveliest of excursions today as we set off alongside the Dordogne and continue through delightful scenery to the Chateau Les Milandes where Josephine Baker ‘La Perle Noire’ of Paris sought to create a ‘world village’ adopting children of different races. We continue to La Roque Gageac for lunch at leisure followed by a boat trip on the Dordogne. On our way back to our hotel we stop at the Gouffre de Proumeyssac for a guided tour of this underground dome with fine stalactites and objects encrusted with lime.
FRIDAY
Leave our Verotel base after breakfast for a morning in the bastide town of Monpazier which changed hands several times in the battles between England and France in the 100 Years War. Mid-afternoon we visit the Chateau of Monbazillac, owned now by the Monbazillac Wine Co-operative, on its imposing site on the edge of a limestone plateau overlooking the Dordogne valley. We then go to their wine store for a tasting of the golden, smooth Monbazillac wine which is served as an apéritif, with foie gras or with dessert. Suitably refreshed we travel north to our second base in the region, the 3*** Hotel l’Ecluse in its delightful riverside setting. This will be our base for the next three nights.
SATURDAY
We take the short drive into Périgueux for a guided tour of the mediaeval parts of the city with time to visit the many-domed Cathédrale St-Front. Lunch and the rest of the day free to explore this ancient city and regional capital of an agricultural region. The town is justly famed for its gastronomic specialities notably truffles and foie gras.
SUNDAY
From our hotel we travel along the Manoire river valley via Montignac to the museum at Le Thot in the Vézere river valley which sets the scene for our prehistoric day. We proceed to the Lascaux II ‘cave’ where an incredibly detailed facsimile of the original cave has been created to show many of the majestic cave paintings dating back around 16,000 years. We then retrace to Montignac for lunch at leisure before continuing to visit La Roque St-Christophe, a long majestic cliff above the Vézere valley which has been occupied since the Stone Age and served as a fortress for defence against Viking attack and in the 100 Years War. We end our day visiting Les Eyzies with its museum of Prehistory.
MONDAY
Today we leave our l’Ecluse hotel for a guided visit of the imposing Chateau of Hautefort dating from the 17th century and carefully restored in the 20th century after a disastrous fire. Time to visit the gardens. Then to Périgueux for lunch at leisure. Early afternoon we travel to Brantome in the charming valley of the Dronne whose old abbey and picturesque setting make it one of the most delightful sites in Périgord. We have dinner and overnight near Poitiers at the Bois de la Marche hotel again.
TUESDAY
We retrace our outward journey back to Beauvais with several stops for refreshments and to stretch our legs en-route, calling in Rambouillet for our afternoon stop. Overnight at Beauvais
WEDNESDAY
Morning drive to Calais and the lunchtime ferry to Dover. Return via London to Bristol, arriving there early evening
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