Walking in the Dordogne

• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Updates

Both the nature and extent of the Dordogne region are difficult to define. To some people ‘the Dordogne’ means a river which traverses one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, its banks dotted with medieval villages and castles, built and fought over by the English and French in the Hundred Years’ War; to others it means a region in southwest France east of Bordeaux. But where its boundaries are remains rather vague. It is both these things, and for some English people it is their second home; a land which resembles England when it was peaceful and unspoilt, with no big, bustling towns and motorways clogged with traffic. The Dordogne is a land of milk and honey where you can eat delicious food and drink well-known wines at a fraction of the cost at home, while basking under a sun which lacks the intensity of that in southern France.

To be precise, the Dordogne département, which was created after the Revolution in 1790, lies in the administrative region of Aquitaine, a former duchy and kingdom in southwest France. It corresponds to the old province of Périgord and is the third largest département in the country. It covers 9222km², and is traversed by three rivers (the Domme, L’Isle and the Dordogne) flowing from the Massif Central in the northeast to the Atlantic in the southwest.

The Dordogne has four distinct regions: the Périgord Vert (green) in the north, the Périgord Blanc (white) in the centre, the Périgord Noir (black) to the southeast and the Périgord Poupre (purple) to the southwest. To the north are the Charente and Haute-Vienne départements with the larger cities of Angoulême and Limoges. To the south are the Lot and Garonne, lying in another region which is a sleepy mixture of small medieval towns and unspoilt countryside. To the west is the flat fertile countryside of the Gironde with the bustling city of Bordeaux, and to the east are the wild uplands of the Massif Central. Although not in the exact centre of the country, the region could be called the heart of France, and it is certainly the most romantic!

The Périgord Vert in the north is a tranquil landscape of greenery, which remains green even in the driest of summers due to its humid climate. It is traversed by countless rivers and torrents tumbling down from the nearby Massif Central to converge on the River Domme winding its way southwards to join the Dordogne at the town of Libourne near Bordeaux. Less well known than its southern counterparts, the Périgord Vert forms part of the Périgord/Limousin Regional Nature Park. Comprising 1800km², and created in March 1998, the park offers a wide variety of natural habits, with marshy areas, lakes and forests, together with large numbers of flora and fauna. The only town of note in the region is Notron, which has been famous for knife making since the 15th century. Notron knives, in various shapes and sizes, have been used all over the world and have their very own signature, namely an upside down V marked with three dots – there is even a knife festival every summer!

Further south is the Périgord Blanc, so called because of the whiteness of its limestone plateaux interspersed with poplar, oak and stunted juniper bushes. Here is the medieval town of Périgueux, the capital of the Dordogne département. Sitting in a lush valley on the L’Isle river, it was originally a tiny settlement occupied by Gauls. Then, with the help of the Romans, it became a prosperous town called Vésone. The full history of the rise and fall of Périgueux, as it was pillaged and rebuilt through the centuries, would take too long to relate here, but during the 16th-century Wars of Religion the town remained staunchly Catholic while its rival, Bergerac, further south, remained Protestant. During the Revolution, when France was divided into départements, it was named the Dordogne capital, the original idea being that it would share this status with Bergerac and Sarlat, but it never did! It is a great town to wander around, strolling down the old streets around the interesting five-domed cathedral and savouring the delights of the market, famous for its truffles, foie gras and strawberries.

The Périgord Noir (black) in the southeast is perhaps the best-known of the four regions, where many an Englishman has his ‘castle’. It has the greatest predominance of medieval villages and castles, many on the high rocky banks of the Dordogne, which in great winding curves thrusts its way through the forests of oak, walnuts and chestnuts. This is the land where European history began – it was here in the Vézère river valley, which joins the Dordogne at Limeuil, that the first evidence of prehistoric man was found under the imposing cliffs and grottos along the river bank (see ‘A short history’ below). If you want to walk back into the Middle Ages, Sarlat, the main town of the Périgord noir, is a joy to explore. Miraculously preserved through the centuries, it has a beautiful main square surrounded by 15th-century houses with meticulously carved doorways and mullioned windows. Like all medieval towns of note it suffers from a surfeit of tourists, but even the milling crowds cannot spoil the inherent beauty of its mellowed buildings and winding streets. More information about this region can be found below in the section ‘The Sarlat and Souillac regions (Périgord Noir)’.

Last, but by no means least, is the Périgord Poupre (purple), the southwestern region of Périgord. The colour purple, a name only recently given to the area, signifies the crushed juice of the grapes from its famous vineyards, which produce some of the best wines in France. Here is a different landscape – mainly undulating, with numerous vineyards and fields of tobacco, maize and cereal crops, with the Dordogne, now wider and calmer, drifting gently through on its way westward to the Atlantic.

This is also the country of the bastide towns, which were a new concept of town building during the 14th century and answered a need for accommodation as the population expanded. The bastides were often constructed round an existing edifice such as a church or château. Fortified by gates and ramparts, the streets were laid out at right angles, converging on the main square and covered market place which was the centre of commerce and activity. Each settler could buy two plots, one for building and the other for cultivation, but they had to adhere to the laws of the Bailiff who represented the King of the bastide. He settled disputes and levied taxes, while representatives of the population were in charge of administration. The settlers had certain privileges, in that they were granted political asylum and were exempt from military service (this was important as soldiers had to spend seven years serving their country) and inheritance laws. These little towns remain remarkably untouched and are a pleasure to visit, although you will not find yourself alone!

The main town in the Périgord Poupre is Bergerac, founded in the 12th century and built on the banks of the Dordogne. It was the first place to have a bridge over the river and was an important economic centre for the entire region, especially its port, which was the scene of bustling activity when the only means of transporting goods from upcountry to Bordeaux was by boat. It was actually conquered by the English during the Hundred Years’ War but repossessed by the French 50 years later. In the 16th century it was a hot-bed of Protestantism and was called the French Geneva for its strong religious convictions. However, when the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, many of the wealthier merchants preferred to flee to safer countries, and this spelt a decline in the prosperity of the town.

Now prosperous once again, the town is a vibrant modern centre, yet it still retains its original old quarter, which is much appreciated by the many tourists who wander the cobbled streets, admiring the lovingly restored houses. Many come to see the small statue of Cyrano de Bergerac, the intrepid cavalier with the long nose immortalised in a recent film – what the tourists don’t know is that Cyrano never set foot in the town, so why he is there is an enigma! Bergerac is also the capital of the tobacco industry and houses the National Tobacco Museum, the only one of its kind in the country. More information about this region can be found in the chapter ‘The Bergerac region (Périgord Poupre)’.