Walking in the Dordogne. Janette Norton

the increase of budget airlines, flying and then hiring a car can be a more convenient way to travel. There are direct flights from several UK airports to Bergerac with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), Flybe (www.flybe.com) and Jet2 (www.jet2.com); to Brive-la-Gaillarde, near Souillac, with Ryanair and Cityjet (www.cityjet.com); and to Bordeaux with British Airways (www.britishairways.com) and Easyjet (www.easyjet.co.uk). From Bordeaux it is relatively easy to get a train to Bergerac or Sarlat.

      By rail

      If you contact the English office of the French Railways at RailEurope (www.raileurope.co.uk), they will send an informative brochure outlining the different ways to get to France by rail, including timetables, cost, car hire and so on.

      There are frequent high-speed trains with Eurostar from London Waterloo to Lille, where you can catch a TGV to Bordeaux (total journey time, nine hours) or to Libourne, where you can change to a direct train for Bergerac. For further information, including online booking, timetables, destinations and costs, contact www.eurostar.com. Another useful website for European train travel is www.seat61.com (just click on France).

When to go

      The weather in the Dordogne is pleasant for much of the year, with mild humid winters and long hot summers, and walks can be done at any season. It is very unusual to get snow in the Dordogne, although hard frosts are not unknown, such as the one in 1956 which killed off many of the vines. When the sun does shine in the winter months it is often possible to sit outside at midday, although the downside is that many hotels and restaurants tend to be shut, and tourist sites have limited opening hours until Easter. Spring can be changeable, in some years with glorious sunshine and others being cold and wet, but temperatures begin to increase in May and June, and there is less rain. More restaurants and campsites open up and there are often spectacular displays of flowers. These are two of the best months for walking, before the really hot weather sets in and the swarms of holiday makers begin to arrive. July and August are months to avoid, for they can be uncomfortably hot for walking, with violent thunderstorms often building up after a day of intense heat, as well as being the months when the French take their holidays, flocking southwards en masse and crowding the roads, restaurants, hotels and campsites, as well as the picturesque old towns and villages. It is much more pleasant to wait for September and October, when the crowds have gone and the sun is less intense, although often more reliable. This is a time to enjoy the bright autumn foliage, the vendange (grape picking) and the colourful markets with their abundance of harvest produce. However, with global warming the climate has become so capricious that one never knows what to expect at any time of year.

Accommodation

      The Dordogne is a major tourist destination so there is plenty of accommodation to choose from, ranging from four-star hotels to campsites. If you plan to visit in the summer months or at holiday periods, it is advisable to book in advance. The local tourist offices will often provide a list of available accommodation and help you to book. See Appendix B for a list of websites.

      Hotels

      The larger towns such as Bergerac and Sarlat have numerous hotels of all categories to choose from, whereas smaller towns and villages will have just a few. A reliable chain of hotels offering comfortable accommodation at reasonable prices is Logis de France, which has several hotels in the Dordogne (www.logishotels.com).

      Gîtes and chambres d’hôtes

      There is also plenty of self-catering accommodation to rent in gîtes (www.gites-de-france.com), and the same website gives information on chambres d’hôtes, the French equivalent of bed and breakfast.

      Camping

      Campsites are graded from one to five stars and range from those offering a shop, hot showers and swimming pool to sites with basic washing facilities. A list of those in the Dordogne is available at www.campingfrance.com or www.eurocampings.co.uk.

Food and drink

      One cannot write any sort of book about the Dordogne without mentioning the food, and there is nothing more delightful than sitting down to a menu de terroir (menu of local specialities) in a village restaurant after a long day’s walk, when you feel justified in being really hungry!

      The Dordogne is generally referred to as Périgord when it comes to food, and is well known as the home of goose and duck, truffles and mushrooms, nuts and fruits – all accompanied by a good wine from the Bergerac vineyards.

      A traditional meal often starts with the renowned foie gras, a smooth, rich paté made from the enlarged livers of goose or duck after they have been force-fed, best eaten with slivers of toast. Another regional entrée is salade du gesiers, preserved duck gizzards served warm on crisp lettuce, or tourin blanchi, a soup made from goose fat, garlic and eggs.

      For the main course confit often appears, where the meat of the duck is preserved and then cooked in its own thick fat and often served with pommes sarladaise, consisting of thickly sliced potatoes fried in goose fat and garlic. Magret de canard (grilled duck breasts) is another speciality often on the menu. You will also find duck and goose served up in sausages or cassoulet (a sort of meat stew with haricot beans). In fact, the fat of ducks and geese is used for cooking just about everything, and gives every dish a delicious taste.

      Geese ready to be fattened

      Alternatives to duck or goose are local lamb, raised on the nearby causses in the Quercy; pork, which is often stuffed with garlic, prunes and truffles; game such as rabbit, hare or wood pigeon (pigeonneau), served in a variety of ways; or beef from nearby Limousin.

      Freshwater fish often appears on the menus around Bergerac and along the river, where trout, pike and perch are fished, and you will come across eels and lampreys poached in wine. Nearer to Bordeaux a wide range of fresh sea fish from the Atlantic is available.

      Truffles appear in many menus, sometimes in foie gras, or in an omelette or a sauce, and in autumn there are other types of delicious mushrooms, such as morilles, chanterelles, girolles and bolets to add flavour to the meals.

      The only local cheese readily available is a goat’s cheese called cabécou which comes from the Rocamadour region. In contrast, the desserts are delicious, consisting either of fresh fruit or fruit tarts, one speciality being clafoutis, where the fruit is cooked in a batter-like cake mixture. The juiciest strawberries in the whole of France are said to come from the Dordogne, and cherry, peach and plum orchards abound, especially south of Bergerac. Walnut cakes and tarts are also popular, and nut liqueur is much appreciated.

      The vineyards of Bergerac produce both red and white wines which are generally better value than those of the more prestigious Bordeaux nearby. It is worth trying the sweet Monbazillac white wine, which is often served with foie gras, and the less sweet Saussignac white. The red wines are mostly sold as Bergerac or Côtes du Bergerac, and another strong red is Pécharmant. When eating out it is a good idea to order the local house wine (vin de table), which is usually served in a jug.

      Regional food and wine can always be found in the many local markets which are held once or twice a week and are great fun to wander around. In addition, there are special foires or food festivals at different times of the year, and some of those worth seeking out are at Sarlat, which has a Truffle Festival in January and a Goose Fair in March; Rocamadour, which has a Cheese Festival at