Walking in the Dordogne. Janette Norton

files for all the routes described in the guide are available as free downloads to purchasers of the book at www.cicerone.co.uk/843/GPX.

      GUIDELINES TO WALKING IN THE DORDOGNE

       Read the walk description against a map before you go to ensure that the walk is within the capacity of all members of your party.

       Give yourself plenty of time by setting off early. If a walk has a timing of five hours, allow at least one hour extra for breaks and a lunch stop.

       Although the Dordogne is not usually as hot as the south of France, in summer you will need to take plenty of water and sunscreen.

       It is advisable not to deviate from the marked path – if there is a shortcut it is usually shown on the map.

       If you are walking alone, always tell someone where you are going.

       Do not pass any barrier indicating ‘Propriété Privée’ unless the walk description indicates that this is permitted.

       Even if the day looks hot and fine, take waterproof clothing as the weather can be changeable.

       Remember to walk on the left-hand side of the road in order to face oncoming traffic.

       Shut all gates and barriers that you go through.

       Do not light matches or make a fire, especially when it has been dry.

       Do not pick the wild flowers but leave them for others to enjoy.

       Take your litter home with you.

Using this guide

      The 35 walks in this guidebook are grouped into four sections, around the towns of Bergerac, Lalinde, Sarlat and Souillac. Each section starts with an introduction to the area covered in the walks that follow, with a few towns and villages mentioned as convenient places to stay. At the beginning of the route description for each walk there is a box giving a range of useful information: the start and finish of the walk; distance; total ascent and maximum altitude; grading and an approximation of time (see further below); the relevant IGN maps; access information to reach the start point; and signposting encountered on the walk. This information is also summarised in a route summary table in Appendix A. Throughout the route descriptions place names and features that are shown on the map are highlighted in bold.

      The observations at the start of each walk give additional background information about the town or village the walk is starting from, and about any points of interest seen on the way, which might include a château or church, a prehistoric cave or Celtic hill-fort, a museum or garden, or even a boat ride.

      Walk grading

      All walks are within the capacity of the average walker, and are on well-marked paths or quiet roads. They are graded easy or medium, and since the Dordogne is a land of rolling woodland and shallow valleys, there are no long, steep climbs or abrupt descents. Easy walks can generally be done in a half day, and are less than 10km in distance, most with a total ascent of less than 200m. Medium walks take longer, and can be up to 18km in distance, with a total ascent of up to 500m.

      The total ascent is the sum of the height gains for all the uphill stretches, by definition equal to the total descent for a circular walk. The total ascent and the maximum altitude have been extracted from the recorded GPS trails, after removing off-route wanders and smoothing GPS hiccups when too few satellites are available. GPS altitudes are accurate to about 10 metres at best, becoming tens of metres or worse in gorges or near cliffs.

      Timings

      The timings in this book are just an indication for a reasonably fit walker, and are mostly consistent with the times given on the local signposts. You can expect to walk between 3.5 and 4km per hour on the flat, but on a hot day the heat may slow you down, especially on a long walk; from bitter experience we also know the time can increase significantly with age!

      The timings do not include pauses for picnics, rests, taking photos or looking at flowers, and it is important to leave an hour or so extra for this so as to enjoy your day.

      More importantly for walks in the Dordogne, the timings do not include exploring the various places of interest passed on the walk, and you should leave plenty of time if you intend to wander around the town or village at the start of the walk, or to visit the château, prehistoric cave, museum or gardens mentioned. Sometimes this can be even more time-consuming than the walk itself, and you will find that even a short walk might take you best part of a day!

      AROUND BERGERAC

      Monbazillac château and vineyards (Walk 2)

      Bergerac is situated on the banks of the Dordogne, near the end of its journey westwards to the sea. Founded in the 12th century, it was the first town to have a bridge, and it prospered when the only means of transporting goods from the hinterland to the Atlantic port of Bordeaux was along the river. Its port was the scene of bustling activity, and it soon became an important commercial centre for the entire area. The wine trade was particularly lucrative, especially after the tax exemptions granted by Henry III of England, and wealthy merchants built large houses, many of which have been lovingly restored. In the 18th century it became the largest tobacco producing area of France, its history illustrated in the town’s Musée de Tabac.

      Statue of Cyrano de Bergerac (walk 1): photo Richard Saynor

      Now the main town of Périgord Pourpre, Bergerac still retains its original old quarter, with winding cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and the church of St-Jacques, on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. In the central square is the famous statue of Cyrano de Bergerac, the intrepid knight with the long nose immortalised in theatre and film − despite the fact that there is no evidence that he ever set foot in the town!

      The river at Bergerac is wide and gentle, flowing lazily through the town, its waters now the home of ducks, swans and canoeists. The first walk in this guide is a delightfully easy stroll along its banks, starting at the oldest port of Cale de l’Alba and passing the Vieux Port to end at the modern dam. This is the way to see the river at its best, for the path is quiet and peaceful, with no cars and only a few dog walkers to share it with.

      Bergerac is also renowned as a wine-growing area, the climate here being warmer and drier than north of the river. Some of the most prestigious vineyards surround the château of Monbazillac immediately to the south, where there is an easy walk through the vineyards. This is where the sweet white Monbazillac wine is produced, and if you visit the château afterwards, there is free wine tasting with a choice of all the region’s vintages.

      The rest of the walks in this section lie mostly to the south of Bergerac, where there are countless picturesque towns and villages, many with distinctive churches topped by a high wall with three bells. The walks around the sleepy little villages of Flaugeac, Monestier, Conne-de-Labarde and St-Aubin are through open meadowland past wide fields of wheat and barley, in and out of woodland and over rivulets and streams, through hamlets where time seems to have stood still. The countryside here is tranquil and pastoral, and you will find old windmills and water mills once used to grind the corn, and elaborate dovecotes, the birds being bred for meat and their droppings used for fertiliser.

      Two of the best known towns here are Issigeac and the bastide town of Eymet, their winding streets lined with half-timbered houses. Issigeac has a lively Sunday market, worth visiting before the walk in the surrounding countryside, and near Eymet is the man-made Lac de l’Escourou, where many varieties of birds, fish and flowers are to be found as you walk around it.

      The countryside to the north of Bergerac is less well known but no less attractive, and a circular walk winds up through woods and fields from the village of Monclard, with its medieval castle and covered market hall, to