The Dordogne

If you haven't chosen where to go in France for your holidays this year, then why not consider the Dordogne département, which is found within the Aquitaine region of the southwest corner of France. The region is often referred to as Périgord, a name used for the region before the French revolution

This lovely region is based around the River Dordogne which is popular for canoeing (visit Copeyre Canoe if you want to try this). The soft limestone rocks of the area has lead to some fantastic rock formations and cliffside villages as the river has eaten away at the soft rock. Water has also led to the creation of numerous limestone caverns and caves and in these you can view prehistoric cave paintings as well as stalactites and stalagmites !

The most famous of these - the Lascaux caves have now been closed to the public as damp was affecting the paintings. However a fantastic replica of the cave has been built as Lascaux II which is well worth a visit. And you can still visit original cave paintings in other caves, for example at  Grotte de Pech-Merle

If you want to see some animals which are similar to those featured in the paintings then you can visit at  Le Thot - Espace Cro Magnon near Montignac.

The buildings of the Dordogne are famed for being built in yellow limestone and grey roofs. 

The Dordogne also has chateau to visit :
Château de Marqueyssac - with its famous hanging gardens which  are some of the best kept gardens in France. There is a candlelit walk which takes place in July and August on Thursday evenings.
Château de Milandes - between Castelnaud & Berbiguiéres, which has Falconry displays several times per day and if you are brave there are night flights to observe the chateau from the house's own captive hot air balloon ! 
Château de Hautefort -one of the most prestigious châteaux in southwest france, classified as a historical monument.
Château de Monbazillac - with its vineyard and its fantastic views over the Dordogne Valley

There are also some lovely towns such as Sarlat, which is famous for its Saturday market, and Bergerac, famous for the character Cyrano de Bergerac. There is a culinary festival every July in Bergerac.

If you think the Dordogne sounds worth a visit then you will find some fabulous campsites with Keycamp and Eurocamp by clicking here :
Dordogne Campsites with Keycamp

Dordogne Campsites with Eurocamp

Or read our reviews of St Avit Loisirs and Les Peneyrals campsites in the Dordogne on http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com/

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Loire à Vélo Cycling Route

"Loire à vélo" has excellent information about cycle routes on the Loire as well as very reasonably priced organised trips, including a 3 day cycle tour of vineyards which sounds great ! It also has information about cycle friendly campsites and hotels which welcome cyclists and help with things like storage facilities.

http://www.cycling-loire.com/Default.aspx?base

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Loire Bike Routes

If you are taking your bike to the Loire Valley this year then you will love this website : http://www.cycling-loire.com/Default.aspx?base
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Holidays Hit as the Pound Falls Sharply

The value of the pound has fallen against the Euro so if you are planning to holiday in France this year then this will make buying things more expensive if the pound stays at this level. It is now sitting at £1 equalling 1.10 euros.
The UK’s currency has fallen by some 24 per cent against a basket of world currencies since 2007.

However if you are like us and planning to go on a self catering camping holiday and already cant afford to eat out then lets hope we are not affected too much by prices in the supermarkets.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/162401

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Voies Vertes

These are French cycle ways rather like the UK Sustrans network.
Some are entirely off road and some are on quiet roads.
The website has a map and you can see if there are any cycle routes where you are holidaying. You can then download an excellent pdf file with a description of your chosen route.

http://www.voiesvertes.com/