After a
rather long day for all on Saturday which included fetching Carol from the
airport at Bergerac, we thought a quiet day would be good for all of us. Andre
had to leave again at lunch-time in any case, so the morning was spent dodging
the chilly showers and inspecting the site. The girls were delighted to find an
enormous free library of DVD’s and games, a snooker table, ping-pong table and
heated swimming pool. Also a sauna which they decided to try at some time. For
a start, however, they went for a swim
in the heated pool after supper which was something of a novelty.
On Monday,
although the weather had not really improved much we just had to get out and
about. The resort very thoughtfully provides all sorts of information about
things to do and to see, amongst them a list of suggested sightseeing routes.
We chose Route 2 and set off on a circular tour which took in numerous charming
little old villages as well. This is definitely the area of chateaux and we
were treated to a different one around almost every corner. The first one was
in the small village of Clerans which has a semi ruined castle in its center.
As our guide book didn’t have much to say about it, I went to the Mayor’s
office to find out if they had any information but all I discovered was that it
is privately owned and there is simply nothing written about it’s history. A
shame really. Could this be a niche waiting to be filled? When we walked around
the castle, we found that one section of it had been restored and was actually
inhabited but none of us were brave enough to knock on the door to find out
more.
From Clerans
we drove down to the River Dordogne to the spot where there is vast barrage and a hydro-electric plant. You
may think it was a boring thing to do
but in fact it turned out to be rather interesting. With the river being in
flood, there was a massive amount of water flowing through the turbines and
spurting out of the exit pipes. It was a magnificent sight!
Driving on
we visited Lalinde and since it was about lunchtime, we looked for somewhere to
eat. After lunch we retraced our steps to Couze where there was a paper factory
we had decided to visit. Apparently the Dordogne has perfect water for making
acid-free paper and a number of factories started their business up and down
its banks. Sadly with the commercial world growing larger by the day, the
demand for handmade paper was soon overshadowed by paper that was thin, smooth
and sharp-edged.. One by one they fell
away and the buildings fell into disrepair. Today, one is a museum while the
other is still a working mill. Unfortunately, without realising it, we visited
the museum mill which closes for several months of each year, February being
one of them. Anyway, we had a good look around and were amazed at the good state
of the buildings.
Going on
from there, we visited two chateaux – Lanquais and Banne. Neither are open to
the public but are well worth seeing. Lanquais is unusual in that one half of
the building is a sturdy and very solid construction and is well fortified,
while the other half is full of decoration and is a direct contrast. Banne, on
the other hand, is enormous and solid and makes a bold statement from its
position on top of a rock. Considering that it was built by a bishop, it somehow demonstrates just how
wealthy the clergy were in the old days.
The
following day was again grey and miserable so we stayed home for most of it.
The office is well-supplied with DVD’s and the girls have had a ball on the
days we have stayed in. In the afternoon, Carol and Neels and I went for a
short drive, just round the back of the hill the resort is on. Called
Lapeyrousse it has little more than a church and a few large buildings that we
subsequently found out were a disused hospital and a retirement home for
retired clergy. When we showed interest in the church which had an unusual dome
on the roof instead of the more common steeple, and old man came wandering over
to us and started giving us a tour of the property. He was simply charming and what he had to say was really interesting. We
are so glad to have stopped there.
Hooray! The
next day was sunny so we hopped into the car and set out on a huge circular
drive. Not far from here the Dordogne River makes two huge loops which are very
spectacular but difficult to photograph. To see the first one we drove up to a
viewsite above a town called Tremolat to admire the sweep of the (overfull)
river; then down again to water level and a town called Limeul where all was
tight shut so no lunch stop there. We could see evidence of flooding there and
no doubt the day before had been a nail-biting one for the inhabitants as the
high water mark was almost up to the lowest houses. As the town happens to be
at the confluence of two large rivers – the Dordogne and the Lezere – and both
were flooding, there was still a great deal of water coming down. An
interesting fact is that the bridges over the two rivers are at right angles to
each other and can be seen together. So
we had to drive on to the next town which was La Bugue.
Unfortunately,
as so often happens when touring out of season, a lot of places were closed for
a few weeks and the few that weren’t were already full. Finally we found a
delightful place which served both a French menu and an Asiatic one. They had a
table for us and with relief we sat down and hoped that the food would be good.
We needn’t have worried – it was divine and if we can we will return before the
end of the week.
On the way
home, we visited the correct paper mill, which was worth every minute. The
owner of the paper shop was about to leave but stayed on to give us a private
tour around even to the places the public is not usually allowed to visit. He
was absolutely delightful and we must have spent almost an hour listening to
him and peering into the nooks and crannies of the mill. When we left he gave
us an invitation to visit at any time in the future.
The we went
to Beaumont which is another charming village with an enormous fortified church
in the centre, which towers over the rest of the town. It was getting late and
there was an icy wind blowing so no-one was very keen on seeing any more sights
but we quickly went on to Monpazier which is a typical bastide town with an
enormous square and market place in the centre. It also has some ancient grain
measures in the market place as permanent museum exhibits. By now the wind was
positively freezing and we could barely stay outside for more than a few
minutes. This is definitely a place to visit on another occasion.
Saturday was
the end of our week and we sadly packed up everything and loaded the car. Carol
was leaving from Bergerac and we had decided to explore the town before seeing
her off. What an ancient and fascinating place it is. We saw the statue of
Cyrano de Bergerac who in fact has very little to do with the actual town, but
is impressive all the same. We also saw one of the seven old hydro-electric
plants that are scattered around the town and provide some of the electricity
required. We admired the ancient houses
that are of a timber construction with spaces between the timbers filled with
tiny bricks. The streets through the old town are all pedestrian walkways and
are paved with beautifully laid brick. Little twisty streets run off from the main
road through the town and just invite one to explore. Lunch at a handy creperie
and then it was time to go off to the airport.
What a
simply lovely week we have had and what an amazing introduction to the
Dordogne. We shall definitely have to return.
