Dordogne

The Dordogne is a beautiful department in southwest France which is a perfect holiday destination. It is named after the river Dordogne which is a clear river that is popular for watersports like kayaking and white water rafting. It is far enough South to be guaranteed a warm summer holiday, but not so far South that the journey becomes a nightmare. Driving from Calais takes about 8 hours, usually when travelling to the Dordogne we make an overnight stop in a Formula one hotel, however the joureny can be done quite easily in a day because France seems to have much less traffic than Britain. I have holidayed in the Dordogne for about 8 years running, since I ...  Read the complete review

The Dordogne is a picturesque region of France located in the south-west of the country. It is particularly famous for its foir-gras and duck. It is not one of the better wine growing regions. The easiest way to get to the Dordogne is via Bergerac airport. This is a very small airport serviced by the low cost airlines only. If you drive it will take approx 9 hours from Calais. I really enjoyed my stay in the Dordogne and would definately return. The region is lush and green with the meandering river never too far away for a quick swim. There are a range of safe swimming points along the river (some have lifeguards but most dont). Beware of the ...  Read the complete review

Picture this; the year is circa 1980, 2 families, each with 2 children under 5, and one aunt, roped in to being a nanny, get into an old school minibus and make there first foray into France. They struggle with the children all the way down through France and eventually tell them that the French Police (Gendarmes) come to arrest little girls who aren’t asleep by 8pm. The children sleep and awake to the beautiful scenery of the Dordogne. Their destination was the ‘Camping Verte Rive’ campsite nestled next to the river underneath the magnificent village of Domme. What followed was 10 years of camping holidays at the same site, with the same people, on the same ...  Read the complete review

Picture a balmy summer lunchtime one mid-June. My mother, my teenage son and myself piled into the car and headed south from Norwich to the chunnel. The journey went well, we even survived the M25, which my mum is terrified of. After a little delay we boarded and soon we were back on French soil. I have to say that after my initial resistance to the idea of travelling underneath the sea, the Eurotunnel has got be one of the best inventions ever, right up there with email. As a child France was a very long way away, but now we get there in a matter of a few hours. At Calais we queued up for buffet trays to eat on the night train, with the obligatory bottle of red ...  Read the complete review

We didn't expect to find, in the middle of the Dordogne, near the ancient town of Domme, a French version of 'Fawlty Towers', complete with a Manuel clone and a French Sybil who would have made the original Sybil Fawlty seem cute and cuddly. Lady Luck sent us there. I am unable to say whether she was on our side, for giving us something to laugh about, or against us, as the service was truly lamentable. We arrived tired on a hot afternoon after a long drive. It was badly signposted and eventually we found the postage stamp sized signpost indicating a steep and rutted gravel path to the property. We parked outside reception and heard only a ...  Read the complete review