Domme; A cliff top jewel in the Dordogne’s crown

Having listened to us rave about our previous visits to the Dordogne, my sister and her hubby were eager for us to show them the best bits when we recently toured France together. We didn’t need asking twice, so booked ourselves on to a nice campsite for a few days on the banks of the Dordogne River. The site is in a nice central location and sits at the foot of the cliffs, where the amazing medieval stronghold of Domme stands atop, looking down forebodingly over the valley.

Getting to Domme

Changeable weather was forecasted for our stay, so we planned our days out accordingly and our first trip was to Domme. According to Mrs Schafernaker, temperatures of around 19c with heavy cloud were to be expected. (This is how we refer to my sister on holiday, as she spends more time studying weather apps than the BBC weather man of the same name)!  Armed with that information, hubby made the decision that despite his dodgy hip, we were going to Domme on foot. In his own words, “It’s only a short walk through the corn field and then an easily doable woodland path winding up the cliff”.  Now those cliffs are 250 metres high, so I’m not quite sure what he was expecting, but we all fell in line and headed out of the campsite.

What he didn’t consider was that after taking half a dozen steps up the very steep but wide cliff path through the trees with beautiful views, 25 different weather apps were proven wrong, as the clouds parted and the temperature rose by at least 10 degrees.  So, what started as a steady march up the hill, quickly descended into a slow and very sweaty, breathless plod.  There are easier options to arrive, see my summary for sensible choices in hot weather!

Domme

The village was founded in 1281, with its fortified walls being completed 30 years later. After being fought over by various armies for centuries, it really prospered in the 1700’s before falling into decline. The guidebooks say that most of the village is preserved from that time and as you wander the alleyways and narrow streets, it quickly becomes apparent that they are correct, as no two buildings are the same. All are made from the beautiful local yellow sandstone, topped with odd shaped brown tiled roofs and adorned with brightly coloured window shutters, summoning up my perception of quintessential rural France.

The climb up to the village had certainly taken it out of us, so as we passed through La Portes des Tours in the city walls, we had only two things in mind… shade and refreshment!  We found a little ‘hole in the wall’ café close by, and its narrow alleyway eating area containing a few plastic chairs and tables, gave us a bit of cool shade and hubby swears blind it’s the best can of cold Fanta he’s ever had!

Suitably refreshed, we continued up the Grand Rue to the Place de la Halle, exploring the little shops along the way.  The name ‘Grand Rue’ is somewhat misleading, because I’m sure if we’d joined hands we’d have been able to touch the buildings on either side of the road, but in Domme terms, it was the biggest road in the village.

After passing through the central square, we found what we’d really been looking for, the cliff edge. The vista from the viewing platforms is really something else. The Dordogne valley in its full glory with the cliff village of La Roque Gageac to the west and Vitrac to the east, walnut orchards, cornfields, woodlands and the sparkling, winding river below, complete with its usual contingent of thrill-seeking canoeists. I’m sure you’ll agree that the views of the Dordogne valley are pretty special.

 Eager for a bit more shade and another cool down, we returned to the central square and booked ourselves on to a tour of the caverns (Grotte de Domme). On a gradual decent, the 450-metre pathway leads you through stalagmite/stalactite lined caves and takes you to another worldly place. On this occasion, our tour guide only spoke in French, but from the displays in the reception area and our varied French language skill levels, between us we were able to work out most of what we were told. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos, but the caverns are spectacular and definitely worth the 9 Euro entry fee, with the added bonus of cold air on a hot day!

I’ve mentioned the architecture already but as we continued to wander round the town we couldn’t help but admire the individuality of the buildings and we were particularly struck by the variety of doors and personalised door knockers. The Librarie (bookshop) is a particular stand out building and holds thousands of books in a wide variety of languages and really is a delight to spend some time in.

We decided to finish off our visit with some food and found a nice creperie off the beaten track on Rue des Consuls.  La Creperie des Idees a la Noix has a lovely shady courtyard and an owner who is very attentive to his customers. We chose a nice crispy cider to accompany our savoury crepes. However, those crepes had a twist, as the creperie serves them in a ‘bourriol’ style. Which basically means, they are made from buckwheat flour and folded in a fashion favoured by the local workers in their lunch baskets.  Mine included some delicious walnuts that are grown all over that area, and it’s given me a proper taste for something I’d normally only eat at Christmas.

 Where did we stay?

We stayed at Camping Le Perpetuum Domme which is a nice little 4-star campsite with access to the river, where you can launch your own canoe, or hire one from just down the road. It has both spacious and shady camping pitches and modern mobile homes, so there are plenty of options to choose from, good clean washrooms, a small shop and pre-ordered daily fresh bakery options.  It is centrally based, with La Roque-Gageac five miles in one direction and Sarlat La Caneda six miles in the other.  The pool area has two nice pools, and we had couple of very tasty meals in the restaurant, including a particular favourite of mine, goats cheese salad.  It is situated on the inside of a big curve in the river. Therefore, the land is flat, and the roads are quiet, providing many peaceful walks and cycle rides on tracks through the fields and along the riverbank.

 Summary

Would I visit Domme again?  Absolutely, although, I may drive up next time!  Access to the village doesn’t have to be on foot, there are 2 or 3 car parks and a motorhome aire on the road up to the village.  All are served by a petit train, which for a small cost, is well worth using to avoid the climb. Personally, I preferred Domme to Sarlat la Caneda, because the views of the river and valley are spellbinding and the buildings feel more authentic and less “Disney-fied”. So, if you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit.

Enough waffle, if you have been to the area, please drop me a comment on the blog letting me know what you thought of it.  If you enjoy reading my blogs, please like and subscribe to my website so you get notified when the next blog is published.  It’s completely free, I don’t fill your inbox with unwanted spam, and it really means the world to me to know my experience has helped someone else.

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Happy Travels