La Roque-Gageac, Chateau de Castlenaud la Chapelle and Baynac et Cazenac

The weather had been unseasonably changeable during our short stay in the Dordogne and, disappointingly, our planned canoe trip had to be cancelled.  The recent rain had changed the river from its usual gentle shallow flow to a deep, dark torrent and sis gets seasick standing in a puddle, so instead we donned our rain jackets and headed out in the car to do some adventuring of a different kind.

La Roque-Gageac

Looking for new places to explore, we headed westwards along the Dordogne River from our campsite near Domme.  The first place we landed on, was a place we had experienced two years earlier whilst sat in a canoe in the aforementioned shallow flow.  At the time we weren’t allowed to anchor the canoe shore side, so our visit was limited to staring at the uniquely breathtaking village from the shingle bank opposite whilst we ate our sandwiches.  In hindsight, that wasn’t a bad option, because there is a lot to visually take in and distance helps.

This picturesque medieval village sits on the north bank of a bend in the river and beautiful, tightly packed, yellow stone houses with brown tiled roofs, line the narrow road running through. Behind the front promenade, the houses continue to climb up the hill towards the foot of the limestone cliffs that hang ominously over the village and hold troglodyte caves for the fit and adventurous to explore.  At the west end of the village sits the magnificent Chateau Malartrie, which is currently open for rental, if you’ve got a spare euro or two in your pocket!

A lot of the houses lining the road have been converted into small shops and cafes, so for the browsers in our group, that was heaven.  The non-browsers (the men) passed their time watching the ‘braver than us’ canoeists whiz by and the flat-bottomed tour boats manoeuvring in the heavy flow.  Apparently, La Roque-Gageac was a major port for the Dordogne region in medieval times, using similar types of boats.

The south facing cliffs protect the village from northerly winds, so the climate has a Mediterranean feel (apart from when we were there!) and it allows for tropical plants to grow in abundance on the cobble pathways that run between the houses climbing the hill.

We really enjoyed exploring those pathways and the flora and fauna, the architecture and the views of the village and river just got better and better the higher you got.

Eventually you reach a little house at the foot of the cliffs and if you have a head for heights, for a small fee, you can access the flight of wooden steps that take you up to the caves.  Sis tells me they were really interesting, and the views were outstanding, but I’ll have to take her word for it, as open staircases clinging to cliff faces are not suited to my fear of heights.

We parked our car in one the many car parks at the east end of the village and were pleased to see that in addition to a camping aire, they also made provision for motorhome day parking.

Chateau de Castlenaud la Chapelle

We continued eastwards, crossing the river at the next bridge which leads you directly to the village of Castlenaud.  As you cross the bridge, you’ll notice a car park and restaurants to the left, but if you want to visit the castle and save yourself a mega climb up the hill, I suggest you follow the road signs to the castle parking, which also has a camping aire.  The car park leads directly to this fortified chateau (castle) which stands atop a 150m hill looking down over the medieval Castlenaud village that flanks the hillside.

After being fought over for centuries, it was used as a stone quarry for a while, falling to ruin, before being renovated in the 20^th century.  It is now a museum, principally demonstrating the weaponry used in the numerous battles fought in the area, but also immerses you into castle life around the same time.   

We thought we got good value from the 12-euro entry fee, as we really enjoyed exploring the castle and the various displays and exhibitions were both informative and interesting, and I’m not usually a castle kind of person but I highly recommend this one.

The views from the castle walls of the village and the Dordogne valley were particularly stunning and worth the entry fee alone.  After the tour, there are plenty of opportunities to grab a drink and a bite to eat, as there are several nice cafes around the perimeter of the castle.

One word of warning though, the less able might struggle accessing some of the castle floors, due to the spiral staircases, and you need good footwear.  I don’t suppose it was something the medieval architects put a lot of thought into, despite the vast amounts of dismembering going off at the time!

Beynac et Cazenac

Crossing backing over the river and heading westwards again, our next port of call was Beynac et Cazenac.  Similarly sited on the north side of a bend in the river, with overhanging cliffs, this is a slightly smaller, less tourist led version of La Roque-Gageac, with fewer shops and cafes, but still having the pretty yellow stone houses rising up the hillside.

Exploring those narrow lanes, we were once again struck by the beautiful flowers promoted by the environment created by the south facing cliffs.  Sitting at the top of those cliffs is Chateau De Beynac, which offers virtual guided tours of the restored castle that aim to take you back to the days of Richard the Lionheart and immerse you in the ways of the Middle Ages.  We sadly didn’t have time to take the tour but the read up is very good and the 11-euro entry fee looks reasonable for what is on offer.

There is ample parking for cars and motorhomes at the east end of the village, along with parking for the castle at the top of the village. There is also a campsite at the west end, which on a brief viewing looked ideally placed for access to the river and village.

Brasseurs Du Pont

Our last port of call was to have dinner in a restaurant we’d watched being renovated in a C4 series a couple of years previously.  Owned by an English couple it is set up as a hotel, micro-brewery, bar and restaurant.  It is in an excellent location by the side of the river in Siorac en Perigord and the views from the terrace are lovely.

The men in our party especially liked their testing sample trays of beers and the family golden retriever was super-friendly, but none of us left there raving about the standard fare British pub grub. Maybe we’d just been spoiled by all the lovely French food we’d been eating up to that point.

Summary

Our little journey along the Dordogne was full of interest and beauty.  The drive alone provided many ‘look at that’ wow moments, as there was something to see around every corner.  In total we travelled 38 miles round trip, but in hindsight, we could have knocked 22 miles off that trip by omitting the last stop and finishing at Beynac et Cazenac.  If you’ve not explored that small section of the Dordogne, I encourage you to give it a try.

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Happy Travels