The Rough Guide to Dordogne & the Lot 1 (Rough Guide Mini Guides)

INTRODUCTION

History started with a bang in the Dordogne and Lot region. It was here, along its green, secretive valleys, that prehistoric people first started chiselling away at statues of round-hipped fertility figures. It was here, too, that they penetrated deep into the limestone caves to paint the world’s earliest masterpieces of pot-bellied, prancing ponies, mammoths and muscular bison by the light of flickering oil lamps. Later occupants of the area expressed their faith in the Romanesque churches to be found, uncomplicated and enduring, on many a sun-drenched hilltop, and in the array of abbeys, cloisters and towering cathedrals. The legacy of a more bellicose era lies in the medieval fortresses perched on airy pinnacles of rock and in the feudal villages held snug within their ramparts, while an altogether more intimate link with the past is recorded among the ancient farmhouses tucked into the landscape’s folds.

In addition to this richly layered history, the Dordogne and Lot is also endowed with a tremendous variety of scenery, from the dry limestone plateaux of the causses, sliced through with narrow gorges, to the lushly wooded valleys of the Périgord Noir and the Bordeaux vineyards’ serried ranks. Through these landscapes slide the great rivers that unify and define the region: the Dordogne, which flows 500km from the Massif Central west to the Atlantic coast, and its more modest tributary, the Isle; and further south the Lot, writhing across country on its way to join the Garonne, which, along with its tributaries, the Tarn and Aveyron, marks this region’s southern border.

Within this riverine framework each area possesses its own local character, marked by subtle shifts in architectural styles, in the hue of the building stone, the crops grown and in the cuisine. It is a region best savoured at its own unhurried pace; there is always something to catch the eye, some forgotten corner to stumble upon, a market or a village fête, where even today older folk use dialects whose origins date back to Roman times. This isn’t to say the region is undiscovered – indeed, certain of its sights number amongst the most visited in France – but its heartland is still steeped in what the French call the douceur de vivre, the gentle way of life.

The food and wine are the other great inducements to bring you to the region. This is the land of duck and goose, of foie gras and truffles, of succulent lamb, smoky-sweet goats’ cheeses and a rainbow array of fruits and vegetables to be sampled in simple country inns or in elegant dining rooms dedicated to haute cuisine. The choice of wines is no less intoxicating, from rich, ruby Cahors to the velvety sweet whites of Sauternes and Monbazillac; wandering the region’s highways and byways, sampling these and other local offerings, is a pleasure not to be missed.

There is also endless scope for outdoor activities. In summer all the major rivers are flecked with canoes in colourful gaggles, while the Lot is now also open for navigation by houseboats. Walkers and cyclists are well served with a skein of well-marked tracks. Trekking is widely popular, and potholing and rock-climbing are also on offer in certain locations.