Dordogne, Lot and Limousin Cottages

Holiday Cottages in Dordogne, Lot and Limousin

Welcome to the Dordogne, Lot & Limousin

Welcome to the beautiful, rural hill country that typifies the ‘département de la Dordogne’, dotted with old villages, hill top castles and market towns renowned for paté de foie gras, walnuts, truffles and referred to by the French as ‘le Périgord’. The mighty River Dordogne flows down through the region from Limousin with its great city of Limoges, porcelain and horses and on south to Aquitaine.  Travelling up in to the hills and vast oak forests is pretty much off the beaten track where you can enjoy a country cottage in Dordogne deep in the heart of what many consider to be the ‘real France’.

Towering lime stone cliffs stand over deep, rich river valleys, perfect for fishing, boating and walking.  There’s plenty of wildlife to watch, sleepy villages to wander and amazing ancient caves to explore, including the grotto at Lascaux with its world’s most famous prehistoric cave paintings.

Lot has recently become more popular with visitors who have discovered this region’s delights including the village of Rocamadour, hugging its amazingly steep cliff face overlooking the valley of the Ouysse and Cahors its 14^th century main town.  You’ll also find more stunning caves including the Gouffre de Padirac and to the south Lot et Garonne: rich in oak forests and threaded through by glittering rivers and streams.  Tarn and Tarn et Garonne are also superb locations for a get-a-way-from-it-all country cottage holiday.  Part of the Midi-Pyrénées region Tarn et Garonne borders the département of Lot.  Suffused with an old world charm, wines include St Emilion, Medoc, Margaux, and Sauternes and, not forgetting the kids they’ll love canoeing, medieval castles, adventure parks, wildlife and forest fun!

Things to do in Dordogne, Lot & Limousin

Sarlat is a wonderfully romantic medieval market town in the Dordogne, great for browsing in the top Saturday market, watch street artists and visit Cathedrale St Sacerdos.  We also recommend the local ice cream; you’ll have to try out a few flavours – just to make sure…  And, make sure you try all the local gastronomic delicacies; nearly every town will have something different on offer.  To work off the distraction of superb local cuisine start gently with miles of great walking, cycling and some fishing in the crystal clear waters of the region.  For the more adventurous paddle your canoe or enjoy getting really wet white water rafting in Lot.  There’s also sailing and wind surfing on the many lakes and balloon rides over the deep valleys and wooded slopes.  Limousin is well known for horse breeding and great riding country – yet another way to enjoy this tranquil, ancient landscape.

There are many, many châteaux and castles to explore including Château de Marqueyssac near Vazac with its glorious gardens and the children will love the interactive fun at Château de Castelnaud and epic Beynac.  If you like things that buzz and wiggle get along to amazing Insectopia near Souillac and one of the region’s ‘must dos’: a gondola ride through the stunning caves of Gouffre de Padirac.  The Dordogne is also renowned for its prehistoric sites including the cave paintings at Lascaux (the original cave is closed due to its fragility but there is an exact replica for you to enjoy).  Check out the Musée National de Préhistoric in Les Eysies de Tayac and trace 400,000 years of man’s history on Earth.