Before I travelled to the Dordogne region of France I had heard many things about it and in my imagination the following aspects stood out; green landscapes of rolling hills with pretty stone farmhouses, fois gras, canoeing on the wide, smooth river, the local wine from Bergerac and a place many ex-pats have chosen to make their home. 

So the first time I went I suppose I was expecting it to be quite touristy and in some ways it is. For example the majority of restaurants offer the same gourmet food specific to the region (but it is oh so delicious!) and there are LOTS of canoeists! However whenever I found myself in some tourist spot it was so tastefully done that I never felt like I was “one  of the masses”.  

In fact walking through this area of the Dordogne, the Périgord Noir, (try one of our four different itineraries) we rarely saw other walkers and had the trails mostly to ourselves, apart from the odd farmer or fellow hiker who always shouted a friendly “bonjour”. And wow how stunning these landscapes are! There are towering limestone cliffs, hilltop strongholds and houses built of stone, a similar colour to those in the English Cotswolds, but of course built in the traditional French style. Strolling alongside the Dordogne and Vezère Rivers made me feel at peace with myself and with the world. But that’s why I love walking so much as it takes you out of your everyday existence (and sometimes humdrum and routine life!) and transports you into the heart of the countryside with perhaps just the sound of a trickling brook or birds singing and at other times complete silence.

In these busy lives that we lead walking in the Dordogne provides some respite, some down time and a chance to contemplate life and just be.... Explore Macs Adventure's Dordogne walking holiday collection which includes walking in the Périgord Noir region. You can also contact info@macsadventure.com of you'd like any more info or inspiration.