Dordogne

Dordogne is hard to say ( try Door-doh-nyeh – I have heard people say it as Dor-doin) but is a fascinating region of South West France.  It is part of what is known as the Aquitaine – famous for Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The Dordogne is also the name of a river which runs through the area.  The area is known for its produce such as truffles, walnuts, Foie Gras (controversial elsewhere), Strawberries and, of course, wine.  Less than half a million people live in the Dordogne – which is a delight for a visitor because it isn't really crowded even in the height of summer.

The Dordogne is dotted with little towns – many of them Bastides – fortified towns mostly built on hills and in a square.  The largest town in the Dordogne is Perigueux.

There are also more than 1500 chateaux in the Dordogne – making the area the second most 'chateaued' after the Loire Valley.

When driving around the Dordogne we were struck by the abundance of large and small roundabouts – the French use roundabouts in almost every imaginable circumstance.

While you see roundabouts almost all over France, in the Dordogne you notice lots of signs to towns all called Lieu-Dit something.  I did a bit of research and found that it is like calling a town – a place said to be X – and this is because the places are so small that they are not even big enough to be called villages.

Le Roque Gageac is a very picturesque village on the banks of the Dordogne.  The day we visited though it was unpleasantly over-run with traffic and we didn't actually stop.

I'll finish this ramble about the Dordogne with showing you a pic of a bridge over the river Dordogne in a place called Castillon-la-Bataille – the town is notable for having been the site of the last battle in the Hundred Years War (1453).