We’ll start with the technical details; we filled up on diesel and gas on the outskirts of Sarlat-la-Canéda and then parked Eileen in an Aires de Service for a couple of hours. We roamed around the incredibly busy market which was absolutely full of Brits, all making themselves heard in a variety of accents.
The old mediaeval town of Sarlat-la-Canéda really is lovely and has been used for the setting of a number of movies; ‘Chocolat’ being one of my favourites. After the obligatory trip to the supermarket, we strode back to the Aires de Service for the overnight stay which turned out to be free; the machine wasn’t working! An Aires is a place for campervans’ to park, stay overnight, empty your loo and waste water and there’s usually a small fee. There are a lot of them around France, all very well frequented especially in popular spots like Sarlat.
We wanted to see Sarlat in the evening without the crowds and it was so much quieter and really lovely to wander around all the back streets with almost no-one about. We finally stopped in the Place de la Liberté for a couple of drinks before returning to Eileen.
After listening to the rain in the night, we woke up to a sunny morning, yippee! We drove south to La Roque en Gageac and strolled yet another steep, cobbled village set under a cliff on the side of the Dordogne River. It’s amazing that we’ve visited so many villages in this area, all built of the same beautiful limestone, but every village is different from the last, and each one fascinating to see.
Next stop was across the river in Domme. At the car park we hopped on a ‘petit train’ and got a ride up to the top of the village; brilliant ! We bought a couple of quiches and a basket of strawberries from the market and promenaded along the Promenade des Falaises to a lovely garden with views right across the valley to La Roque en Gageac for our pique nique. We didn’t buy any truffles; at 50 euros, for the one second in from the right in the photos, we decided you’d need a real chef to do something worthy with it!!!
When we finally got back to Eileen we set off further west up the valley, passing Montfort and finally settling on a campsite above St Julien-de-Lampon.
We’re surrounded by happy Dutch campers, the showers are dreadful and it’s raining and stormy, so we can’t sit outside, or enjoy the swimming pool. Tonight might be an early night and maybe a rest day tomorrow, as we’re now overdosing a little on mediaeval villages. Then we’ll go in search of God and miracles at Rocamadour, another sight that is apparently not to be missed…..