Zoe15

Does anyone have suggestions for a good base town and/or hotel in the Dordogne for someone with limited mobility? I'm specifically looking for a relatively flat town without major cobblestones that has interesting sites and good restaurants. We'll have a car and would use the base to visit surrounding areas for 4 days. From research so far, it seems like the area around Sarlat has the most attractions. Ideally we'd like a hotel in a town where we wouldn't need to use the car at night and could walk to dinner etc. but are flexible.

StCirq

How limited is the mobility? It's true the area around Sarlat is where you want to be, but it's a hilly area (even Sarlat is hilly), and there are cobblestones and no curb indentations for wheelchairs anywhere. I spent three weeks there at my house in St-Cirq in September, on crutches, and found getting around to be very taxing. St-Cyprien and Les Eyzies and Le Bugue and a few other towns are fairly flat, in that the main street in each is just a long flat strip, but there are cobblestones, and to visit any of the sites off the main street involves steep inclines and narrow, cobblestoned paths. You could stay in Sarlat at any number of places in the lower town and have access to restaurants and stores and such, but again, cobblestones galore all over. And none of the prehistoric sites or castles or other regional attractions would be easily accessible. Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion, but I know the area intimately, and my recent experience there with limited mobility was that had I been a tourist wanting to see the usual sites, it would have been almost impossible, sorry to say.

Zoe15

Thank you very much for the real-life perspective. My mobility is significantly limited. On travel I use a manual wheelchair with my husband pushing for anything but short distances. We've enjoyed France in the past by staying in flat towns without big cobblestones, e.g., St Remy in Provence and Beaune in Burgundy. In Tuscany we stay in Pienza. From those towns we drove the countryside, getting out where it was manageable. So yes, we miss a lot of usual sites but nevertheless enjoy our travels with scenery, the occassioal accessible site, and food and wine. Basing in a town with steep cobblestoned streets without curb cuts, though, will not make for a good trip. Maybe we should find a propery outside of town with easy parking and ideally a restaurant and base there. Our trip is in May so we have time to consider whether Dordogne is doable and decide to spend more time in Paris instead.

michele_d

Zoe15,
The Dordogne is truly a beautiful area. I cannot comment on the mobility issues, but I really hope you are able to manage to visit there, as I am sure you will fall in love with it as others on this board have. Good luck with your planning.

Michael

When my wife had a broken foot, the market in the old town of Périgueux was manageable in a wheelchair as were some other sights in the Périgord vert (Saint Jean de Côle, Brantôme), In the Périgord noir, Domme (parking on top, in the town itself), La Roque-Gageac, Monpazier should all be manageable.

Zoe15

I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice on the Dordogne. I'll research options in the towns suggested.

StCirq

I think Monpazier is a great idea - hadn't thought of it. It's a bit out of the "Sarlat loop," but not by much, and is a lovely town.

kerouac

Perhaps you should go to a different region of France if you have major mobility issues. Dordogne is a current fad but it is certainly not the only part of France well worth spending time in.

Zoe15

I'll check out Monpazier, thanks. Another possibility looks like Brantome. From pictures, it looks fairly flat and has good hotel and restaurant options. Kerouac--I'll take my chances with Dordogne, realizing it might not be the best choice. This trip, we have decided to go back to Beaune (great for wheelchairs) and drive Burgundy so the trip overall will be good.

StCirq

Brantôme is pretty far north if your intent is to visit the main sites most people go to the Périgord for. Nice place, though, as is Bordeilles.

Michael

Bourdeilles in not manageable with a wheelchair. The interiors of the medieval and Renaissance chateaux are not accessible with a wheelchair, and the grounds are gravel. There is a terrace overlooking the river that gives a general view of the chateaux, but is hardly worth a detour. The town is on a slope, and I would not have wanted to push a wheelchair up the street. But I strongly recommend the chateaux for those who can manage stairs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4925141386/

djmum

Rather than recreate the wheel, I have been following Dordeogne threads. Zoe15 raises an issue that is relevant to me, and I hope that I might draw on St Cirq's and Michael's knowledge.

I have a mobility impairment also, however my mobility does not seem to be as restrictive as Zoe15's and has not yet stopped me, with my husband's help, from visiting cobblestoned, hilly towns elsewhere, for example in Umbria and Tuscany I visited the caves in Orvieto, the towns of Montalcino, Montepulcano, and Florence, even climbing to the top of the duomo (it took me two hours to climb up). We have visited the chateaux in the Loire valley. We have visited many places with difficult access but have always managed. We want to visit Dordeogne later this year and I hope that I will be able to manage to negotiate the towns and chateaux.

Do you think it will be possible? To explain: I walk short distances (1-2km) using crutches, and a lightweight manual wheelchair for longer distances. I have a very strong upper body and I can walk places while my husband carries my wheelchair. He has pushed me over flat and hilly cobblestoned paths, along gravel paths. With a lot of good humour, plenty of time, determination, and co-operation we manage.

We use trains between cities, buses and trains within cities, but we drove through Tuscany because it was much easier to get between towns using a car.

We are only in the planning stages of this trip to Europe and have only got as far as thinking we would like to revisit Paris (we spent nearly ten days there in 2011), then drive through Dordeogne, Languedoc-Roussillon and possibly Pays-Basque.

We would like to spend about four weeks in Europe - Paris, the South West of France, as well as Amsterdam and Bruges. But for now, I am asking about the accessibility of the areas in France. It will take a lot to put me off!

Michael

djmum,

Whatever your mobility limitations, clearly you can handle almost anything you'll come across in the Dordogne. Obviously you'll want accommodations that have easy access (ground floor, not too many steps), but from what you say, the rest is manageable.

StCirq

It sounds as though you have already learned to master the basics of limited-mobility travel in Europe, so I would never put you off visiting the Dordogne (please note the correct spalling). I think you might have problems with certain sort of "secondary" sites, such as the Villages Troglodytiques de la Madeleine, but most visitors don't even know about or get there anyway, so I think you'll be fine and not miss out on anything major.

Make sure you communicate with hotels and rentals about mobility issues so you're equipped with what you need for accommodations.

And have a lovely trip!

djmum

Thank you, Michael and St Cirq. My computer has been down for a few days so I've only now been able to see you comments. You have reassured me about visiting the Dordogne (thank you for the correct spelling). I am intrigued by the La Madeleine site. After noting your comment, StCirq, I did a little research and it seems to be a treasure land of history. Never one to shirk from a challenge, I will do more research, and even if I get to see only some of the area, my husband would enjoy exploring it. Are there any other "secondary" sites you would recommend? It is exactly this sort of human history that fascinates us. We are from New Zealand and there is nothing like that here. History, archaeology, architecture and art are our main interests.
As our plans progress I would very much like to ask you both more questions. It may be better to begin a new thread. I would appreciate your opinions as you both seem to know the area so well. At this stage we are using a book called "Back Roads Of France" to begin planning our trip. We are likely to follow the source of the Dordogne to the sea, Puy de Sancy to Bourg- sur-Gironde, or the other way around because we would also like to drive through Languedoc-Roussillon, and the length of the Pyrenees. Our book suggests a week for each area, but I think that we would take another week. My husband enjoys driving- that is a holiday for him - but even so, it seems a little hectic, especially if we are to visit secondary sites, which I would very much like to do.

StCirq

djmum, I think it will be best to start a new thread. I'm already starting to get confused about who has which mobility issues in this one!

I'll give some thought to what I would consider "secondary sights."

And forgive my misspelling of spelling....sheesh!

djmum

StCirq, I'll begin a new thread, probably called "Road Trip through Dordogne". Many thanks for your time and effort.

Right now though, I'm off to the gym so that my mobility doesn't become more of an issue!

"Secondary sights" - yes, please! And I'll also ask on the new thread how viable you think it is to also drive through Languedoc-Roussillon and parts of the Pyrenees - in only four weeks ... I think that we will have to prioritise

Many thanks

StCirq

I can definitely help with the Languedoc-Roussillon bit (and so can lots of others) - the Pyrénnées not so much (though I've been there a couple of times). I think four weeks would be sufficient - but it depends of course on how in-depth you want to make these visits.

Anyway, will look for your new thread.