Ok...I'll try and be more organized so I don't forget important details.

Day Three...partly cloudly and warm

I had heard that it was wise to get to Gouffre de Padirac early and it was good advice. We got to the ticket booth just ahead of a few tour groups prior to the 9am opening.

It's quite a climb down into the cave...455 steps on the tour all together. We were on the first boat out. Padirac is unlike any other cave I've visited. I've been to the Crystal caves in Bermuda and done cenote trips in Mexico but nothing compares to this unique experience. I was not prepared for the size and magnitude of the formations. It is quite a trek but we did see some people with canes on their way into the cave. I'm not sure how they managed. This was our second most favourite cave of our trip. I understand there are some impressive caves in the Dordogne that have interesting formations as well that we didn't get a chance to visit. On our way out of the cave the line was really long...likely an hour or more wait.

Our next stop was Rocamadour, or rather L'Hospitalet where we parked. We orginally intended to park there and take the lift down into town.

The view of Rocamadour is most impressive from L'Hospitalet. We didn't arrive ahead of the tour buses and the crowds were too thick for our liking. After our trek at Padirac, we decided to enjoy the view from afar and leave it at that. Many people I spoke to afterwards said that the view is the main attraction anyway. We could not have climbed another 216 steps.

Our next stop was the lovely town of Carennac designated one of the most beautiful villages of France. We agreed that it deserves its title but staying in Loubressac, we might lean towards that town more because of the views.

We decided to stop for lunch in Carennac at the creperie Le Prieure. I think our mistake was ordering omellettes instead of crepes. Unfortunately our lunch was not very good but we very much enjoyed just lingering in Carennac.

Beaulieu-Sur-Dordogne was another town we considering staying when our hotel in Carennac closed. We had a short visit there next and did not connect with the town. It enjoys a position overlooking the river Dordogne but I didn't find it particularly charming.

Autoire is a cute town and worth a short visit. It sits near an area of limestone cliffs, a canyon which was carved by the river Autoire over time There is apparently a waterfall which was a 2km trek from town which we decided to save for another time. You can only do so much....

Back at our hotel, the pool had been opened but the kids are the only ones brave enough to stand the temperature. We enjoyed the view of Castelnau from the terrace over an aperitif. There was a dog wandering the grounds that we thought belonged to one of the guests.

We both decided that 3 courses was enough and ordered the 18E menu of salad, Quail in a porto wine sause, and desert. A good meal but not quite as impressive as the previous night. The night was lovely so we took our coffee and degestive on the terrace to watch the sunset. The dog we saw earlier was camped outside and we were told that no one knew where he came from.

Another perfect day in France!!

Moolyn...just a footnote that my hair behaved terribly on this trip but that's the worse thing that happened... so I can't complain.

Hi again C4T - when I reread my message, I think I was unclear about where we will be staying (not that it matters, but ... ). We will fly into Toulouse, then stay in Albi, Conques and a small place outside of Beynac et Cazenac. I hope to have a little time to peak around Toulouse, but that is just where we are flying in .... glad to hear it is charming.

Anyway, your trip sounds lovely so far. Sorry about the rain.

fun4all4....Your trip itinerary sounds lovely. I'm sure we'll do that Albi...Conques route one day.

I'm sure you'll love the Beynac area. We absolutely fell in love with La Roque-Gageac. That entire stretch of the river is beautiful and I could never get tired of the views.

I know what you mean about feeling a religious experience at Pech Merle. I felt like I was walking on hallowed ground. The thing that really gave me chills was the hand prints stenciled on the wall. The signature of the artists who lived 25,000 years ago.

Wow! You're back already. Enjoying your report so far and really looking forward to seeing the photos.

Crazy, I had a great omelette at the creperie in Carennac. Perhaps we had different cooks. We liked Loubressac too. It's actually a most beautiful village of France as well. We were told about it by English people we met enroute so it was a lovely surprise to add to Autoir and Carennac.

Sorry your hair didn't behave as well as mine in France!

Images and Funforall4, we visited Peche Merle, St. Cirq Lapopie and Figeac all in one day, from Sarlat, so it isn't impossible. It was our day of the most driving but we felt it was worthwhile. You can follow the Cele in one direction and the Lot in the other.

Crazy, thanks for the report. Did you book your car with Avis direct or a consolidator? On-line or over the phone? That was a great rate, better than we got for 10 days.

By the way, seems you're a Haligonian, yes?

I know what you mean about the hand prints nikki...very impressive discovery.

Yes, sad to be back so soon msgo.

I have to admit that I usually never order omellettes when out at restaurants because my husbands cooking is chef quality. He has spoiled me with the most wonderful omellettes on the planet. The one I had in Carennac lacked any seasoning and the cepes were a little slimey.

Thank you, thank you, for taking the time to write such a detailed trip report! We will be leaving next month with some of the same itinerary and your information regarding driving distances, in particular, is so helpful.

I don't usually have trouble planning trips but that whole aspect for the Dordogne region was really hard and advice like yours (and from the archives) made all the difference. I think it's just so hard to try to imagine the distances involved, regardless of the detail on the Michelin maps or Mappy and deciphering what is "too much" for one day, even a full one. Yours is one of the reports that has really addressed this! I also notice that, despite the weather, you always found something positive to see or feel and share. Please write some more soon! Thanks again!

Thank you sglass. I worry that I sometimes include details that are only interesting to me so I am trying not to do so much of that this time around.

I'm glad that you're finding some of the information useful. If you have any specific questions, please ask and I will try and answer them.

Thanks for the info on your time spent in Figeac and the Cele route. We'll see how it goes.

We were actually in Carennac, Martel, Autoire and Rocamadour on Saturday, May 5, shortly before your trip! We were fortunate not to have any rain and really enjoyed the Saturday market in Martel. We bought several food items to stock our gite in the Basque area, where we were headed! I guess we missed Loubressac, I'm not sure. I remember we followed the signs from Carennac to Autoire, and I couldn't figure out what road we were on. Maybe we drove through?? What a beautiful area this is.

Carennac is magical, all the stone homes with climbing roses blooming all throughout town. The Dordogne river runs at the base and it was fun walking along it watching people fishing. There are picnic tables along side so it would be a great area for a picnic lunch.

We parked above Rocamadour and walked down, then back up. It was late afternoon and there were hardly any people there. What a difference a couple of weeks made in the crowds I guess. I really enjoyed the walk and liked it much more than I thought, hearing the bad opinions on the sight. I think the key were how few people were on the pathway. We didn't care for the shops at the bottom, and I was very surprised the "little white train" actually drove along the path with the shops. There really isn't enough room for that train and the walkers.

We spent the night south of Toulouse at Les Pesques www.les-pesques.com

It was a great B&B, and only 49€ per night!

Fun4all4 We're staying in a gite in September in Belcastel. This town is also on the most beautiful towns in France list and is located between Albi and Conques off D994, west of Rodez. There is a chateau in town. If you happen to stop by let me know how you like it!

Sorry to add to your report:) It's just bringing back great memories and I haven't even started a trip report yet!

Looking very forward to more of yours!!

I don't mind Images2....

I guess it's like with our visit to St. Cirq-La Popie...we hit the town at just the right time and almost had the place to ourselves. I've heard that it can be over run at times as well but it was quite tranquil...luck of the draw I guess.

More Crazy! We leave Tuesday for Paris, then Dordogne, for a week. I can't wait to hear more of your travels!

Enjoy your holiday wren!!....I'm afraid my report won't be done in time for you but if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.

Day 4...Partly sunny and light jacket weather.

Prior to breakfast we start loading the car. The dog from the night before is still camped out on the front door of the hotel where we saw him last. The tour director of a small group staying at the hotel, tells us the dog has been abandon as his tags have been removed but he has a collar. No one at the hotel is familar with the dog...very sad!!

I know that salty ham and cheese is likely not the best food for a dog,. I can't leave knowing that he is likely starving. My husband and I both sneek a little something from the buffet and give him some water before we leave. He inhales the food and looks at me for more....my heart breaks but I know there's nothing I can do.

With heavy hearts, we head to Martel for the Saturday market.

We were lucky on our trip that we always seemed to find parking. We found a spot in the main lot.

Martel is a cute town and the Saturday market is lovely. I was expecting it to be a little more extensive but we very much enjoyed it.

Vitrac was our next destination stopping off at the Cingle de Montfort along the way. We had no information on this Chateau and although it was closed to the public, it is quite an imposing structure. Made a few new friends along the way...two kittens and a little girl from the village.

Lunch at La Treille was delightful. My husband started with the garlic soup, Trout for his main dish and ended with strawberries in a wine sauce. I had my first Gesier salad with fois gras and magret. The gesiers were cut into thin strips and tasted like they were marinated..delicious. I had a confit de carnard stew which was ok. I ended the meal with creme brule.

Total bill including a demi of rose was 60E. My husband really enjoyed his trout and desert.

I was a short drive from here to our gite but we got lost several times on the way. We just made our 3pm appointment with the owner. She was just planting some flowers in pots outside the house when we arrived.

We were to be the first guests of the season. The house had been closed all winter so she was airing it out when we arrived. I think our first impression was one of disppointment. She showed us around and left us to unpack.

The gite was located less than a 5 minute drive outside of Cenac. The home is 250 years old and has been restored based on the original materials and structure. The master bedroom has a 30+ foot ceiling and the other rooms 20 foot ceilings. The bedrooms ceiling is a web of wood beams all criss crossing each other.

The kitchen has an open fire place which I guess has posed some problems in the past with unexpected visitors...namely bats and mice from what I can see in the guest book. There is also a fireplace with an insert in the livingroom. I was a little reluctant but we chose to sleep in the large room which had a barn like feel.

The first order for my husband was to kill the numerous flies and wasps buzzing around. We are informed by Jean that the spiders own the place and we are living in their good graces.

I was happy that I brought my own sheets and towels because the ones that she rents (which she kept onsite in cupboards) were very musty smelling. There is no heat in the home so everything felt quite damp. There were lots of blankets so we used these to drape the chairs and placed them under the sheets on the bed to make them dry and warm.

The bathroom and kitchen have been refitted but we were told not to use the bathroom with the stand up shower because there had been leakage problems and the ceiling has just been fixed. I detest taking a bath to wash my hair because I get such a chill, but I am not going to let these little issues interfere with my holiday.

After unpacking, we decide to make our way up to Domme for a short visit. We parked outside the gate in a bus zone. Since it was evening and there were other cars parked there, we decided to chance it. The view of the Dordogne river from Domme is spectacular, but we did not connect with this town...can't put my finger on it but it just lacked a certain charm in our eyes (only my opinion).

Cenac is a very convenient town. It has every service you could possibly need for a weeks stay. There is a bank machine, good grocery store, a couple of patisseries, a couple of boucheries, several restaurants, a local cafe and more. It was described as a truck stop in one post which worried me but I was instantly comfortable in Cenac. It makes a very convenient base to see the region. Getting in and out of town was a breeze and there's several public lots in town so parking is never an issue.

We stopped for groceries and that night we made a fire and ate at our new home. Another lovely day in France.

Crazy4Travel, thanks for the report and to others for their comments on the region. Your report has helped me to whittle our August itinerary into a more manageable and enjoyable plan. Keep the reports coming...I am Dordogne dreaming.

We are hanging on your every word C4T.
Will you post a link to the gite or at least identify it as a number of us are always looking for places in Dordogne?
Thanks for this great report.
We had that same feel about Domme.

Well, I think you should post the name of the place that you stayed so that others won't go. I don't think that musty linens, bats in the fireplace, a shower you can't use, etc. are acceptable. Hope you had a good time despite this.

A word about omelettes. Unfortunately for our taste, many chefs (and serving staff) when they hear an anglophone accent assume that you will want your omeltte stiff - to our minds , overdone.

If ever we order an omelette in a restaurant, we make sure to order it 'baveuse', or runny. As my husband often explains - we may sound English, but we don't eat English! Apologies to those of you who are English but eat French!

hi, crazy,

thanks for the report. like you we loved the gouffre de padirac - quite the best cave complex i've ever visited.

regards, ann

Thank you reading on...the gite kind of grew on us during our stay but it is certainly not as well run as yours Carlux (from all the good feedback I hear about yours). The old saying...you get what you pay for is so true. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes not.

You could tell that she had in haste done some light cleaning to get rid of some spiders and webs but I would not take a bath or cook until I had fully cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. The fridge, stove, microwave and small appliances were all very new and clean. There were plenty of nice dishes, utentials and cutlery. The washing machine looked fairly new. We were a tad disapointed with the lawn furniture which was the plastic variety and full of bugs and bird droppings. I was not inclined to clean it or sit outdoors for that matter. The pool was closed and pool area under construction.

The owners are working on restoring the other part of the house and eventually there will be 3 or 4 gites in the complex. There was a real mess next door with building materials etc which did not interfere with our stay but had we chosen the other unit it would have been quite unacceptable.

Overall, it was fine. You could tell the owners put a lot of hard work into the restoration and it was an interesting experience for us...it was our first time renting a gite and we learned a lot.

Here is the link:

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Fra...rd-Noir/p12095

The one we rented was Gite Laurier.

Sorry, for the long link....I may have mentioned before that I'm not very good with the computer...just squeak by.