A Drive in the Eastern Dordogne

Thursday, May 30

This was our last day in the Dordogne and our last day of touring before Jill and Randy had to return to Portland. The weather as good, so we had decided to take a drive in the eastern Dordogne, following a Rick Steves recommended route.

As we found when visiting Domme, Marqueyssac, and Beynac, the Dordogne is a region filled with pretty views. We lost track of the number of times we exclaimed over the gorgeous views of the valleys and cliffs. And this day’s drive did not disappoint us. Everywhere there were views to the valleys or the hills, dotted with villages, castles, and farms.

Martel

Our first stop on the driving loop was Martel. We had visited this town briefly in 2012, mostly to see the ancient covered market and because it was on our way to Rocamadour. Rick Steves calls Martel a “well-preserved medieval town” and says it is overlooked by tourists because it is neither on the river nor on a scenic site. Well, not so overlooked on this Ascension holiday. There were people everywhere. Still, it was an attractive town to wander.

Carennac

Driving further east, we came to Carennac, another charming stone village, this one along the Dordogne River. Once again, we parked on the outskirts and walked into the town. We visited the old fortified priory and strolled the curving cobblestone streets.

We took a brief break in our wandering for a cool beverage, at a little cafe at one end of a bridge. The picture above was my view.

We saw some pretty impressive views as we kept heading east.

Loubressac

We climbed up to the village of Loubressac. It is located high atop a ridge, with gorgeous views competing with the cobblestone streets for our attention. Rick Steves considers this to be one of the most beautiful villages in France.

Autoire

Our last stop of the day was Autoire, another stony village located in a bit of a gorge. It was the turning-back point in our loop drive.

What a chock-a-block full day of sightseeing. The beauty of the Dordogne was almost overwhelming. Even though we had visited this area for a few days on our earlier trip, we had not registered just how attractive the region was. And we were certainly fortunate to see it at this lush time of year. Everything is green and leafy and blooming, further adding to the physical beauty of the landscape.

It was hard to leave all the villages and panoramas behind, but it was time to get Jill and Randy back to their Portland life and us on to the remaining portion of our visit to France.