LE GRAND CYCLING TOUR OF THE DORDOGNE

This Grand Cycling Tour of the Dordogne takes you through the backroads and quiet lanes of a region of outstanding natural beauty and history. The quality of life ("l'art de vivre"), and the local hospitality will pamper your spirit. The gastronomy will thrill your tastebuds.
You can pedal at your leisure past many "Most Beautiful Village of France", stroll through the "new" towns of the Middle-Ages (the Bastides), and visit the fortified castles scattered along the river Dordogne. as well as the extraordinary prehistoric caves.

DAY 1 - Arrival in Les Eyzies
Les Eyzies is still a small tranquil village, despite the discovery here of vestiges of our common ancestor, the Cro Magnon man. The newly expanded National Museum of Prehistory possesses unique archaeological collections from the many surrounding sites.
Réception of your bike, complete with saddlebags, map carrier, , repair kit, lock and helmet.
Accommodation in a two star hotel nestled at the foot of limestone cliffs, offering the ideal atmosphere to relax in peaceful and confortable surroundings. Dinner at a gourmet restaurant in town.

DAY 2 - Cycle to the prehistoric caves around Les Eyzies - approx. 15 km (9 miles) after visiting the National Museum of Prehistory. Grotte de Font-de-Gaume, the last cave with polychrome paintings still open to the public. Grotte de Combarelles, one of the major sanctuaries of Magdalenian culture (around 13,000 B.C.), with over 600 wall engravings. Grotte du Cap Blanc, the only cave of the region featuring a monumental frieze of horses, bisons, and reindeers sculpted directly onto the limestone cliff face. Accommodation as in Day 1.

DAY 3 - Meeting of two rivers, Forêt de la Bessède - 40 km (25 miles)
Cycle along quiet backroads to Le Bugue, an old market town with many interesting sites in the vicinity. Cave enthusiasts may wish to visit the nearby Gouffre de Proumeyssac, and see its crystalline limestone formations of unparalleled density and beauty.
Limeuil, a charming village with cobblestone streets perched over the confluence of the Vérère and Dordogne rivers. Also Botanical garden.
Cadouin, peaceful village, home to a magnificent Cistercian abbey, with a splendid gothic cloister. The convent in Cadouin houses France's largest cycle collection.
Cycle through the Bessède Forest to Montferrand-du-Périgord
Accommodation and dinner in an inn-farm (ferme-auberge) near Montferrand, where the lady of the house elaborates the most memorable meals with the products of the farm.

DAY 4 - Le tour des bastides (mediaeval "new" towns) - 40 km (25 miles) A new concept in the XIIIc., the bastides were essentially built to promote business. This day takes you to some of the most beautiful and best preserved bastides of the region, following small, mostly flat roads. St-Avit-Sénieur, and its fortress abbey. Beaumont, the most important English bastide in the Middle-ages. Château de Biron, a particularly attractive architectural site (XIIc. to XVIIc.), and a favored location for film-makers. Monpazier, the best-preserved English bastide in Dordogne, surrounded by ramparts. The central square is surrounded by beautiful houses with arcades. In the autumn, locally picked mushrooms are sold in the covered market, which has preserved its old grain measure. Accommodation and dinner as in Day 3.

DAY 5 - Along the opulent Dordogne Valley to the mighty castles of the Périgord Noir - 40 km (25 miles).
Flat small roads, and splendid views of the five castles guarding the valley from their promontories.
Belvès, a mediaeval town with a 15th century belfry, and a splendid covered market.
St-Cyprien. You might have to dismount to walk up its narrow alleys North and South of the Grande Rue (not so grande at all).
Beynac and its castle. Major restoration works brought back this castle/fortress to its mediaeval splendour. Here, you shall definitively have to dismount and push your bike up the narrow streets of the mediaeval village leading to the castle.
La Roque-Gageac, "one of the most beautiful villages of France". A particular atmosphere reigns here. Marvellous tropical garden in the little street leading up to the church.
Accommodation in an inn near La Roque-Gageac and dinner in an adjacent ferme-auberge, enjoying a fine reputation in the region and beyond.

DAY 6 - Le Tour des Châteaux - 25 km (15.5 miles) Not many miles on this day, but so much to see! Domme. Remarkable gates and numerous 15th and 16th century houses. Panoramic lift down to the caves, and breath-taking panorama of the valley from the terrace by the church. Château de Castelnaud, a fortress dominating a mediaeval village hanging on to the cliff falling straight down into the Dordogne. Fascinating visit. There is also a museum of war in the Middle-Ages with a collection of genuine weapons and life size instruments of warfare. Château des Milandes, which belonged to Josephine Baker from 1947 to 1968. Superb gardens, Baker Museum and Falconry. Accommodation as in Day 5.

DAY 7 - Sarlat and idyllic off the beaten-track country - 36 km (22 miles)
Sarlat. Once upon a time, there was an exceptional mediaeval town called Sarlat. Wander through the picturesque streets on your own, or follow a guided tour (in English) of the architectural treasures of this town.
Tamniès. Adorable church with an unusual crooked plan.
Accommodation and dinner in an auberge in Sergeac. Set in exceptional surroundings, on a cliff overlooking the Vezère valley, this auberge is owned by an Englishman and his French wife, both very knowledgeable about the region.

DAY 8 - Visit of Lascaux II - 22 km (13.6 miles)
The facsimile is situated 200 m from the original cave. Two sections are reproduced which group together the majority of the paintings in Lascaux. State-of-the-art technology and a strictly scientific approach marvellously recreates the most famous paleolithic sanctuary in the world.
Canoe Trip down the Vézère river in the afternoon.
Accommodation as in Day 7.

DAY 9 - Back to Les Eyzies between the cliffs and the Vézère river
stopping at another outstanding prehistoric site on the way - 16 km (12 miles)
St-Léon-sur-Vézère, magnificent Romanesque church.
La Roque-St-Christophe, Troglodyte fort and city towering over the river Vézère. The natural rock shelters on five levels were inhabited from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. Its extraordinary terraces sheltered up to 3000 people.
Return to Les Eyzies where your tour concludes.