Family Holiday Dordogne
Our French home is a fantastic base for a family holiday in the Dordogne. We’re located in the exquisite Lot region, the quieter neighbour of the Dordogne, and both regions have an abundance of activities to keep everyone in the family happy.
I myself use to visit here as a child in the early eighties with my family. Now having my own little piece of paradise here is so rewarding and I’d love to share it with you and your family.
Here are just some of the ways to entertain both you and the kids ensuring you make family holiday memories in the Dordogne to last a lifetime.
Watersports and beaches
The Dordogne river is perfect for swimming and kayaking. Cool down at any number of local spots. Limeuil has shallow water and river-beaches. There are also many regional lakes and smaller plans d’eau with beaches and watersports, including Villefranche-de-Lonchat, St-Paul-de-Serre, Grojélac, La Jemaye, Lanquais, Montpon and Parcoul.
Castles
From Beynac (which has an interesting château with amazing views from its clifftop perch), take a trip along the river in a traditional gabarre, seeing other lovely castles en route. Back at Beynac, at the foot of the castle, the Parc Archéologique is a reconstructed village showcasing the daily life of peasants and metal-workers from the Neolithic to the Gallic period.
History and stuff
For a lighthearted take on the region’s history, head for the Prehisto Parc just north of Les Eyzies in the Vézère valley, where the kids can play at being prehistoric amidst schlocky life-size scenes featuring waxwork Neanderthal and Cro Magnon hunters, mammoths and so on. There’s also the Dinosaur Park, with more a treetop adventure course, and a museum of fossils and minerals.
Head for the town of Le Bugue, where there is more history to be had at Le Village du Bournat, a reconstruction of a 1900 village with costumed actors displaying old crafts, plus a working farm and kids’ rides. Le Bugue is also home to Les Sangliers de Mortemart, a boar farm with free guided tours and product tastings.
Wander around one of the region’s lovely bastides. These are fortified towns built in the 13th and 14th centuries, typically with a central market square lined by arcaded passageways, and now home to pretty cafés and specialist shops. One of the finest examples is Monpazier, used as a location in many historical films. In summer it hosts a cycle race, a medieval festival and lots of markets, including some devoted to local mushrooms.
Horseback Riding
Explore the region on horseback – the Ferme Equestre la Haute Yerle offers trekking, children’s riding and farm-stays that make for memorable family holidays, but there are many other centres signposted throughout the region, or ask at a tourist office for a recommendation.
Forest Adventure Parks
Swing through the treetops on a forest adventure course, of which there are several: L’Appel de la Forêt at Thenon, the Airparc Périgord at St-Vincent-de-Cosse, and the Indian Forest Perigord at Carsac near Sarlat.
Caves
The kids will love this. They can learn all about prehistoric times in this fascinating region, dubbed the ‘birthplace of art’ because it contains some of the world’s oldest cave paintings. The most famous caves, Lascaux near Montignac, are closed to the public since it was discovered that carbon monoxide emitted by visitors was damaging the 16,000-year-old paintings. However, you can see reproductions of two of the cave halls at the nearby Lascaux II, and further reproductions in Le Thot – Espace Cro-Magnon at Thonac. Most paintings are of interest to kids because they feature animals – horses, bulls, stags, bisons and more.
Other caves worth singling out are the Gouffre de Proumeyssac, dubbed the Crystal Cathedral for its crystal-spiked walls, which you can view in conjunction with a lighting show accompanied by music. For an extra fee you can be lowered into the cave in a barrel, which used to be the only means of access! Then there’s the Grotte de Bara-Bahau, first inhabited by bears and later adorned by Stone Age dwellers with etchings of bears and other animals, hand-prints and undecipherable signs.
Cycling along quiet, winding, rural roads, while taking in the spectacular countryside can be just one of the many delights of being on holiday in France. An hour can easily pass without sight of any other vehicles, making this a relatively safe option for a family activity.
Cycling
The Dordogne area has lots of opportunities for cycling on the backroads as well as the completely car-free ‘Piste Cyclable’ which runs south-east from Sarlat to the river Dordogne and then has several off-shoots, depending on how far you wish to go.
Aqua Park
Cool down from the summer heat with a day at Aqua Park Juniorland and enjoy pools, giant slides and all manner of watery fun. The water park at Bergerac is set in a park covering 2 hectares right on the edge of the river Dordogne. In all there are 4 pools. One is a large paddling pool for young children. One is a shallow pool with a mushroom shower, again for young children. There is also a swimming pool and a pool that you splash into from the large slide.
Surrounding the pools there is plenty of space to enjoy some sunbathing as well as shady seating areas ideal for relaxing. A six person jacuzzi reserved for adult use is also in the pool area. Equipment for ping pong and beach volley ball is also available for when you fancy a break from the pools and there is a bouncy castle too for young children.
Chill at Home
Take a day off from sightseeing and enjoy the house at Las Vignotes de Lea and the garden with the kids. We’ve a 7 x 4 pool perfect for escaping the midday heat. There are sun loungers for the sun worshippers among you or for the sun shy why not escape under the apple tree with a novel from our book selection upstairs. If the weather isn’t your friend we’ve a host of dvds, some board games and there’s even a PS2 with games.