THE DORDOGNE AND THE LOT FRANCE

THE DORDOGNE.
We have so been looking forward to completing the Dordogne journey we started a couple of years ago now. It is such a picturesque area of France and we managed only to see a small portion on our last trip. We are excited as we pass through Brive-Les-Gillard and see the "Welcome to the Dordogne" sign. The landscape changes, we are back in the agricultural areas again and the sunshine is beautiful. Driving through Terrasson, La Galibe, La Lardon Saint Lazarre and La Machont we stop in Montignac briefly to take a few photos. Unfortunately it is siesta time and everywhere is closed but it is also too hot to be out and about for too long (no complaints though). One of the special things about France is that they do provide ample parking space close to most towns and villages which are big enough for a campervan to park and are also FREE.
Happy that we stopped just for a short while we were anxious to move on to the more exciting parts of the Dordogne and after driving through Thonac and Le Moustier we happened across the Maison Forte de Reignac which was so incredibly not busy it was a pleasure to visit. This is now an historic chateau built into a cliff face and comprises several levels. It is 18 thousand years old, originally inhabited by cave men and mammoths, over time evolving as a fort and then a chateaux. It is now purely a tourist attraction but is maintained impeccably in the Edwardian era. The Dordogne is famous for its cliff-face architecture which is a wonder to behold and what we noticed as we wandered through the different levels was the natural temperature control in each room on each level. Although we perused the chateau for hours sadly we needed to move on but could have stayed much longer such was the captivating nature of this place.
We were heading for Limeuil so we toddled through Tursac, Les Eyzies de Tarrac, Campagne and La Bougue where unfortunately on a narrow road and a right hand bend a manic French driver towing a canoe trailer approached us at a pace of knots with his trailer hanging over the centre line. BANG - one of the steel bars on the trailer made contact with the mirror and the noise was horrendous. Fortunately the actual mirror was only loosened and was able to be pushed back in place and we have a scuff mark on the outside plastic but the French slow down for nothing however narrow and windy the road is or however big the opposing traffic might be.
Staying 3 nights at La Porte de Limeuil campsite was lovely. We had a good private site, the river with beaches, a fabulous swimming pool and spa, a really cheap bar and restaurant on site and another pretty French Village to explore within a few metres of the camp. Run by a very excitable French couple it was a great place to have found and eventually very hard to leave. Before we did though we spent a morning in the village which boasted maybe 3 shops and a massage therapist but it was so so cute. The church was at the very top - these villages are always steep it seems - and inside a man was playing popular, but appropriate, music on the electric organ with his smelly dog lying beside him. It was quite special really - the music not the dog that is - as the acoustics were so good. We discovered a little restaurant on our way back down where we had a Formulae lunch and a half bottle of Rose wine. These are the great things you can do in France and the food is heavenly - always. Friday evening a few of us congregated down at the river to hear a band playing great music in a restaurant at the base of the village..The following morning we left for just a short trip along the Dordogne river to another campsite with great potential - according to the book that is!!!!!
We were now reliving our last trek along this part of the Dordogne through Siorac Perigord, St Cyprien, Beynac et Cazenac, La Roque Gageac only to find it was chocker block with tourists. We were fortunate enough previously to see it during a quiet time and it was so, so beautiful - this time we drove on through, not stopping till we arrived at a spectacular castle in Monfort where we managed to shoot off a few photos but couldn't find a legal park. So Carsac, Grolejac, Veyrignac (bit of a theme going on here), St Julien de Lampon all whizzed past, very narrow winding roads through fields of sunflowers and cute villages winding in rythmn with the splendid Dordogne. Heading in land to Le Roc where we met a paragliding team we finally arrived at Souillac, our destination, and all was not well.
We really should have appreciated the signs when Kate (our GPS) took us down a narrow, hedge-lined lane which culminated in an immense block of painted concrete. Reversing out with the freshly cut hedge scraping the side mirrors for a few hundred yards does not make for a very happy Gary nor a very happy Cathie either. When we finally got to the site-entrance it was all locked up for "Siesta time" and pleased we were too. Everywhere and everything was covered in white dust within and without the campsite and as vehicles moved around great clouds of whiteness enveloped everything. Long story short we barrelled out of there in our own cloud of dust leaving grey, not green, trees behind deciding to bite the bullet and move from the Dordogne to the Lot river. We had been warned that the Dordogne had become over touristed and the Lot was as the Dordogne had been a few years ago and they were jolly correct. We were relieved we had seen the Dordogne in all it's beauty at the right time and now was our opportunity to explore The Lot.
We were not disappointed at all.

THE LOT
Our destination was Juillac and a small campsite on the Lot called Camping Florias. We had met an English couple, John and Glenda, at St Germain Les Belles who were on the way to this site and were eager to meet up again with us here. It meant turning our short drive along the Dordogne to a very long drive to the Lot but the call of that loopy river was very strong.
The drive was fantastic but hair-raising also. Most of the villages we drove through are too small to even appear on the map and many had height and width restrictions that we just managed to scrape under and through but the magical charm of these places made it all worth while. Lanzac, Payrac, Pont de Rhodes and Mas de Camp. Heading across country to Boissierres, where we encountered a warning - (2metre gap) - between houses, Nousjouls, Le Causse, Crayssac, La Bastide du Vert, Castlefranc, Anglais and finally Juillac. This journey has very few photos - to be honest it was too scary to take my eyes off the road!!!!!
We stayed in Juillac for 10 nights. The weather was perfect, as was the river, as was the company. Sometimes as we travel we come across a site that is perfect and this was one of those special ones. John and Glenda, Jan and Rob, Hettie, Steve and Lydnsey you are all amazing. We miss you all so much and wish we could have stayed longer but alas we had to move on.
It is not often that one comes across another Gary but to our constant amazement we did - in John. They look not at all alike but the expressions, sayings and sense of humour were seriously the exact same. Glenda was heard to say "John I cannot believe I am hearing your sayings coming out of Gary's mouth!" To this end, of course, we were set to have some serious fun times. Glenda and John did in fact spoil us, as they had a car and good knowledge of the region, taking us far and wide to explore the local and not so local area. We saw small, typically French villages we would otherwise not have had the ability to see and we will forever remain grateful. We had formulae lunches in all kinds of restaurants and villages, a curry evening, a fake farewell to Cathie and Gary evening (we decided we really couldn't leave the next day after all) and each evening we would meet for drinks after dinner at someones campsite. There were: John (marine biologist) and Glenda (Geography teacher), Rob (undertaker) and Jan (burser). Hettie (a policewoman from the Netherlands - small, strong and very fit. Has done several missions in Afganistan keeping people safe where her life has been on the line. She has just returned from her last mission and is now training riot police, is a police driving and swimming instructor. You name it she is it - she is also a very quick draw on the gun!!!!!) Quite a mixed bunch when you include us but we all got on like a house on fire. Jan 70+ ran and swam in the river each morning before breakfast, then she and her husband cycled for what seemed like most of the day all over the region. Jan also cooked amazing food in her camper - the smells wafting our way were heavenly.
No smells from Glenda and Johns caravan though - Glenda does not cook on holiday and good on her (I mean why would you when you can get a 3 or 4 course meal with wine at lunchtime for 13Euro50) - but they do bike ride, increasing their milage every day come rain or shine. They also like Mille Fueille just like me!!!!  Hettie also cycled everywhere and we really missed our bikes this time (we gave them away as they had become quite rusty in storage) as we were surrounded there with beautiful bikerides through vineyards and villages. So walking was our main form of transport here and we did a lot of that even though it was quite steep in many places and very hot.
We walked to Belay, a village high on a hill overlooking the valley and were rewarded with a savoury crepe and salad for our troubles. The view overlooking the valley was just incredible and the weather so perfect. We walked through the vineyards to Preysacc - hours away - and discovered the Pukeko Cafe run by a New Zealander from the North Island serving really cold beer. Small things mean a lot sometimes. Walking towards Castlefranc one day we stumbled across an experimental vineyard where they bring rootstock and vines from Argentina and Chile to grow in the French climate and different French soil compositions. A lovely lady explained it all to us and gave us a tasting of an incredibly smooth wine and, of course, we had to buy a couple of bottles didn't we?. At 9Euros a bottle though it was quite expensive given we can buy an albeit inferior wine from Lidls for 1Euro99c. but it is sooooo smooth to drink and very superior.
It was John and Glenda"s 46th wedding anniversary whilst at Florias so we used one bottle to celebrate that. The next bottle we will keep for ourselves it is so luscious.
Waking up on the anniversay morning the anniversary fairy, in the form of Hettie, had done her bit decorating John and Glenda's pitch and caravan with toilet paper, wine, beer, chocolates and everything else under the sun. It was hilarious and a celebratory lunch followed by French pastries, champagne and good  wine in the evening sealed their happy, monumental occasion.
Whilst on the subject of marital happiness we were never too far from entertainment in the form of "The Lovers". No need to explain here all you need is your imagination.
Another memorable experience here was the arrival of Steve and Lindsey Brookes from the UK next door to us on the campsite and Steve played the guitar and sang. He had just converted a van to a camper himself and this was their inaugural run. He had done such a great job but he is also very musically talented doing gigs around London. We suspect he could be semi famous and we were lucky to have him and Lindsey at our evening gatherings. He gave us a CD when they left saying the few days they were there had been the happiest and most friendly out of their entire trip - they had been lonely till then.
It was also our turn to seriously start to think about moving on. We loved it here but the weather started to change and during an evening of stormy weather we knew it would be the next day.
Having  our last drinks together as a group we were presented with a sketch of Molly B, hand drawn by John and very good, with notes of encouragement, best wishes and love from these 5 awesome people - John the organiser, Glenda the noncooker, Rob the mortician, Jan the fit one and Hettie the quick draw. We hope our paths will cross once again throughout our journey but if not there is always a bed in Nelson whenever we are home.
Next morning we left, in the rain, with sad hearts and lots of "7 kisses hugs" on our way to Beaulieu - sur Dordogne