Perhaps all journeys through the Dordogne Valley should start with stuffing yourself with punnets of freshly picked strawberries. At least, that’s how I began my exploration of the Dordogne Valley’s beautiful villages…
I had arrived in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne on the day of the town’s Fete de la Fraise, the strawberry festival that celebrates, well, strawberries.
Straddling the moss green waters of the Dordogne, Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne turned out to be the perfect introduction to what was to come in the next few days, for I was about to embark on a self-guided walk through the Dordogne Valley with On Foot Holidays.
A land shaped by a river
The Dordogne Valley, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine south western France, just to the east of Bordeaux, is named after the river that runs through it. Dotted with storybook villages filled with history, I was eager to discover every corner of the limestone cliffs and ancient castles that I had heard so much about.
To get acquainted with the river, I boarded a traditional Gabare – a flat bottomed boat – and found myself charmed by the river. The captain proudly declared to be the “most beautiful river in the world!”
Some might argue that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the Dordogne lacks the wildness of the Loire and the electric glacial blue of the Rhone. It’s certainly not considered an ‘exciting’ river, yet there is a certain calmness and serenity about the gentle flow westwards towards the Atlantic Ocean that draws you in.
Fuelled by strawberries and the comforting knowledge that my luggage would be safely transported to my accommodation for the night, I set off on my journey.