Читать книгу Walking in the Dordogne. 35 walking routes in the Dordogne - Sarlat, Bergerac, Lalinde and Souillac онлайн

21 страница из 58

People now flock in to wander round the unspoilt villages, visit the historic sites and taste the delicious regional specialities – and also, it is to be hoped, to explore the surrounding countryside on foot.

Busy main square at Sarlat

Plants and flowers

The Dordogne, with its mild climate and gentle rainfall, is an area where almost everything grows, and there is a richness of vegetation that you do not see with the dry hot summers further south.

In such a large area it is not surprising that there is considerable diversity in the vegetation. North of the river there is extended woodland which is mainly deciduous, with chestnuts, oaks, beech and hawthorn, the most striking being the false acacia with its hanging clusters of creamy flowers. Around Sarlat and Souillac you will find plantations of walnuts and oak trees, with truffles growing at their roots. Further south, on the limestone causse, are plants more usually associated with a Mediterranean climate, where you will find evergreen holm oak, juniper, broom and dwarf conifers.