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

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Alan Norton and Pamela Harris

A house on the outskirts of Limeuil (Walk 15)

INTRODUCTION

Spring blossom near Lalinde (Walk 12): photo Richard Saynor

The Dordogne is one of the most beautiful areas of France, with at its centre the river that gave its name to the department. It is a land of great scenic variety, from rolling wooded hills and fertile valleys to barren upland plateaus and limestone cliffs riddled with caves. With its mild climate and delicious food, it has become a popular tourist destination for French and foreigners alike, and many English have made it their second home, finding it not unlike the rural England of the past: peaceful and unspoilt, with no big, bustling towns and motorways clogged with traffic. And perhaps the English have a particular affinity for this area because for several centuries it belonged to England, who fought bitterly to retain it in the Hundred Years’ War.

The Dordogne lies in south-west France, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, between the wild uplands of the Massif Central in the east and the flat fertile countryside of the Gironde and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Corresponding to the former province of Périgord, the department was created in 1790 and named after its dominant geographical feature, the river. However, the French frequently use the old name of Périgord, especially in tourist literature where it is subdivided into four sections: Périgord Vert (green) in the north, Périgord Blanc (white) in the centre, Périgord Pourpre (purple) in the south-west and Périgord Noir (black) in the south-east.