The Loire and Dordogne 2026 - Three more stunning towns to visit

Sunday 4th October - Lacave, Occitanie
 
A quiet night, but then our neighbours are all in the cemetery!
 
A short walk took us in Sarlat-la-Caneda.  I was really pleasantly surprised by what we found.  Gemini told me that Sarlat is renowned for its honey-coloured limestone architecture and narrow cobblestone alleyways, and that was what we found from the word go.  He also said that it boasts one of the highest densities of historic and protected medieval buildings in Europe.
 

I had highlighted a few places to visit.
 
Le Marché Couvert de Sarlat – Ancienne Église Sainte-Marie - a 14th-century Gothic church re-imagined by architect Jean Nouvel into a covered food market. The building features massive steel doors and houses a glass panoramic elevator inside its tower, providing 360-degree views over the town's lauze stone roofs. I was so looking forward to the elevator but it was closed.

Place de la Liberté am Linda and along with my husband, Richard and Cavapoo, Rio, love spending time in our 7.5 metre motorhome, who we call  - this forms the main square of the medieval city centre. Lined with outdoor café terraces and historic stone buildings.  We joined the cafe vibe and had a coffee whilst people watching.

Manoir de Gisson offers a glimpse into noble 17th-century life in Périgord. It is composed of two distinct buildings linked by a hexagonal stair tower, and that's where the problem arose, as Richard struggles with steps and especially steps in a turret.

Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos stands as a primary historical landmark in the heart of the town. Combining Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles, the cathedral features a 12th-century belfry, intricate choir stalls, and a rare 18th-century Lépine organ set in a swallow's-nest organ loft. However, there was a service going on!!

Maison de la Boétie is an Italian Renaissance-style mansion built in the early 16th century. It is famous as the birthplace of the humanist writer and philosopher Étienne de La Boétie.  It has an unusual ornate stone facade, large, mullioned windows, and carved medallion details.  You can't go inside and can only look at it - great a tick on this one!

Place du Marché aux Oies is a quiet, historic square that historically served as Sarlat's live goose market. A central bronze statue depicting three geese commemorates the town's long-standing culinary tradition.

The Lanterne des Morts (Lantern of the Dead) is a round building topped by a conical, slate-tiled roof.  The exact purpose of the monument remains a subject of historical debate, giving rise to various local theories and legends.  1) A prominent theory links its construction to the visit of Saint Bernard in 1147. Following his visit, during which local tradition credits him with miraculous healings, the tower was erected to commemorate the event. 2) Like other medieval lanterns of the dead across western France, it likely served as a beacon lit at night to mark the ancient cemetery, honouring the souls of the deceased and guiding visitors through holy ground.  3) Its lower chamber is believed to have functioned as a small, vaulted chapel or mortuary sanctuary where rites for high-ranking clergy or nobility took place.  I wonder which one is the real answer.
 

What an amazing place and maybe a sunny October Sunday morning is one of the best times to visit.  There was such a vibe in the town.  I just loved it.  I've loved some of the other places we have visited but this one has to come out top.

We walked back to Kiwi, packed away and drove to an aire I had found in a small hamlet called Lacave.  The aire is big enough for 20 motorhomes but we are here on our own.  The church clock sounds the hour, I wonder if it will continue all night!

 

Sadly, Sarlat experienced a gradual decline that spanned roughly 150 years, beginning after the French Revolution in the late 18th century and reaching a critical point of decay by the mid-20th century.  In 1962 many of Sarlat’s medieval and Renaissance buildings were falling into severe disrepair. Sarlat became the very first test city for the Loi Malraux (passed by Culture Minister André Malraux in 1962), a landmark French law designed to protect and restore historic city centres rather than demolish them. The decades-long restoration that followed meticulously restored its golden limestone facades, slate roofs (lauzes), and cobblestone corridors.
 
26 miles
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Monday 5th October - Rocamadour, Occitanie
 
A nice quiet night and the church bell didn’t start ringing until 8am.  Richard took Rio for his early walk and discovered a chateau sitting on a cliff on the other side of the little river.  Not sure how we missed it last night.  It was the Château de la Treyne a 14th-century cliffside castle.  Rebuilt in the 14th and 17th centuries after damage during the French Wars of Religion, it served as a secure hiding place for masterpieces from the Louvre Museum (including paintings from the Impressionist collection) during World War II.  It is now a luxury hotel.

We drove the short distance to Rocamadour and found the motorhome parking with no problem.  We found a lovely spot overlooking the valley and parked up. We will be staying here tonight. 

Rocamadour is a medieval pilgrimage destination renowned for its vertical architecture and historic sanctuaries.  Up at the top, where we parked, is the chateau.  In the middle are the sanctuaries and at the bottom is the medieval village.

Originally you had to walk down a zigzag path from the top to the sanctuaries but it in 1989 a funicular opened.  It was cut through the rock connecting the top with the middle.

To get from the middle to the bottom there are steps, called The Grand Escalier, a 216 step staircase traditionally climbed by pilgrims on their knees to reach the sanctuary level from the lower medieval street.  I think I would be on my knees if I had to climb up them!  In 1953 an elevator was built after engineers dug a shaft.  The elevator has glass side so you can see the rock.

We took the funicular down to the middle level and had a look around.  There are seven distinct chapels built into the limestone cliff side surrounding the Parvis des Sanctuaires courtyard:

Chapelle Notre-Dame (Miraculous Chapel): The heart of the pilgrimage site, which houses the carved 12th-century Black Madonna statue and the historic Bell of Rocamadour.  I wondered why the Madonna is called the Black Madonna and it is because the statue has sat for hundreds of years in small, unventilated stone chapels directly above burning candles, incense, and oil lamps. Over time, the heavy accumulation of soot combined with aging varnish and the natural darkening of the wood transformed the original tones into a deep, dark patina. 
 
Chapelle Saint-Michel: A small, high-level chapel set directly into the overhanging cliff face, famous for its 12th-century frescoes depicting the Annunciation and Visitation.

Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste: An octagonal chapel originally used for baptisms, housing historic tombs and artwork.

Chapelle Saint-Blaise: Dedicated to Saint Blaise, the patron saint of stonemasons and throat ailments.

 
Chapelle Saint-Sainte-Anne: Built to honour Saint Anne, mother of Mary, featuring an altarpiece from the 17th century.

 
Chapelle Saint-Louis: Dedicated to King Louis IX (Saint Louis), who made a pilgrimage to Rocamadour in 1244.  Chapelle Saint-Louis, is now dedicated to rugby and often referred to as Notre-Dame de l’Ovalie.  The chapel is lined with donated match jerseys, boots, scarves, and memorabilia from both local French clubs and international rugby players.  It serves as a spiritual place of memory, reflection, and prayer for injured players, deceased team members, and the wider rugby family ("ovalie" being the affectionate French term for the world of rugby, referencing the oval ball). 

 
Basilique Saint-Sauveur: While designated as a basilica (the primary church of the complex), it sits alongside the chapels atop the underground Crypt of Saint-Amadour.
 

We walked down the 216 steps of the Grand Escalier to the lovely medieval village which was basically just one street which is guarded by historic stone gateways, including the 13th-century Porte du Figuier and Porte Salmon, which historically regulated entry for medieval pilgrims.  Today it is a bit touristy but still very attractive.  We stopped at a bar and had a beer before wandering off again.  We just wanted a sandwich for lunch but ended up in a creperie where we had a lovely galette each.  Of course, when we came out the first place we saw was a sandwicherie! 

We could have very easily have missed the entrance to the elevator as it just looked like a shop front but we could just about see the entrance down a rock tunnel.

 
Back up to the middle level and then up to the top and back to Kiwi.  It was so hot that we got the chairs out and sat in the shade. 
 

I went to look at the ramparts of the Chateau de Rocamadour on my own but they were very step so I only went halfway up as I didn’t feel very safe!!  The chateau was built in the 14th century to defend the sacred pilgrimage site, the complex was heavily restored in the 19th century under the direction of the Bishops of Cahors. Today it is private and closed to the public. 

 
There is a bell that operates on a standard European civic and liturgical chime sequence!  This means it chimes every 15 minutes, 1 chime at 15 minutes past, 2 chimes at half past, 3 chimes at 15 minutes to and then on the hour it does 4 sequences plus the single chimes for the hour.  It had better not ring through the night!

6 miles
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Tuesday 6th October - Perigueux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
 
We were woken up at 7:30 am not by the church bells, but by the bin lorry emptying the bins—it was very loud.
 
We started to head north today leaving the beautiful  Dordogne behind. I don’t feel we have really done it justice and maybe one day we will go back and visit more places.
 
We set off for Perigueux and to try something new. We have seen lots of outdoor “laundrettes “ at supermarkets and we were going to try one out!!
 
We found the Intermarche where Kis Wash is. Thanks to 2 French ladies I was able to navigate my way around the instructions. While the washing was doing, I did a few van jobs and then did the shopping while it dried. €4 for a wash and €2 for 30 minutes drying.

 
I had booked a Camping-Car Park for tonight which is right on the edge of the River Isle in Perigueux, well there is a road between us and the river.  Périgueux is the capital of Dordogne region and is renowned for its 2,000-year history
 

It was about 4pm before we walked into the town.  The first, and really the only place I wanted to go was The Cathédrale Saint-Front de Périgueux, the most defining landmark in Périgueux and the seat of the Bishop of Périgueux and Sarlat. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela, it stands out for its distinctive Romanesque-Byzantine architecture.  The cathedral's layout follows a Greek cross plan topped by five cupolas (domes). This structure was inspired by Byzantine architecture, particularly St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.  The cathedral boats the oldest bell tower in France standing at 200 feet high, and its 12th century bell tower is considered the oldest surviving bell tower of its style in the country.  Between 1852 and 1895, architect Paul Abadie led a major restoration. He harmonized the sizes of the five domes and added decorative pinecone turrets. Abadie later used Saint-Front as his primary inspiration when designing the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris.

We wandered through the lovely streets and emerged into a square, around which were a number of classic Citroen cars parked.  We stopped and had a beer so we could watch what was going on.  Gradually we realised that at least half of the cars had British registration plates.  A quick chat with Gem told me that it was the Tour Dordogne 2026, the official autumn touring rally organized by the UK Citroën Car Club.  Gem told me there were 24 cars but we counted 29!  The star of the show was undoubtedly a beautiful shiny black Traction Avant.  These were built between 1934 and 1957. For some reason it made me think of the TV programme Allo, Allo!

It was so hot that the walk back to the site was really uncomfortable - it was 30 degrees inside Kiwi.  About 9pm the lightening started which was followed by thunder and finally rain.  The rain is due to last about 24 hours which could put our planned journey out of sync!

We have been seeing fields and fields of trees all planted in rows, so they haven’t just appeared - they have been planted!  Yesterday it dawned on me what they are. They are walnut trees!!  The area of Nouvelle-Aquitaine especially the Dordogne and neighbouring departments like Corrèze and Lot - is world-renowned for its walnuts. The famous Noix du Périgord holds a protected AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) status, certifying its heritage, production methods and geographic origin.  There are four different varieties and are made into either oil, gateaux, an aperitif or Confiture de Noix - walnut preserves or green walnuts candied in syrup.  Well, I’ve learnt something today! 
 
84 miles
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