The Rough Guide to Dordogne and The Lot [Paperback]by Jan DoddThis book is OUT OF PRINT You may be able to find a copy at ABE Books Description of The Rough Guide to Dordogne and The Lot"The Rough Guide to The Dordogne & The Lot" is your definitive handbook to one of France's most beautiful regions. From prehistoric cave paintings and majestic castles to the vineyards of Bordeaux, the full-colour section introduces all of the regions highlights. For every town and village, there are comprehensive and opinionated reviews of all the best places to eat, drink and stay to suit every budget, from humble chambers d'hoc;tes to Michelin-starred restaurants. There is plenty of practical advice on navigating the region's waterways, visiting wine chateaux and tracking down truffle markets. The guide also takes a detailed look at the region's history, culture, festivals and superb cuisine and comes complete with maps for every area. "The Rough Guide to The Dordogne & The Lot" is like having a local friend plan your trip!There are detailed maps throughout. Extract from the Introduction: 'History started with a bang in the Dordogne and Lot region. It was here, along its green, secretive valleys, that prehistoric people first started chiselling away at statues of round-hipped fertility figures. It was here, too, that they penetrated deep into the limestone caves to paint the world�s earliest masterpieces of pot-bellied, prancing ponies, mammoths and muscular bison by the light of flickering oil lamps. Later occupants of the area expressed their faith in the Romanesque churches to be found, uncomplicated and enduring, on many a sun-drenched hilltop, and in the array of abbeys, cloisters and towering cathedrals. The legacy of a more bellicose era lies in the medieval fortresses perched on airy pinnacles of rock and in the feudal villages held snug within their ramparts, while an altogether more intimate link with the past is recorded among the ancient farmhouses tucked into the landscape�s folds. In addition to this richly layered history, the Dordogne and Lot is also endowed with a tremendous variety of scenery, from the dry limestone plateaux of the causses, sliced through with narrow gorges, to the lushly wooded valleys of the P�rigord Noir and the Bordeaux vineyards� serried ranks. Through these landscapes slide the great rivers that unify and define the region: the Dordogne, which flows 500km from the Massif Central west to the Atlantic coast, and its more modest tributary, the Isle; and further south the Lot, writhing across country on its way to join the Garonne, which, along with its tributaries, the Tarn and Aveyron, marks this region�s southern border. Within this riverine framework each area possesses its own local character, marked by subtle shifts in architectural styles, in the hue of the building stone, the crops grown and in the cuisine. It is a region best savoured at its own unhurried pace; there is always something to catch the eye, some forgotten corner to stumble upon, a market or a village f�te, where even today older folk use dialects whose origins date back to Roman times. This isn�t to say the region is undiscovered � indeed, certain of its sights number amongst the most visited in France � but its heartland is still steeped in what the French call the douceur de vivre, the gentle way of life. The food and wine are the other great inducements to bring you to the region. This is the land of duck and goose, of foie gras and truffles, of succulent lamb, smoky-sweet goats� cheeses and a rainbow array of fruits and vegetables to be sampled in simple country inns or in elegant dining rooms dedicated to haute cuisine. The choice of wines is no less intoxicating, from rich, ruby Cahors to the velvety sweet whites of Sauternes and Monbazillac; wandering the region�s highways and byways, sampling these and other local offerings, is a pleasure not to be missed. There is also endless scope for outdoor activities. In summer all the major rivers are flecked with canoes in colourful gaggles, while the Lot is now also open for navigation by houseboats. Walkers and cyclists are well served with a skein of well-marked tracks. Trekking is widely popular, and potholing and rock-climbing are also on offer in certain locations.' Title Information
Write a review of this book Customer Reviews from AmazonAbout Jan DoddJan Dodd is a contributor on The Rough Guide to France and co-author of Rough Guides to Vietnam and Japan.Contents of The Rough Guide to Dordogne and The LotIntroductionPART ONE: BASICS Getting there from Britain Getting there from Ireland Getting there from North America Getting there from Australia and New Zealand Visas and red tape Costs, money and banks Health and insurance Travellers with disabilities Information and maps Getting around Accommodation Eating and drinking Communications, Internet and the media Opening hours, public holidays and festivals Sports and outdoor activities The police and trouble Gay and lesbian issues Work and study Directory PART TWO: THE GUIDE 1. BORDEAUX AND ITS VINEYARDS Bordeaux The M�doc Graves Sauternes and Barsac Entre-Deux-Mers St-�milion Travel details 2. PERIGUEUX AND THE NORTH P�rigueux Brant�me Bourdeilles Rib�rac Aubeterre-sur-Dronne The Double St-Jean-de-C�le Hautefort Brive-la-Gaillarde Travel details 3. BERGERAC AND AROUND Bergerac Monbazillac Issigeac Eymet Allemans-du-Dropt Duras Ste-Foy-la-Grande Castillon-la-Bataille Lalinde Beaumont Cadouin Travel details 4. SARLAT AND THE PERIGORD NOIR Sarlat-la-Can�da The V�z�re valley Les Eyzies-de-Tayac Le Bugue St-L�on-sur-V�z�re Montignac St-Cyprien Beynac-et-Cazenac La Roque-Gageac Domme Travel details 5. THE UPPER DORDOGNE VALLEY AND ROCAMADOUR Souillac Rocamadour Martel Carennac Gouffre de Padirac Bretenoux Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne St-C�r� Travel details 6. THE LOT VALLEY AND AROUND Cahors St-Cirq-Lapopie Cajarc The C�l� valley Figeac Assier Gramat Gourdon The Bouriane Luzech Puy-l��v�que Villeneuve-sur-Lot Monflanquin Monpazier Travel details 7. SOUTH OF THE RIVER LOT Agen N�rac Moissac Lauzerte Montauban The Gorges de l�Aveyron St-Antonin-Noble-Val Cordes-sur-Ciel Najac Villefranche-de-Rouergue Travel details PART THREE: CONTEXTS History Books Language Glossary LIST OF MAPS Dordogne and Lot Channel ports and routes to Paris Chapter divisions map BORDEAUX AND ITS VINEYARDS Bordeaux Central Bordeaux St-�milion P�RIGUEUX AND THE NORTH P�rigueux Central P�rigueux Brive-la-Gaillarde BERGERAC AND AROUND Bergerac SARLAT AND THE P�RIGORD NOIR Sarlat-la-Can�da The V�z�re Valley THE UPPER DORDOGNE VALLEY AND ROCAMADOUR THE LOT VALLEY AND AROUND CAHORS Central Cahors Figeac Villeneuve-sur-Lot SOUTH OF THE RIVER LOT Agen Mountauban Your recently viewed titles |
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