![]() Sarlat’s famous market has been renowned for its food since Medieval times. The overall effect is stunning at any time of day, but especially so on Thursday evenings during July and August when the cliff-top site overlooking the Dordogne valley is illuminated by candles. Here, over the past hundred years, thousands of box bushes have been meticulously pruned into exotic shapes. The Dordogne is home to a number of charming gardens open to the public, with the Jardins de Marqueyssac perhaps the most delightful. Many, like Beynac and Bourdeilles, occupy rocky outcrops above rivers offering fine viewpoints over the surrounding countryside most contain collections of furniture and art and are open to the public for viewing. ![]() With their fairytale towers, many have been put to new use in the modern age the Chateau de Fenelon has served as a film set and Monbazillac forms the centrepiece of a fine wine estate. The region can boast a wide range of historic chateaux originally built for defensive purposes. The nearby Grotte de Rouffignac is famous for its woolly mammoths again, visitor numbers here are carefully controlled. At Les Eyzies, near Sarlat, the National Museum of Prehistory contains the largest collection of prehistoric objects in the world. At Peche Merle, near Cabrerets, in the Cele Valley, visits are still possible advance booking is recommended as a daily limit on numbers is imposed to prevent contamination. Sadly, the original chambers are now closed to the public in order to preserve the pictures, but a faithful reproduction can be visited nearby. Some of the world’s most significant cave art was discovered, in 1940, at Lascaux in the Vezere Valley. ![]() Their handprints were left possibly as signatures, or perhaps symbols of their power over nature. Working by torchlight deep below ground, artists painted images of their prey adapting the natural bumps and hollows in the rock to enhance their work. The Dordogne’s limestone caverns conceal priceless treasures dating back to a time when woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers roamed this region. The thrill of gazing upon a prehistoric handprint is indescribable in a split second viewer and creator share a connection spanning thousands of years. Drifting gently downstream through a watery landscape while kingfishers skim the waters ahead – what could be more sublime? Canoe and kayak hire is available from riverside centres throughout the area clients are transported upstream to their chosen starting point and itineraries ranging from a few kilometres in length to a full day out are offered with something to suit everyone, from families and novices to experienced paddlers. The region is dissected by a number of rivers ideal for exploration by canoe or one-man kayak.
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