Horse riding tour DORDOGNE : THE BLACK PERIGORD CASTLES

PERIGORD HORSEBACK TRAIL RIDE
INDICATIVE ITINERARY *

Day 1: Welcome at the end of the afternoon, directly at the guesthouse. For non-motorized riders, meeting at Bergerac train station.

Day 2: After breakfast, presentation and allocation of the horses to the Château de Bannes (private 15th century castle which dominates the Couze valley. You can discover the magnificent landscaped garden, with its lakes and its waterfall, as well as its exterior architecture). Departure around 10:30 am. Crossing the bastide town of Lalinde. You then follow the canal to your picnic, in the village of Mauzac on the right bank of the Dordogne. In the afternoon, arrive in Limeuil, a former fishing port located at the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers. Dinner and overnight in guest rooms or at the hotel.

Day 3: After crossing woods and forests, you picnic on the banks of the Dordogne, near St Cyprien, a village clinging to the side of a hill. In the afternoon, you take the direction of Castelnaud la Chapelle, partly along a medieval path starting from the castle of Tayac. You leave the horses in the evening in the Ceou Valley. Dinner and overnight in guest rooms or at the hotel.

Day 4: Morning visit of Castelnaud castle, its 12th century Chapel, and its Middle Age war museum. It dominates the Dordogne valley and offers a magnificent panorama of the sites of Beynac, Marqueyssac and Roque Gageac. You set off on horseback from the Ceou valley, a crystal clear river, to ride up the hillsides, and then descend to the Dordogne valley. Your picnic awaits you at the foot of a windmill, in the Bastide of Domme. From the promontory of the medieval city, the view embraces the Dordogne valley from Cingle de Montfort in the east to Beynac in the west. In the afternoon, you will return to the Dordogne valley to reach Vitrac: evening stage for the horses. You will drive to the city of Sarlat, a surprisingly preserved medieval city with its narrow streets and half-timbered houses. Dinner and overnight in guest rooms or at the hotel.

Day 5: Stage on horseback only in the morning. Crossing the town of Sarlat on horseback, then you reach the castle of Campagnac for the picnic. The afternoon is free and will allow you to stroll through the lively alleys of Sarlat: capital of Périgord Noir, city of art and history, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe! It offers its visitors a rich architecture dating from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Possibility of a guided tour of the city in the afternoon or at night after the meal. Dinner and overnight in guest rooms or at the hotel.

Day 6: To reach the village of Meyrals, you cross chestnut forests, from where you can see the castle of Puymartin. Visit of the castle, a 12th century residence, destroyed in the 14th century, then rebuilt in the 15th century. You will have lunch for lunch at the foot of the church in the village of Meyrals. In the afternoon you join Audrix, which offers a magnificent panorama over the Vézère valley. Dinner and overnight in guest rooms or at the hotel.

Day 7: In the morning, you descend into the Vézère valley to reach LimeuiL. You continue along the Dordogne, towards Cadouin. The picnic awaits you near the Cadouin abbey. Visit after the picnic of the 12th century abbey church and its cloister with 15th century ornaments. In the afternoon, you pass through the forest of La Bessede, the most important massif in Périgord. You take the time to discover the village of Molière, a 12th century bastide. Return to the castle of Bannes. Transfer. Dinner and overnight in guest rooms or at the hotel.

Day 8: After breakfast, departure or transfer to Bergerac train station.

* Indicative itinerary that can may be changed if necessary.