Peregrinations in the Green Perigord

Land of forests and meadows

The Périgord Vert is the least known but not the least interesting part of the Dordogne, located in the North of the Dordogne, at the beginning of the Aquitaine region with a less dry weather than in the South.

In the heart of the Périgord-Limousin regional nature park and crossed by the N21, the Périgord Vert can be visited by cutting through the departmental roads. The best way to visit it is therefore to get lost, along the way, allowing you to discover unknown places or mysterious castles at the bend in the road and often possible to visit.

But also to meet the local people and the inhabitants of small farms. Many locals will be happy to tell you over a cup of coffee their story or the story of their farm, which are often small stories within the big story. It is as if we were going through our memories in a time machine: memories of the resistance, legends of the Middle Ages with very unusual place names: Witch's Well, Devil's Hole, Hangman's Tree. Authentic names, have fun looking for them.

Covered in wooded hills, the Périgord Vert is the ideal place to relax, especially in Brantôme, the Green Venice, so called because of the river Vézère running through the town. As a stopover on the Way of Saint James, Brantôme offers a variety of places to discover its cultural and natural heritage.

In a future article on Brantôme, we will come back to it in more details.

A few kilometres away, make a diversion to the ruined but charming Boschaud Abbey, lost in the middle of the meadows.

Don't forget to go for a walk in Saint Jean de Côle, named one of the most beautiful villages in France.

In May, the Floralies are organised, a floral event with a different theme each year. They bring together several thousand people in a place where only a few hundred people live. Very impressive…and beautiful!

But for those who prefer to dive into the depths of the Dordogne, visit the Villars cave. This natural cavity is both of natural interest with its stalactites, stalagmites and concretions and also prehistoric with its 19,000 year old paintings, testimony to the art of our ancestors.

With all this energy spent, you can now go and eat or rest in the surrounding area.

Now, with these "appetizers", you can start to walk the roads of the Périgord Vert. And don't forget to stop and chat, new places to visit will be revealed to you.

Have a good walk…!!!