Booking direct to soleil plage is easy and will realise some saving compared to eurocamp. The owners, Anne and Gildas Le Goas are fluent in english and don't mind helping those who would rather not dust off their schoolboy french. In addition to mobilehomes the site also does wooden chalets. www.camping-soleil-plage.com/gb.html
The site is right next to the river which is clear enough to snorkel and if you do a canoe trip I bet you see more kingfishers than supermarket trolleys.
There is loads of interest for all tastes within easy distance if Soleil Plage.
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www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm
Also Logis de France for simple but quality Hotels.
I found Sarlat a bit 'fake', i.e over-restored, which is quite common inFrance. there's loads of pretty small market towns, however and the roads are superb. Dordogne was the last holiday we had without Air Conditioning - a seven hour drive at 90 - 100F never to be forgotten. kept the kids in a stupour though!
If anyone's interested in camping, I can highly recommend the Dutch run RCN sites, we were the only British on site last summer.
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We camped just north of Sarlat in August this year for a few days.It was a complete pain getting through the town all day and every day due to the heavy traffic. Stay away.
Quiet elsewhere though.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I found Sarlat a bit 'fake', i.e over-restored, which is quite common inFrance. there's loads of pretty small market towns, however and the roads are superb.
I think much of the authentic ambience of the medievil sarlat was probably destroyed when they installed main drains. ;-))
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Aprilia
If you decide to go further south, look at my profile, and email me, or look at the links from my website.
I knew Sarlat well from holidaying there nearly every year from 1980 to 2000! Anybody who complains about traffic nowadays should have visited before the bypass and bridge were built!
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pmh (was peter)
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My experience is limited to 5 nights (staying in hotels)during a touring holiday (most of which was spent further south) in September 2002, and 2 weeks, staying in a gite on the Lot in October 2005 (last month.)
Attractive towns to use as a base: Depends a bit on what size of town you want to stay in (and what you think is attractive!) There are a lot of attractive little villages in the area which have nice hotels, but very little in the way of other facilities (shops, supermarkets, a choice of places to eat, etc) I take it you know about the Plus Beaux Villages de France www.villagesdefrance.free.fr/
In 2002 we spent 3 nights in Sarlat (not too crowded in mid-September - but it could be a bit too busy in July). Pleasant, interesting, historical town, good facilities - and very well located for nearby sites. I must confess I didn't really warm to it, though.
We spent 1 night in Meyronne, a small village some miles up the Dordogne from Sarlat. Pleasant enough, though not much there. It is, however, well located with a lot of things nearby.
We spent 1 night in Figeac, on the Cele, but only a couple of miles from the Lot. We liked it better than Sarlat. It has good facilities, and is less touristy - but is attractive and historic. It is less well placed for the main tourist attractions, and may be quieter for that.
This year we stayed in a gite just up the Lot from Cahors, near St. Gery. (Cahors is a nicely situated town, by the way). The Lot is quieter than the Dordogne.
As for drives, that is difficult since I've not been there in July. Most of the roads were pretty nice, and in October they were all quiet - some very quiet! The Michelin maps mark the attractive ones, and their judgement is usually pretty good. Roads over the causses tend to be quieter than the roads that follow the rivers.
I'm sure there is more I could say. If I think of anything useful, I'll try to add it. If there is anything you want to ask, by all means do so.
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Correction I meant to type Souillac (not Sarlat) VERY senior moment!!!!
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pmh (was peter)
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Souillac is an ideal size of small town, plenty of in town eating choice and small hotels, good facilities, and an ideal base to visit a wide range of activities/places. Several good campsites within a 5 mile radius altho I would stay away from the river or the in town sites.
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pmh (was peter)
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You could always try flying to La Rochelle (Stanstead with Ryanair) and hire a car from the airport. Very cheap solution. I have a Gite on the coast further down (in an old charantaise village not far from Royan) and it can be a very cheap to fly if you book early enough.
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Lot valley Tourist Board have a good website
lotvalley.org.uk/beautifullv.html
Phil
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Lot valley Tourist Board have a good website lotvalley.org.uk/beautifullv.html Phil
This area is not the Lot, which is Department 46. The Lot Valley is actually further west and is in 47, Lot et Garonne.
Although Sarlat will be busy in July, all of the other popular places will be as well. Souillac cannot be compared with Sarlat, which I find spectacular, and I can't agree with johnny who thinks it's "fake." It's also closer to Domme, Beynac and that area of the Dordogne, which it would be a shame not to visit. Montignac and Lascaux is just thirty minutes away and you are closer to the airports at Perigeux and Bergerac.
I was at Rocamadour in late September this year, and that was quite busy with tourists. If you just want peace and quiet, with very few tourists, then you can ceretainly find such places off the beaten track in the Dordogne and Lot.
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"This area is not the Lot, which is Department 46. The Lot Valley is actually further west and is in 47, Lot et Garonne"
Oops, sorry, my mistake - still looks nice though!!
Area to North of Perigeaux also very pleasant, with some beautiful, quiet, hilly forest areas, pleasant villages and towns, river valleys etc and some great food, as long as you like fois gras, fois gras, duck, duck and duck (I like fois gras and duck!!). You could always have duck for a change!!
Phil
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Also fly to Poitiers from Stansted.
In September we raced down from the frozen north for a flight from Stansted to La Rochelle and missed it. Expecting to have to spend the night locally and go the next day I was amazed when the clerk said "we can fit you on the Poitiers flight which goes 3 hours later" and he did. We switched our car hire from La Rochelle to Poitiers (Budget - one phone call) and we arrived at our destination (Les Charmettes) 4 hours late but just as the big dinner was starting. Needed to pay an upgrade fee to change the flight but at our stage of life money is less important than time.
Good news story for Ryanair. (although next time we'll go from Birmingham - it''s nearer)
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(Les Charmettes)
The RF family has been there twice.......
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RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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