The Neolithic period (3000 years BC): It is characterised by a period of settlement that included the adoption of agriculture and the development of tools (copper, bronze, iron).This is the reason why most of the prehistoric sites of the Palaeolithic age are spread accross the valleys of Vézère and the Dordogne. The Palaeolithic period: Ice age period is characterised by the drawings and engravings of reindeers and mammoths, which were famously found on cave walls within the Département (Rouffignac, Lascaux, etc).ĭuring this period (400 000 years BC), prehistoric man lived at the bottom of limestone cliffs.Weeks later, we're thinking back on this canoeing trip often as the best part of the trip.Various ages define the history of the Périgord PREHISTORY And it's so peaceful! Often, after we'd paddled hard for a while, we just relaxed and floated. When you're in the nothing-but-nature bits, you see all sorts of amazing birds, like four-foot herons, swans, egrets (I think-I'm not an ornithologist, so don't hold me to it), all sorts of things. Really majestic (if that's not a tautology when speaking of castles), beautiful, and evocative. Look in the dictionary under "France," and you'll see this area. We saw no fewer than three castles! They sit above these characterful, charming towns of the Dordogne, all of which are a perfect, almost cliched, vision of France. When you go by the built-up parts, it's astounding. In a two-hour trip (really, it was shorter than that, because we put muscle into it for the first hour, so we made a lot of distance in a short time, I think), you go under three bridges, alternating between views of the local towns and views of nothing but nature. I did a kayaking trip with this company many years ago, so when I returned for my second wedding anniversary, I had to take my wife here. This is a great day out and the kids do get tired, but I think that that is a good thing and this is doing something real, that is great to do as a family. Another good reason for doing this in the afternoon is that the road back through Beynac may be quieter it was gridlocked in the morning. It only happened to us once when we rode up onto a shingle bank in the middle of the river.Īfter the third bridge, about another kilometre on the right, is a place where you stop, ditch the canoes and get a bus back to the car park where you started. I recommend wearing sandals and shorts as my trainers got absolutely soaked,Ĭheck the river levels beforehand if you can as we were told that sometimes the river is running low and you end up having to drag the canoe over shallow water. There are places to stop and I think it was near the second beach where we found a small shingle breach and someone selling ice-creams. You also go under three bridges which is fun for the kids. Starting here you pass Castelnaud, Marqueyssac, Beynac, Chateau de Beynac and some beautiful scenery. Adults and older kids can use the double ended oars and they have smaller single oars for younger kids. The canoes are very safe and never came close to capsizing, something my daughter was worried about. We were advised that the 2-hour journey is actually easier because you are going with the river the whole way. If you do the one-hour option, then you spend half the time heading down river and half the time heading up-river - and it’s a fast moving river. We took the 9km (2 hours roughly) option on their advice too. We were recommended by some friends of ours who live in Bergerac to start the journey here because that way you get the best view. ![]() There is a good car park right next to Canoe Dordogne and there are public toilets there too. The staff were very friendly and helpful and spoke good English. We were 5 and so we had to get 2 canoes, my wife and daughter in one and me and the 2 boys in another. You do end up doing quite a lot of rowing and doing it in 38 degrees might be a bit difficult! It was a cloudy, not too hot August day and the conditions were perfect. ![]() We visited here in the afternoon after spending the morning at Les Jardins de Marqueyssac (see my other review of another excellent location). This is a fantastic thing to do as a family and probably the best place on the Dordogne river to do it.
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