The Fairytale France Party Quercy Dordogne
Fairytale chateaux, medieval Rocamadour and stunning landscape plus the enjoyment of eating the first strawberries of the year in Beaulieu sur Dordogne, one of the prettiest of French villages. Dates 2026: 3rd - 9th May
To start at the beginning we finish your week in the most memorable way at five star Chateau de la Treyne with its dominant position above the Dordogne river and its one star Michelin restaurant. This is the perfect way to end a beautiful fairytale week. Chateau de la Treyne gained their fifth star last year and their Michelin starred restaurant will be the venue for a last night to remember forever!
We shall have a day walking down the beautiful valley of the river Ouysse. We shall have a picnic on the banks before continuing to arrive at one of the most famous shrines in Europe. Rocamadour is as much to about Christian propaganda and profit as it is to do with saintliness. Whatever its origins, it is an impressive site to visit!
The Dordogne river is the fifth longest river in France and does not only flow through the Dordogne region. Its flight through the Lot is one of the prettiest parts of its journey so I am delighted to add this to my list of local itineraries.
May is the most beautiful time for walking on these limestone plateaux. We should see a good variety of orchids, meadow clary, poppies and a whole plethora of flowers.
The abbey at Souillac is a supreme example of Romanesque art. Dating from the twelfth century it epitomises the naive endearing style of this period. Kenneth Clarke the famous art historian assimilated the school of Romanesque sculptors to a school of dolphins for their irrepressible energy. This is a breathtaking example and so too the abbey at Beaulieu on our first day. Both these abbeys are associated with the work of the Moissac Master.
Irises and Chateau de Montal. This wonderful chateau has a fine collection inside so we visit the whole and enjoy the sense of history here. Lots of skulduggery and also the Mona Lisa hid here during the Second World War so the former owner was chuffed to be the only one in France to have slept with her.
This is a glorious hidden region of France for The Walking Party where the Dordogne river flows through the Lot before it reaches the Dordogne region. Limestone cliffs of dark purple manganese and iron red watch over the rivers path supporting fantasy chateaux and castles that dominate the landscape around. It is a very beautiful region. The landscape is timeless. This is a softer walk as I have made it as flat as possible by concentrating on valley walking! If we do find a hill there is vehicle support to help those who really feel they could do without the assault!
Gallery
Accommodation
LE BEAULIEU
A lovely three star hotel situated in the main square. All bedrooms have bathrooms en suite and overlook the charming square and roof tops and hills. There is an excellent restaurant in the hotel. Wifi is available. You stay two nights here.
LE RELAIS DE CASTELNAU
This three star hotel is ideally situated on the edge of the hill top village of Loubressac. There are fabulous views over the vale of Castelnau Bretenoux and also across to the village of Loubressac. The rooms are modern and all have the view across the vale. Bathrooms en suite. There is also an excellent restaurant that affords the same spectacular views. Wifi is available. You stay two nights here.
CHATEAU DE LA TREYNE
A stunning four star relais chateau perched over the river Dordogne. This is family owned and run. The one star Michelin restaurant is a delight. This adds a fairytale ending to a beautiful week. Your last two nights are spent here.
Grade Of Walking
The walking is designed to be as level as one can be in the countryside. This means that there may be undulations but when there is a hill there will be a vehicle option to avoid it! The paths are firm and good. We always suggest walking the morning walk. For those feeling tired in the afternoon there is always a vehicle to take you back to the hotel. Our hotels have been carefully chosen (see ACCOMMODATION) so they are all excellent places for relaxing, reading and just taking it easy. The fact that we do not officially offer time in the villages that we stay in, as we always have walks on offer, means that often people will take an afternoon off to enjoy village life.FOOD & WINE
The gastronomy this week is typically french with fresh local ingredients where possible. Your last two nights are in one star Michelin restaurants at Chateau de la Treyne and the restaurant du Pont de l'Ousse nearby. Both nights have beautiful settings matching those special last nights on St James Way 2 and Catalunya which have to be some of my favourite.
The wines will be carefully chosen from my cellar and keeping to a palette of the extraordinary selection of fabulous wines that we have in the south west of France. Pictured here may be some of the wines appearing. The Barrejat comes from vines that survived the phyloxera attack in the late nineteenth century. The Chalon is divine with a walnut brie ...
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DOWNLOAD NOWDURATION
7 days
DISTANCE
54 miles
PRICE
€3590
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT
540 pp
DATES
3 May - 9 May
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