2ering

Has anyone toured along the Dordogne River? If so how far east? It looks like there is a gorge near Aveze but I can't tell if the river is still flowing at that point, or if it's worthwhile. I was initially planning on just going to Bergerac and then heading north angling for the Colmar area before heading into Germany. However if the Dordogne river is worthwhile I could continue east past Bergerac. Thanks.

becnal

The whole area is beautiful, don't know specifically about east of Bergerac. However, riding further east to get to Germany is always a good idea in my opinion.

raybo

Here are the France links from www.biketouringtips.com. While none of them deal specifically with the Dordogne, most should be of value to you, anyway.

I plan on doing a Normandy to Avignon ride in May, 2008 so I, too, am very interested in this area as I see it as a primary route.

Ray

cyclezealot

Me. Its awesome. Don't miss Racademor. sp? Expect hills when climbing out of the valley. No big thing for most cyclists, tho.

jamawani 

The Gorges du Tarne are fantabulous, albeit tough cycling - straight up and down.
Don't overlook the Ardeche. It's in the Massif Central once you climb out of the gorges.
High meadows, tiny villages. The nicest area of rural France.

axolotl

Aveze? You'll hit a gorge long before Aveze. I've toured several times in the region. It's simply the best. You should definitely go up the Dordogne from Bergerac, because the best part of the Dordogne valley is from Bergerac upriver to Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. A bit beyond Beaulieu, around Argentat, you'll be forced to climb out of the Dordogne valley as it is dammed and there is no longer a road along the river. Going east or northeast, you go into Auvergne, which has a very different look and feel from the Dordogne & Lot valleys. Auvergne is great for cycling, too. There's very little traffic, and although it's a somewhat mountainous region, French roads are superbly graded. Don't be afraid of the Massif Central!

Michelin has put their maps online at:

https://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...MaHomePage.htm

geoffs

here is the ride we did in 2005 based on the Lonely Planet Cycling France book https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Dordogne

Fantastic place to go. Great food, lots of small villages to see, historic castles.
Did I say it was fantastic?
Make sure you are in Sarlat la Caneda for the markets on Saturday

How long will you have to tour?

Cheers

Geoff

2ering

Thanks to all who commented. Great food and small villages are exactly what I'm looking for. Mountains I can do without given my 58 year old bad knees and I know I won't be in particularly good shape when I leave. I'm going to start in Amsterdam and head to Bordeaux where I'll turn left to follow the Dordogne and hopefully that will get me into some sort of shape.

The map of France I'm using to set my general route is 1:200,000 but doesn't show camp grounds. Are they numerous in the region?

I'm hoping to leave in April and return in Sept/Oct depending upon the condition of the USD & assuming I can sell my house for a reasonable amount despite the lousy real estate market affecting the U.S.

xilios

Check out https://camping.hpaguide.com/en/.
Some older Michelin 1:200.000 maps have campings, I'm not sure of the newer ones.
cheers

BRUCE NORTHCUTT

A suggestion would be to continue to Rocamadour.

BICYCLE: ROCAMADOUR is a must see if you are bicycle tourist. The route recommended in the Jerry Simpson book is a bit hilly, but manageable. I recall about six hill climbs, but nothing to stop a good cyclist with a few charity rides to his/her credit. I spent one night and half a day in Rocamadour, but would recommend staying two nights, with one full day for sight seeing. A little French history is recommended as a prerequisite to the journey. It will make it a very enjoyable trip. I have included some history and legends in the capsule that follows.

Bruce Northcutt
Raleigh, NC

A medieval village; vertical cliff dweller community (150 meters in height); Rocamadour is perched on a limestone cliff overlooking the gorge of the Alzou River.

LOCATION: 66 km SE of Sarlat-la-Caneda and 63 km NE of Cahors; 336 miles southwest of Paris. Dordogne Region.
WEB SITE: https://www.rocamadour.com
TRAIN STATION: 3 miles from town

POPULATION: 5,000

NAME OF CITY: The name is derived from Roc Amadour ("the lover"). Another belief is that it derived from the word, Amateur, which meant "a servant of Mary".

PILGRIMAGE: The origins is a complete mystery. No clues are there to reveal why pilgrims visited Rocamadour starting in the 9th century. In 1166, during the burial of a local resident, a preserved body was discovered at the entrance to the oratory. Local tradition had it that Zacchaeus had been buried in years past. The legend started that it was his body that had been discovered. The body was referred to as Amadour. As Zacchaeus (or Amadour), he was a Jew from Jericho who lived at the time of Christ. The texts of the gospel, tell us that, being short, he climbed a maple tree to better be able to see Christ. Seeing his faith, Jesus called to him and invited him to come and stay with Him. After that visit, converted and repentant, Zaccahaeus distributed half of his goods to the poor and promised to return fourfold what he might have acquired unjustly. It is said, that he was head of the Publicans, that is, the tax collector of Jericho.

According to legend, Zacchaeus was the servent of the Virgin Mary. He advised her, went to Gaul (current France), and led a life of a hermit for many years. Another legend had him married to Saint Veronica. They left together and their vessel, pushed by the wind, a manifestation of divine will, landed at the port of Soulac, in the Gironde (near Bordeaux). After the death of Veronica, he lived a solitary life in the caves of Rocamadour.

Pilgrims who came to Rocamadour were not all fervent Christians in search of God. Many were coerced by the church. If they attended the jubilees, they would obtain remission from their sins. Others used it as an important stopping point on their way to Santiago de Compostela (NW Spain where the relics of the Apostle St. James were discovered in 813 AD). (In the Cathlic Church, the Jubilee is a remission of sin granted by the Pope for one or several years. In Rocamadour, the Jubilees take place whenever the Corpus Christi falls on the 24th of June, St. John the Baptist Day. The next time this happens is in 2083.

Reportedly, a number of miracles soon followed the discovery of Zacchaeus, attributed to the Black Madonna in the Chapel of Notre Dame. Today, as in the Middle Ages, the faithful continue to arrive to worship in the town's Cite Religieuse, a cluster of chapels and churches. There are 216 steps and an elevator up to the 11th- to 13th-century St. Sauveur basilica, built in the Romanesque-Gothic style, and the chapel of St. Michel with its well-preserved 12th-century frescoes. Even today, a few devout pilgrims make the 216 step journey up the Grand Escalier stairway on their knees in penance.

CITE RELIGIEUSE (Churches and Chapels): Chappelle Notre-Dame, built 1479 AD, Chappelle St. Michel, Palais Abbbatial, Basilique Saint-Sauveur, Sainte-Anne, Saint-Blaise et Saint Jean-Baptiste, and Eglise Saint-Amadour.

MIRACULOUS BELL: The old cast iron bell seems to have been forged in the 9th century (Carolingian Period). Whenever someone in danger at sea invokes OUR LADY and promises to visit Rocamadour, the bell rings on its own. It has occupied a place on honour in the sanctuary of Notre-Dame, since it is reputed to announce miracles of the shipwrecked performed by the Virgin. The canons and citizens of Rocamadour then go to the church and write down the day and time when the bell has rung. Later, when the pilgrims come, the coincidence of facts is confirmed. This has happened several times.

ROLAND'S SWORD ("DURANDAL") - Roland was the faithful companion of Charlemagne. He died in the Pyranees at Roncevaux, on the way back from an expedition in Spain. Roland entrusted the sword to the Archangel St. Michel. When Roland died, St. Michel flung the sword from the Pyranees to Rocamadour. That is the legend of the rusty sword imbedded in the stone cliffs.

LODGING: Les Vieilles Tours is a 3 star hotel, located about 4 miles outside of Rocamadour. It has only 16 rooms. I stayed in one of the separated buildings that was built like two small apartments. The room rate for the night was $104 and included petite de jeneue (breakfast). There are several two star hotels in town, but you have to make reservations several months in advance if you are going in the summer. It is a very popular tourist area.

Les Vieilles Tours *** La Fage, Rocamadour, France 46500, Phone: 5-6533-6801
https://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-3366...eilles_tours-i
Rates: (€41.16-€115.86) per night
58 miles from EYZIES-DE-TAYAC - This is where I started the day, July 4, 2000. It included stops at Beynac and Domme, and a few miles getting lost south of Domme. I followed close to the route in Jerry Simpson's book, "Tour 5: The Dordogne". The road is a bit hilly, so allow plenty of time for the trip. From St.Cirq-Madelon, follow D10, D128, D129, and finally D673. The hotel mentioned is on D673 before getting to Rocamadour. A small sign is all that indicates that the hotel is on a road to the left.

TOURIST OFFICE: 46500 Rocamadour
Phone: 33 5 65 33 22 00
Fax: 33 5 65 33 22 01

REFERENCES:
Lonely Planet "CYCLING FRANCE" pp 314-316 ISBN 1-86450-036-0
Jerry H. Simpson "CYCLING FRANCE" pp 148-151 ISBN 0-933201-47-8
Cadogan Guides "FRANCE" pp 481-484 ISBN 1-86011-978-6
Cadogan Guides "DORDOGNE & The LOT" pp 155-160 ISBN 1-86011-803-8
Frommer's "FRANCE" pp 703-705 ISBN 0-7645-6625-3

MAP: Michelin #235 Midi-Pyranees

onbike 1939

Most tourers heading for Avignon would head down the valley through Orange south of Lyon and this is regarded as the usual route. Once across the bridge and into Avignon you have to cross a very busy, multi-laned road which is a real hazard.
I would avoid summertime if I were you as this area is packed with tourists at this time of year. Best go in the Spring or early Autumn.

raybo

What do you mean when you say "head down the valley through Orange?" Orange is just a bit north of Avignon. Is there some route from the Dordogne Valley through to Orange? Could you be more specific about what you refer to as "the usual route?"

Thanks,

Ray

onbike 1939

From Lyon take a route shadowing the A17, know as the route to the sun. This goes through Vienne, Valence and on to Orange. This route follows the course of the Rhone. Google maps will show you the area.

raybo

Since the Dordogne river doesn't go to Lyon, I was wondering what the route would be to there. Would I follow the Dordogne as far as I could and then head over roads toward Lyon? Or, is there some established route from the Dordogne to Lyon?

Thanks,

Ray

bikeoutfit

I would suggest following the Dordogne River as far east St. Cere, then to Maurs, then down to the Lot River, follow the Lot East to Espalion. Here pick up the San Diego de Compostelle Pilgrimmage route and follow it backward to the Northeast to it's beginning at Le Puy En Levay. Here you pick up the Loire River and follow it Northeast past St. Etienne and find a route over the big hills to Lyon. There are several route guides for the Pilgrimmage route. I have run tours through much of this area and it is beautiful cycling, but sometimes demanding, especially for our tandem.

achiii

yes, I agree with others. The biking along the dordogne east of bergerac is beautiful. You should check out Sarlat. Its a nice town to bike too. There are also bike paths leading into and out of it. Also check out the bike museum at Cadouin if you can.

bikeoutfit

I have included the Bike Museum in Cadouin in my Itineraries for several years and found out in 2007 that it is closed. I assume the grouchy ole guy must have retired or died. It was quite cool with a good selection of old bikes, but he was not very nice unless you bought a post card or offered to pay to take a picture. I understand this, having been in retail myself, but it did affect the atmosphere.
Dick

achiii

Thats a bummer. It was closed (not in a permanent way) when I rode there last summer (2006) but a woman came down and opened it for us when she saw that we had obviously ridden to Caduin just to see it. We had a great time chatting with the woman and having the place to ourselves. Yes we did buy some postcards, but the woman also gave us a handful of them. I think that was my favorite day of riding that trip.

marmotte

maybe this site concernig your touring route might be helpful.
marmotte