Discoveries
Rocamadour
Castelnaud
Festivals
Particularly well located for discovering the most beautiful sites of the Dordogne, Camping La Rivière offers campsite rentals and mobile home rentals for 4 to 6 people for family holidays at the best prices,
Located on the banks of the Dordogne, the campsite near Rocamadour and Padirac gives you direct access to the river and canoeing, also equipped with a swimming pool, you can relax in a friendly and family atmosphere.
Saint-Sauveur Basilica and Saint Amadour Crypt, where pilgrims have come to gather and pray since the XIIth century, are listed as part of UNESCO World Heritage. Rocamadour is a stop on the pilgrimage path of Santiago de Campostela and one of the most visited sites in France. The Alzou River flows by peacefully at the foot of this village hanging 150 metres above the ground. In the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park, you can see ‘cazelles’ (shepherds’ huts) and dry stone walling everywhere, dividing the plots of land with grazing ewes that give us the famous Rocamadour cheese.
Near Rocamadour, you will find many adventure parks and theme shows such as:
- Monkey Forest ‘La Forêt des Singes’
- The Eagles’ Rock ‘Le Rocher des Aigles’
- Bee Museum ‘La Maison des Abeilles’
- Medieval Riding Show ‘Spectacle Equestre Durandal’
Let’s continue our visit to another world famous site, Padirac Chasm, which will take you to the depths of the earth after a breath-taking descent of 103 metres. Your exploration then continues in a boat along the underground river. You can get a preview of the visit at gouffre-de-padirac.tickeasy.com/
Take a detour to Figeac, bordered by the Célé River, from where you can go canoeing. Visit the town and stop off at the Champollion Museum, to learn all about the meaning of hieroglyphics gained from the Rosetta stone. This cultural visit explains the origin of different forms of writing.
More information at:
www.musee-champollion.fr
Further to the south are the Lot Valley and its river that twists and turns around Cahors, a Town of Art and History that is recognised for its vines and wines. Some of the buildings and traditional Mas remind us that the famous ‘Pink Town’ of Toulouse is not far away. Overlooking Cahors, the wonderful village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, listed as the most beautiful village in France, is perched 100 metres above the Lot River.
More information at www.castelnaud.com
And you can’t leave Perigord Noir without a visit to Sarlat, another masterpiece of architecture that will take you back to the Middle Ages.
Wander around the streets, enjoy a meal in one of its small restaurants and take a look in its lovely shops. As you are in a key prehistorical area, I invite you to discover the Lascaux caves or Pech Merle ((Pearls of Prehistory), for a trip back into our ancient past. Stop off at Collonges-la-Rouge, a traditional village in red sandstone (another architectural masterpiece) in the Limousin, close to the village of Domme en Dordogne, where many small shops sell good quality art and crafts.
Continue with a visit to Martel, a town with seven towers, a market in the old market square and wonderful streets to wander around in. Then a trip to the listed villages of Carrenac, Loubressac and Autoire will bring you back to Rocamadour.
You will follow a winding road through magnificent scenery, taking you to the Lacave Caves (3 km from the campsite). A cogwheel train will drop you off inside the rocks where guides will show you the splendour of the various caves, including ‘the drowned village’, the Black Lights and the Lake Cave. You will find more information at : www.vert-marine.com/grottes-de-lacave-46 , This is the last stop before you return to relax at the bar with a Ti-Punch or Planter punch, the campsite’s speciality drinks prepared by our team.
There are many music festivals throughout the season:
- Jazz in Souillac and Marciac,
- Sacred music in Rocamadour,
- Ecaussysteme
Information about festival dates
In association with several websites, we offer reductions for entry to some visits at Reception.
I have presented the unmissable and emblematic sites to visit, but as I can’t name them all, I invite you to have a look at the www.vallée-dordogne.com website to satisfy your curiosity and organize your holiday programme.