For
all those rugby nuts reading this, you are no doubt already aware that the Rugby World Cup will
be held in UK from 18th September to 31st October next
year, so I'm taking this opportunity to do a little promotion of our part of France - also full of rugby 'enthusiasts'.
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| our local club Stade Foyen in black and red |
If
you are planning to be at the World Cup, then please think about a visit
to this part of France for a few days between games. There are flights from
many UK airports to Bergerac (Ryanair, Flybe, etc) where you can rent a car and
explore the local area from Bordeaux in the west to Sarlat in the east, Cognac
in the north to the Garonne river in the south.
Bordeaux
is just over an hours drive away and is a beautiful city, often described as a
smaller version of Paris ( without the Eiffel Tower).
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| view of the river at Bordeaux |
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| one of the original city gate towers |
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| doesn't it look like Paris ? |
St
Emilion is the centre of one of the finest wine areas in France and is a wonderful
example of a medieval town clinging to the hillsides surrounded by vineyards.
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| monastery ruins in St Emilion |
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| somewhere for lunch |
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| take care after a few vins rouges |
There
is a stunning drive along the Vezere river valley past troglodyte village sites
up to the village of Montignac where you can enjoy lunch at one of the many
riverside restaurants and then a tour of the Lascaux caves, if prehistoric art
interests you, and Sarlat-la-Canéda is nearby and well known for it’s foie gras
and it’s market. Along this part of the Dordogne river you can visit the legacy
of the Hundred Years War between France and England – great castles on either
side of the river where they could keep watch on each other.
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| water views ? |
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| there's always another chateau |
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| troglodyte caves |
The
Gironde area to the south of the Dordogne river is full of beautiful medieval
villages and chateaux to be explored. Duras and Monbazillac are two examples
within a half hour drive and the old town centre of Bergerac has many
restaurants and fascinating old buildings. You can even take a boat ride up the
river for a different view of the countryside.
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| Chateau de Duras |
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| a wonderful way to see the sights |
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| Chateau de Monbazillac |
For
those who are more energetic, there is canoeing, cycling and walking trails
(randonées) and there is, of course, always wine tasting. For those who like
food with their wine, the local specialités are duck and foie gras, prunes and
walnuts ( out of which the french also make alcohol, of course) but you can never
get enough of the bread and cheeses anywhere in France.
September
and October is also ‘vendage’ time in south-west France, so the roads will be
busy with tractors and enormous grape picking machines trundling between
vineyards. As the grapes are processed, the discarded skins are left in mounds by the side of the road to be removed
by big trucks and taken to collection points. Just follow your nose and the aroma of fermenting grape as you drive around the countryside and
discover great purple mountains of grape
pomace.
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| you know it's summer when the decorations go up |
For
those who love the markets, there is a food market almost every day of the week
in one or another of the many villages, but our local market at Ste Foy la
Grande was voted most popular in France this year and is only held on Saturdays.
For vide greniers (like car boot sales) and brocante markets you need to be
here on a Sunday. There are always ‘special’
markets – for example , in October there is a three day brocante market at Rauzun and
dealers will come from all over France to sell and to buy, and then there is
the ‘Salon de Bordeaux et de l’art contemporain’, a one week fair for antiques
and contemporary art at the exhibition
centre at Bordeaux.
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| you never know what you'll see at a marché |
If you feel like a drive in the countryside, there is always Chapelle Notre Dame du Rugby in the little town of Saint Savin Larrivière in the Landes region to the south of Bordeaux. The chapel was consecrated in 1967 and the local team comes here to be 'blessed' before their games. A truly unique expression of rugby.
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| Notre Dame du Rugby |
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| Scrum ! |
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| everyone has a rugby ball ! |
For
those who are interested in old cars there is the ‘Circuit des Remparts’ at
Angouleme in September. This event
started in 1939 and involves vintage cars racing around the city in a series of races over a three day
weekend.
As
you can see, there is something for everyone in this area of France, so why don’t
you include a visit in your itinerary for the World Cup.
P.S. Blacklocks, you are pencilled in for a visit.
Bonne semaine mes amis
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