Tourism

Dordogne

Dordogne River near Castelnaud-la-Chapelle(© Luc Viatour)Chez Pochou is located in the village of Saint-Aulaye in the département Dordogne. (A département is an administrative division of the French government). The département is named after the river that flows through the region. The region is also referred to as the Périgord. It is a lovely region, with beautiful river valleys, picturesque villages, hundreds of castles, prehistoric caves, delicious food and very good wines. No wonder it makes a fine holiday destination.

There is a lot of touristic information about the Dordogne available on the internet, so there is no need to rewrite everything here. You can start with the links provided below. Included are links on the famous attraction of the region, the Lascaux caves, that contain prehistoric paintings believed to be more than 18,000 years old. The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. And some links are added for those who wish to be physically active in the beautiful region that the Dordogne really is, very much worth while to explore.

Beynac Castle(© Luc Viatour)

Lascaux cave painting (© Prof. Saxx)

Malartrie Castle near La Roque-Gageac(© Jebulon)

Saint-Aulaye entrance road signs (in French and Occitan) (© Père Igor)

Useful links:

Saint-Aulaye Castle / town hall (north side)(© JLPC)

Saint-Aulaye Castle / town hall (south side)(© JLPC)

About Dordogne in general:
• National tourism board
• Tourism board of the département (in French)
• Guide du Périgord
• France-Voyage
• Bordeaux Tourism
• Perigueux Tourism
• Angoulême Tourism
• Michelin travel guide
• Lonely Planet travel guide
About the Lascaux caves:
• Lascaux visitor centre
• French Ministry of Culture
• Wikipedia
Hiking, biking, riding, canoeing:
• Les randonnées en Dordogne Périgord – tours for walking, hiking,
biking (also MTB), on horse back (with GPS data) (in French)
• Velo en France – bicycle routes (with GPS data)
• Canoë Dordogne Périgord – canoeing (also on la Dronne) (in French)
• Périgord Vintage Spirit Moto Ride – rental of retro motorcycles
(Tip: Use Google Translate to read any web site in English. Copy the internet address of the site, paste it into the box on Google Translate and start browsing.)

Saint-Aulaye

12th Century Romanesque church Sainte-Eulalie(© JLPC)The village of Saint-Aulaye is situated on the northern edge of the département Dordogne along the shores of the river la Dronne, across the river is the département Charente. The Saint-Aulaye Castle in the village center dates back to the 13^th and the 19^th century. The castle functions nowadays as the town hall. The Romanesque church devoted to Sainte-Eulalie of Merida was built in the 12^th century; it is an official historic monument; it has given its name to Saint-Aulaye. The village has a nice public beach on a calm branch of la Dronne, with a modest restaurant on site. In the centre of the village there are a restaurant and a pizzeria. Every Saterday morning there is a lively market in the Rue des Faux Christs, where you will be able to buy fresh and local produce directly from producers and artisans.

Useful links:

• Local Tourist Office
• Discovery walk around the village (pdf)
• City council (in French)
• Tourist guide of the Local Tourist Office (in French)
• France-Voyage
• Wikipedia (the French page has more information)
• Chaleurs d’Orient – Sauna, hammam, wellness (in French)

Chez Pochou, a place to enjoy life in the Dordogne

A place to relaxWhether you use Chez Pochou as the base that you return to after exploring the beautiful Dordogne region, or as a place where you want to enjoy the tranquillity all day long, it is always a pleasant place to relax. You may take a dip in the heated pool, sit back and relax under a tree, or make a stroll through our meadow full with beautiful wildflowers to the small woodland at the bottom of our land along the little stream le Moudelou. And for children there is ample space to play.
Heated swimming pool

Nature

Our large meadow has an abundance of wildflowers, of which some are quite rare. Near le Moudelou you may even find some rare damselflies flying about, such as the beautiful demoiselle. Very often you can see one or more black kites gliding through the air in search of prey. Below are some pictures taken here in May and a picture of a black kite: