Going East along the Dordogne

Last year we did a day trip eastwards, ending up at Sarlat: http://la-matha.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/another-trip-from-la-matha.html.  This time, we decided to do a similar trip, but starting at Sarlat, so that we could spend a bit more time there, and then make a couple of stops heading back more or less westwards, so that the journey home was not so long.

Sarlat is a great place - a Bastide town with loads of history.  We found a walk suggested in the Dorling Kinderlsey Eye Witness book, which took us round the centre of the old town.

After Sarlat, we headed to Domme for lunch.  Domme is south of Sarlat on cliffs above the Dordogne river, and is a lovely old town, with spectacular views around the river valley.  It does have a  Cave, which has plenty of stalactites and stalagmites - a guided trip around the cave takes about an hour.

From there, we headed back to Baynac, which we had passed on the way to Sarlat.  Baynac has glorious castle on the top of the cliffs, with the village squeezed down on the bank of the river.

 Click on the picture below for a stunning panoramic view:

After Domme, we headed south again for Monpazier - a delightful Bastide town.  We arrived at about 17:30, so all was very quiet.  We had a glass of wine in a bar on the square before heading back across country to La Matha via Villareal and Miramont - a route with some ridiculously straight roads!