Vineyards of Bordeaux to the castles of Dordogne

After making your own way to Bordeaux have an afternoon orientation meeting at your hotel and then enjoy the evening as you wish, perhaps with a glass of (world-class) local wine.

Now it’s time to say goodbye to your stay for the first night and head for the Bordeaux countryside, which will firstly take you to the quaint city of Creon. From here the route will lead to a UNESCO World Heritage Site called “La Sauve-Majeure Abbey” with its Romanesque architecture. The journey to your destination of Saint Emilion is completely dominated by gorgeous vineyards.

As you leave Saint-Emilion you will be heading on small roads going through vineyards and majestic castles. You will be heading for the river Dordogne. Your stop for the night is Sainte-Radegonde, home to a lovely 6^th-century chapel built intriguingly on a hill.

After a little cycling you will be leaving the terroirs of the appellation Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superiors and entering the AOP Monbazillac appellation. This region provides sweet white wine, with both rich and light flavours, this can be enjoyed with some blue cheese and foie gras (which is found in abundance here!). The final section of your route will take you over the Dordogne and into Bergerac.

Today’s cycling is characterised by rivers! On leaving Bergerac in the morning, you’ll find yourself on paths through forests and meadows, as well as traditional Perigord villages with interesting histories to tell. You will eventually arrive on the “cingles”, the meanders of the Dordogne and the route becomes a little more challenging, made worth it of course with amazing views. You can even take the opportunity to get off the bike and swim at the confluence of the Vézère and Dordogne River in Limeuil, a truly beautiful village.

Today’s scenery will not be river-orientated and rather be mountain and valleys. After a short distance on bike, you will reach Eyzies-de-Tayac AKA the World Capital of Prehistory and where you can see thousands of years of world history in the caves. After a spot of history, cycle through refreshing valleys with untouched rivers populated by trout. Pay a visit to Commarque Castle, from the Middle Ages you can see typical buildings from this time. Your stop for the night is Sarlat, a charming medieval city.

Today will start and end in the same place, but you will complete a loop of the Monfort Meander and the castle here, as well as the town of Domme. This town has a surrounding fort and sits at 300m over the river. After completing this loop, you will also have some time to wander around Sarlat, where there are an abundance of pleasant streets and squares to visit.

After one last breakfast it is time to either head home or spend a last day exploring Salat.