Another couple who agree that the
Dordogne region is a great place to ride!
From: Hayes & McCann
Subject: TCA Dordogne story
Hello from Dennis Hayes & Karen McCann TCA members from Farmington, Maine.
Enjoyed your story of your trip to the Dordogne in the latest issue of
DoubleTalk.
We spent 4 weeks bicycling almost the exact same route as you this summer on our
Green Gear Tandem TwosDay. It was our second tour in France, and we truly
enjoyed our time in the Southwest.
We used two published tour guides: "France by Bike" & "Cycling in France" for
suggestions. The routes outlined were very nice ... the goal of each was to
avoid traffic and to hit all the highlights. We also purchased a picture
(coffee table) book called "The Most Beautiful Villages in the Dordogne". We
made a point to visit as many as possible.
Like you, we flew into Bordeaux. We enjoyed the city very much. Much more
manageable than Paris. We walked for miles seeing the sites.
We took the "Jet Bus" into the city (Place Gambeta) from the airport and stayed
in a nice hotel in the pedestrian district. We spent two days changing over our
internal clocks and assembling the tandem. We stayed at the Hotel de la Tour just
off the Place Gambetta. The hostess/owner there was very nice. There is an attached
garage with plenty of room for storage of a box.
Of the four weeks of riding the only time we got lost was leaving the city. The
guide books were a little outdated, and the streets on the other side of the
river (the bastide side) had changed in the last ten years.
Heading east we enjoyed the same landscapes and towns as you. We headed NE
following the Vesere as far north as Lascaux the SE to Benac then east as far as
Figeac. Then our route followed the Lot west and north making a loop back to
Benac.
At the bike museum in Cadouin we met the owner/operator who was in many of the
photos riding the antique bikes. He was a wonderful older man. He was interested
in our bike Friday, but stated "typically American!"
Heading back to Bordeaux we stayed on the south side of the river, and
had no problems finding our way easily into the city.
Our trip started on June 22 and we flew home on July 21. We never encountered
any tourist crowds. We had been warned about the sudden explosion of tourists in
July, but it didn't happen. In many villages we were the only guests in our
hotel. We stayed mostly in two star hotels and found them very comfortable and
reasonably priced. Our average for the trip was $40.00 per night ... including
breakfast. The range was from $21.00 to $75.00
Meals in general were somewhat expensive. Being vegetarians we often asked for
special considerations which were always met by chefs willing to vary their
menus.
The Jet Bus worked out very well in Bordeaux. It eliminated having to stay near
the airport. Check the Bordeaux web site for details if you ever return there.
The Jet buses are shorter than an average coach bus, but otherwise full size
with large bins under that I think would handle a bike box.
Highlights: the wine was outstanding (we can't find French Rose here at home
and miss it), Rocamador was spectacular, the pre-historic caves and art were fascinating, the
unique fortified churches were much different than what we had seen in other
parts of France, and I actually learned to converse (a little) in France and
didn't have to rely on Karen's language abilities all of the time. [I always
laugh a little when friends say "but everybody speaks English there anyway."
Why should typical French people speak any better English than typical Americans
speak French?]
Thanks for sharing your trip with us in Double Talk.
Dennis Hayes
denkaren@cybertours.com