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A young retired couple wanted to spend a week on a bike vacation with their daughter and her husband. Évasion à vélo created a trip adapted to their pace, allowing them to explore the most beautiful historical sites and vineyards in the Périgord.
Here's how it could work....
Thibaut called us and we built our circuit together in half an hour. The exchange took place in a very relaxed and simple way. The questions were clear, precise, and focused enough to allow us to express all our requirements. It was great to be able to imagine and build our own trip!
We therefore decided to leave at the end of September on a 7-day exploration of the Périgord region, in stages of around 50 km/day with hilly terrain so as not to limit the sites to be explored, but not to overdo things either.
We also asked Evasion à vélo to base our tour around the discovery of the most beautiful historical sites in Périgord while leaving some time for the vineyards.
Evasion à vélo recommended a semi-marguerite circuit in order to have a more relaxing rhythm.
As far as accommodation is concerned, we preferred to stay in very good quality guest rooms with table d'hôtes for dinner, as we enjoy the contact and the friendliness.
And for the final touch, we wanted to have a thrill-packed day, being ready to splash out a little bit! Thibaut proposed a half-day canoeing trip and a hot air balloon flight, which really thrilled us!
The following week we received the description with the price by e-mail. This conformed to our phone conversation but my wife and I finally decided to choose an electric bike. We then signed the modified quote and paid the deposit.
Three weeks before departure, we received all the useful elements for our trip by e-mail and post: the highlighted map and its protective cover, a smartphone holder, a very complete travel notebook and even four waterproof covers with the Evasion à vélo logo to protect our bikes in case of rain. An another useful element: a link received by e-mail allowed us to have the route on our smartphones.
Day 1 34 km 350 m + (1)
After spending the night in Bergerac, we went to the bike rental company in the morning and left our car there for the week. And of we set for a week of discoveries!
We cycled through the vineyards to Monbazillac where we enjoyed its castle and its beautiful views. Then, we visited an estate recommended by Evasion à vélo near Conne-de-Labarde where a wine- tasting convinced us to have a few bottles delivered to Brittany. We then visited the medieval city of Issigeac before reaching Faux.
We stayed in a very welcoming guest house/table d'hôtes in a superb environment.
(1) This is the sum of the elevations of all the climbs of the course
Day 2 54 km 675 m +
We arrived at the bastide of Beaumont-du-Périgord quite quickly and then climbed to Saint-Avit; long live the electric bike when you need to keep up with the young people! We discovered the superb abbey church of the village. We then followed a lovely little road, which led us to the medieval city of Belvès, classified among the most beautiful villages in France.
We were then a short distance from the guest house where the swimming pool awaited us, followed by an oenology course given by the "in-house sommelier" on the theme of biodynamics. We rounded off the day with a gastronomic dinner.
Day 3 40 km 570 m +
Today, we rode less because many visits were planned. Along pretty little roads we successively discovered the castles of Milandes and Castelnaud, the hanging gardens of Marqueyssac, the village of La Roque-Gageac and finally we passed in front of the castle of Montfort.
To top off this beautiful and busy day, we reached Carsac-Aillac and enjoyed the swimming pool and the food in the guesthouse.
Day 4
This non-cycling day was dedicated to the descent of the Dordogne by canoe to Roque-Gageac, followed by an unforgettable flight in a hot air balloon with autumn colours. What a thrill!
We dined in the same guesthouse as the day before.
Day 5 59 km 800 m + (short variant: 54 km 680 m +)
We set off on the biggest "cycling" day, both in terms of distance and altitude. It was a good move on the part of our organizer because it was scheduled after a quiet day. We changed banks and followed the Dordogne river along a really superb road to Souillac passing in front of the castles of Veyrignac and Fénelon.
After a short tour in Souillac, we took the bike path to Rouffillac and its castle. From there, it starts to climb for a few kilometers on a lovely little road.
After Carlux, we visited Eyrignac and its extraordinary gardens, then Salignac and finally Saint-Crépin-et-Carlucet where we stopped for the night. The guesthouse was really sumptuous in a verdant setting with a large swimming pool; the reception and the board are at the same level.
Day 6 47 km 630 m +
We started the day by going to the church and the castle of Saint-Geniès, then reached Lascaux, a real natural wonder. Then, we headed for Montignac where we had a stroll and lunch. We hit the road again, following the pleasant course of the Vézère river, passing to Sergeac before reaching Tamnès.
Back in the guesthouse of Saint-Crépin-et-Carlucet, we spent a final and most pleasant evening with our hosts.
Day 7 12 km
We reached Sarlat quickly, where we strolled and had lunch at a farmers' market before returning to Bergerac by taxi to pick up our car and return the bicycles.
The length of this trip enables exploring the most beautiful aspects of Périgord, even if a lot remains to be seen given that the region is so vast and so varied.
Price (excluding equipment rental): €860 /person
Equipment rental price: €100 / bike €200/electric bike
Tempted by these travel tales? Like to try a cycling adventure and have fun? Well, yes, you can! Customize your next cycling holiday by simply going to create your customized holiday. Even if you only have the vaguest idea, we are here to guide you.
