We walked from the van up to the summit of Puy Chavaroche at 1739 metres high. Unfortunately the visibility at the top wasn't great, and it was quite cold.
The way down was quite steep and difficult. We saw the first sign of the Tour de France which is to come through the area in a few days time.
On return we went to the local grocer and bought some blueberry and raspberry tarts, which were delicious.
Later for dinner we made tartiflette.
We decided to move on from the Dordogne, and go to the more mountainous Auvergne. It was quite a long drive, we stopped on the way at Aurillac at a huge shopping centre.
We found a free aire in the Cantal region, in the village of Mandailles.
It's a tiny village with 2 shops and 2 cafés. We went for a walk up the stream that runs through it.
For dinner we had salad with chicken, walnuts and tomatoes.
We walked from the site, first going across the Dordogne to find the Canal de Lalinde which runs parallel to it. We walked along the canal to Lalinde village and back.
We went back across the river and had a look round an old water mill.
We then had a walk round the countryside, including passing the Château de Lanquais, which has a mix of medieval and renaissance architecture.
When we got back to the site we went for a swim in the swimming pool.
Later for dinner we had a barbecue with lamb steak, mushrooms, red pepper, new potatoes and coleslaw.
For breakfast we had pain au chocolate and croissants from the local boulanger. We then left the aire and drove to Bergerac.
The main car park was full, so we drove over the river to one away from the centre, then walked back across into the historic part. The bridge over the river had a nice reflection.
We had a good wander round the sights in the centre, but didn't really stay all that long.
We decided to drive a bit further south to Lac de l'Escourou, just outside the village of Eymet. We walked on the path all around it.
We saw some shoals of tiny black fish.
There was a hide to watch for wildlife, but we only saw a few lazy carp swimming about.
It was extremely hot in the sun with no shade in the car park, so we drove on to Issigeac. We parked in the shade and had something to eat and drink.
We then went on to our next camp site, Camping des Moulins at Couze-Saint-Front. Our pitch is right next to a pond, with lots of wild flowers and butterflies. We also saw kingfishers, but didn't manage to photograph them.
The site also has a nice swimming pool.
For dinner tonight we had a barbecue, with burgers, sausages, pepper, tomatoes, coleslaw and rolls.
We packed up and left the site, and drove to the village of Tremolat, stopping at Lidl on the way for shopping.
We parked in an aire in the centre of the village, and set off on our walk.
We got to a viewpoint over the Dordogne River.
We walked down towards the river, but found that the path shown in the walking book going through a camp site was now closed to non-residents so we had to divert. After going along the road a while we eventually got back down to the river bank and stopped for lunch near a bridge.
We looped back through the village. In this area there are lots of hazelnut plantations, in contrast to the walnut trees we've seen in most of the other parts of the Dordogne so far.
We passed the gate of an old mansion and Oscar was very curious.
We got back to the van, and since it was early we decided not to stay there, but to drive further towards Bergerac where we wanted to be tomorrow. So we found a free aire at Sainte-Saveur, a tiny village.
We stayed there and had fresh pasta with sauce for dinner. We went for a stroll round the village in the evening.
We decided to stay a third night at the site. The reception area has some nice old buildings.
We went on a canoe trip on the river. Leaving Oscar in the van, we walked over to the canoe hire place, booked in and got kitted up.
The company takes you and the canoe in a minibus and launches you into the river, and you make your own way back. We decided to go to La Roque St-Christophe.
It was a nice relaxing paddle back to the start, taking about two and a half hours.
We passed the Madeleine Troglodyte Village we'd been to yesterday, and had good views of it.
After we got back we just chilled for the rest of the day. We did a load of washing, which all dried very quickly.
We also went for a swim in the swimming pool.
Later for dinner we had Spanish tortilla and vegetables.
