Périgord – Day 9 – Les Eyzies, Le Bugue, and Limeuil
Tuesday, 27-May-2025
Tags: Travel
After four days in the Sarlat area and the Dordogne River valley, it was time to head to the Vézère River valley. Right after breakfast, we drove to Les Eyzies and Les Glycines Hôtel & Spa to drop off our bags, and drove west to Le Bugue to catch their Tuesday market day and to explore the town. St. Denis in the Bruno, Chief of Police books is modeled on Le Bugue, where Martin Walker, the author, lives part of the year. After so many books, it was exciting to actually be there.
We wandered through the market, buying cheese, bread, and strawberries.
We then headed south across the bridge over the Vézère river to Cave Julien de Savignac, the wine store so often mentioned in the books. The Bruno books are quite popular and there is even a Bruno tour that includes meeting Martin Walker at the store to taste some of his favorite wines. So of course there's a Bruno-labelled wine. And of course there are jugs and tanks for table wines.
We then walked back up towards the bridge, stopping in a grocery store to pick up a couple of cold drinks, and ate at a picnic table at the edge of the Vezère on the south side of the bridge. After our picnic lunch, we walked back to the market, now closing up, and wandered a bit around town before heading back to the car.
The covered market and the mairie (mayor's office) above it.
Our next stop along the Vézère was Limeuil, which is at the confluence of the Vézère and the Dordogne. We parked at the river and walked up the steep hillside under the old gate along the Rue du Port to the (for fee) Panoramic Gardens of Limeuil, Located on the site of an old fortified castle, the area was acquired at the beginning of the 20thcentury by Fernand Linarès, who created an English-style park. After a century of abandonment, the gardens were rehabilitated by the commune and the Au Fil dur Temps Association. There are multiple types of gardens and related games for people of all ages. The gardens are certainly panoramic because of the great view of the confluence.
The walk up to the garden and the old gate.
The water garden and the confluence (Vézère on the left, Dordogne on the right).
After Limeuil, we headed back to Les Eyzies to check in and relax in our room. We once again overlapped with Eileen's cousins, and had dinner with them at La Maison, with its fun and quirky decor.
Links:
Other posts that refer to this post:
--
Larry and Eileen Samberg
