SOUTH WEST AND DORDOGNE

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AQUITAINE and DORDOGNE

Features - Sunny climate, miles of long sandy beaches, classic vineyard countryside around Bordeaux, Europe's largest pine forest in the Landes.  Beautiful wooded and hilly landscape of the Dordogne.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Dordogne - Périgueux, Brantôme, Bourdeilles, Hautefort, Bergerac, Sarlat, cave paintings of Lasceaux and Les Eyziers.  Aquitaine - Bordeaux, Pauillac, St Emilion.  Basque country - Bayonne, Biarritz, Hossegor, Orthez, Sauveterre-de-Béarn, Oloron-Ste-Marie.

Further Attractions - Walking, cycling, canoeing in the Dordogne and foothills of the Pyrénées Atlantique, Bassin d'Arcachon, tasting the classic wines of Bordeaux.
 

LIMOUSIN

Features - Green rolling countryside with forest, lakes and rivers, ideal for outdoor activities, traditional towns and sleepy villages.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Limoges, St Junien, Mortemart, Beaulieu, Uzerche, Turenne, Collognes-la-Rouge, Aubusson.

Further Attractions - Limoges porcelain, waterfalls at Gimel-les-Cascades.

MIDI-PYRENEES

Features - This large area embraces the dramatic scenery of Périgord and Quercy, the rolling farmland of Gascony and the majestic Pyrenees with impressive rivers, spectacular and unspoilt landscapes and plenty of sunshine.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Toulouse, Lourdes, Pau, Tarbes, Albi, Rocamadour, Cahors, Najac, Cordes, Montauban, Moissac, Auvillar, Agen, Condom, Auch, Montsegur, Foix, Mirepoix.

Further Attractions - Aveyron gorges, caves at Gouffre de Padirac, GR10 Pyrenees walking route, winter skiing, Toulouse-Lautrec Museum (Albi).
 

Regional Food

Features - "à la Bordelaise" (with a Bordeaux wine sauce), foie gras, truffles, goose, duck, fish, oysters, onions and shallots, walnut oil, goose fat, game and poultry pâtés.  In Basque country - chilli pepper.
Specialities -  Enchaud Périgourdin (pork with garlic), marcassin à la girondine (wild boar with chestnuts), haricots verts à la landaise, pignola (pine nut cake), St Emilion au chocolat (chocolate and macaroon charlotte), duck with cêpes, rabbit with prunes, sauce Périgueux (truffle sauce), homard persillé (lobster), confit de canard, grilled goats cheese with salad, pain de campagne, fouasse (brioche with angelica).  Basque - piperade (omelette with garlic, peppers and ham), garbure béarnaise (pork stew), sauce béarnaise, morue basquaise, riz à la bayonnaise, saucisson sec, marzipan loaf, gâteau Basque and feuillette béarnaise.
Cheeses  - A wide range of Tommes de Pyrénées, black-skinned fromages des Pyrénées (cows milk) including St Albray and red-skinned fromages des Pyrénées (sheeps milk).
Drinks - Armagnac brandy, Quercy Noix (walnut apéritif).

Regional wine

Bordeaux is the world's best known fine wine region, especially for red wines.  The main red grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Bordeaux Wine Regions - Médoc, Blaye, Bourg, Entre-Deux Mers, Graves, Pessac-Leognan, Cerons, Barsac, Sauternes, Libournais, Pomerol, St. Emilion.

Other notable wine producing areas in the South West - the Aveyron, Gaillac, Côtes de Frontonnais, Côtes de Bergerac including Montbazillac and Montravel, Côtes de Buzet, Côtes de Duras, deep red wines from Cahors, Jurancon near Pau, Madiran near Armagnac.

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