Location: Thonac in France
Nearest Airport: Bordeaux
at 80
Miles
Car: recommended
Innumerable books exist on this most beautiful part of southwest France but they are no substitute for experiencing its delights yourself. The region is incomparably rich in all the ingredients for a good holiday - uncluttered landscapes, quiet roads, gorgeous views at every turn, good regional food and a wealth of sites to visit as well as numerous activities for the energetic young and old alike.
So far as prehistory is concerned, the Vézère valley in particular has such exceptional sites as Lascaux, Le Roc St Christophe, Le Moustier and La Madeleine, and has recently been designated by the Dordogne heritage commission as having the most interesting countryside in the Perigord region. If archaeology is any guide, this region has been continuously inhabited by mankind for tens of thousands of years and the evidence is there to discover for yourself in the great cave sites, the castles, bastides, massive churches and ancient towns and villages built of honey-coloured stone.