Reader Tour 2: 16 Days South West and Dordogne Aquitaine Adventure
- Tuesday, 9 December 2008
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A typical beach in the south west of France.
Call: 0845 130 7701 to book your place now!
Dates: 26 August–10 September 2009
Price: From £729 per person
Tour leaders: David and Sharon Serpell
Quote code: MCM06
Top 3 highlights
Stunning châteaux, Bordeaux vineyard, Le Mans museum.
South West & Dordogne Itinerary
Wednesday 26 August
Meet up at Camping Le Château de Chanteloup in Sillé-le-Philippe 12 miles from Le Mans. This four-star site is set in the grounds of the family château with spacious grounds. The friendly owners ensure a relaxed and sociable atmosphere. Enjoy a welcome meal in the campsite restaurant.
Thursday 27 August
After you have settled in we will have an afternoon excursion to the Le Mans automobile museum where you can inspect many of the 24-hour race's former winning cars. Your journey will include part of the circuit used in the race. This will be followed by free time in Le Mans where you can discover the city's Plantagenet past. In the evening you will be treated to the fantastic Son et Lumière light show La Nuit des Chimères which is projected onto various buildings including the cathedral. Your coach will return you to the campsite.
Friday 28 August
Drive the 98 miles to Camping La Vallée des Vignes in Concourson-sur-Layon a four-star site with immaculate sanitation facilities and wide-open green spaces, where John and Lesley Nichol, the friendly British owners will greet you.
Saturday 29 August
Today you will be given a day pass to the Grand Parc at Puy du Fou. You will travel in your own vehicles in order to allow you to spend as much time in the Parc as you wish. Make the most of an exceptional entertainment programme such as Roman circus games, jousting tournaments and musketeer combats.
Sunday 30 August
Leave Vallée des Vignes and drive the 234 miles to Camping La Cigale in Arès where the enthusiastic owners Bernard and Dominique Pallet are keen to show you the delights of their region. Located on the Arcachon Basin, La Cigale is a simple but immaculate site, situated on the fringes of the town of Arès, with the main facilities of the town easily reachable on foot. A welcome meal will be served on the terrace next to the bar.
Monday 31 August
Today you will take your own vehicles to the Parc Ornithologique du Teich, a bird-life sanctuary 16 miles from the campsite. After a guided tour in English you will be free to explore at your leisure. The park is proud to have hosted 280 different varieties of birds, 80 of which actually breed on site. Because of its location, many migratory birds stop off at the reserve. At this time of the year you can expect to see many birds from Northern Europe breaking their journey south for the winter.
Tuesday 1 September
We will take a boat trip around the Arcachon basin stopping at Cap Ferret where we will visit the lighthouse, have a meal by the beach and take the boat back to the site.
Wednesday 2 September
Free day. Why not take a stroll into the pretty town of Arès and take a look at the oyster farmers tending their crop? There are numerous marked walks in the area. For beach lovers the Atlantic beaches of Cap Ferret are within 12 miles.
Thursday 3 September
Today we will take a coach to visit a Bordeaux vineyard with a guided tour of the vines and taste the produce, followed by a meal in the vineyards. This in turn will be followed by a guided visit to the medieval city of St Macaire.
Friday 4 September
Leave La Cigale and drive the 156 miles to Le Domaine de Soleil Plage in Vitrac, four miles from Sarlat-la-Canéda. The four-star site lies right next to the River Dordogne and is run by Anne and Gildas Le Goas who speak good English. Although of Breton origin they are knowledgeable about this area. The site will organise a welcome barbecue.
Saturday 5 September
Today we will take a gentle canoe trip down the river Dordogne departing from the campsite and passing the picturesque villages of La Roque Gageac, Castelnaud, Fayrac and Beynac. Return to the site will be by minibus.
Sunday 6 September
Day at leisure to explore the region. Visit the medieval market town of Sarlat to stock up well on the local specialities of foie gras, rillettes and confit de canard. Optional walking tour from the site, you can buy a walking map from reception.
Monday 7 September
Coach excursion to see the prehistoric sites of the region including Lascaux II, a recreation of the underground caves found in the 1940s containing prehistoric drawings, Roque St Christophe, a cliff side prehistoric dwelling, followed by the Préhisto Parc de Tursac. After lunch in St Léon-sur-Vézère (not provided) we will visit the Gouffre de Proumeyssac, a huge underground crystal cathedral before returning to the site.
Tuesday 8 September
Free time to explore the region. Why not re-visit
some of the towns passed on your canoe trip.
Wednesday 9 September
Full day coach excursion to visit the châteaux of the region. After a visit to Castelnaud, a fortress castle overlooking the river Dordogne, we will visit Milandes, the former home of Josephine Baker, former Paris showgirl and American civil rights campaigner. After lunch in the château we will visit Beynac with its superb château and the Bastide town of Domme.
Thursday 10 September
Free day to explore the region. Be sure to be back for the typical Périgordin meal served up in the campsite restaurant, the perfect end to your trip.
Price
Two people and motorhome: £799 per person
One person and motorhome: £1029 per person
Three people and motorhome: £769 per person
Four people and motorhome: £729 per person
Price includes
Campsite fees, including all tourist taxes and electricity 6 or 10 Amp depending on the site.
All coach trips as described in the itinerary below.
Visits as described in the itinerary.
Three evening meals and three lunches as described.
Return ferry crossing for motorhome (up to 8m), and two passengers on SeaFrance Dover-Calais sailings departing 2400-0600. Crossings at other times, or on other routes and with other operators, and on bank holidays and peak holiday weekends may incur a supplement. You must travel with the same operator in each direction.
Atlas of France (1:1,000,000).
Camping Card International.
Terms and conditions
Price does not include travel insurance, motorway tolls (expected to cost approximately e100 if departing from Calais and returning to Calais after the tour and using the fastest route), meals other than those stated or personal expenditure. A £75 deposit per booking plus insurance premiums if taking Carefree insurance will secure your place. The tour is arranged with Carefree, ABTA registered, and you must be a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club to book. Membership is £35 a year. For further information or to book, please call Carefree on 0845 130 7701.
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