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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Dordogne with older children

19 replies

PolkerrisBeach · 03/07/2018 19:20

Have been to the Dordogne before, many years ago when our oldest was only about 15 months. We did a lot of wandering around castles and gardens and pretty villages and it was lovely :-)

Thinking about a return trip next year but the kids are now all older, 12 - 16. What is there for them to do in the area? I seem to remember there was lots of canoeing and rafting on the river? Also can anyone recommend somewhere lovely (house/gite and definitely not camping) within easy reach of Bordeaux airport?

Merci!

OP posts:
Ricekrispie22 · 04/07/2018 05:17

So you're flying then? That cancels out the places that I would have recommended because you would need a car to get anywhere. Do you want to be based in a town?

Original poster
PolkerrisBeach · 04/07/2018 12:26

We would fly into Bordeaux - we're in Scotland and it's too long a drive. We would hire a car though.

OP posts:
Ricekrispie22 · 04/07/2018 17:22

This is our favourite. My DC are a bit younger than yours but I still think it would be a good stay. You'd be able to make good use of the two kayaks that they have and the swimming pool is lovely. It's in a great area too. www.chauffour.com

Notevilstepmother · 04/07/2018 17:34

Would you consider very posh camping? These are fixed raised tents, lovely site with the clean river for swimming, www.campingmaisonneuve.com/rental-cabanon-tente-toile.html

BabiesComeWithHats · 04/07/2018 17:34

We had 6/7 year olds, but canoeing, cycling (we - and about 40000 other British families at half term - drove with our own bikes), river beaches would all work as well if not better with older kids.
I noticed a few Go Ape style tree climb centres while we were there.
Our pool was perfect for little ones (a big shallow end) but i'd want a deeper one for teens so that would be worth checking.

Notevilstepmother · 04/07/2018 17:41

Sarlat is beautiful and very historic.

There is a zoo too, I will see if I can find the details.

Notevilstepmother · 04/07/2018 17:43

www.reserve-calviac.org/

Bordeaux itself might be worth looking round as you are flying to there.

wowsaidtheowl · 04/07/2018 18:33

This place is beautiful- lovely candlelit gardens and plenty for big kids.
marqueyssac.com

Original poster
PolkerrisBeach · 04/07/2018 18:45

Thanks for all of the recommendations, have been to Sarlat before and it's lovely.

Wouldn't ever consider camping - however posh ;-)

OP posts:
Madamfrog · 06/07/2018 22:06

You could fly in to Bordeaux and out from Bergerac, it would save you 90kms. There is accrobranche which is scrambling about in trees, canoeing on the rivers, the Dordogne is better for swimming than the Vézère which is often pretty silty. Bordeaux is lovely and well worth visiting. Lascaux 4 is great but full of people, Sarlat is beautiful as are most villages... if tou look at town village websites they have all sorts of things on offer. There are also booklets with info at the tourist offices, most towns have one.

tinytemper66 · 06/07/2018 22:36

I rented the most wonderful house I. The centre of Sarkat itself 4 years ago. No pool. Think it was with France direct or some such website. If I can find a picture of the house I will post it.

tinytemper66 · 06/07/2018 22:39

This is the house.

Dordogne with older children
CurlyhairedAssassin · 07/07/2018 09:23

Ooh I’d want a pool if I was going on holiday with older kids, no question. If only to keep cool in! It can get over 30 degrees in the height of summer.

Sarlat is gorgeous but when we visited on a roasting hot day we were glad to get back to our gite and jump in the pool.

OP may feel differently of course.

juneau · 07/07/2018 09:27

We used to go to the Dordogne every year until I was 17 or 18, because my parents had a house. We were near the river and went canoeing and swimming, we'd visit castles and local festivals, eat lots of ice cream and hang out with the two other English families in the village. It was nice, but very hot and humid. I'd make a pool a priority if I went back. We were permanently boiling!

LarkDescending · 19/07/2018 22:30

From our recent experience I highly recommend this little development of comfortable air-conditioned gites, each with a private heated pool, just outside the centre of Sarlat:

www.maseliades-sarlat.fr

You could get the train from Bordeaux to Sarlat (abt 2hrs 45 min each way) & then hire a car, or drive from Bordeaux.

StableGenius · 19/07/2018 22:43

Oh, we booked a lovely gite with a private pool near St Cyprien a couple of years ago. Dds were 12 and 11 and had a fabulous time - kayaks, gardens, caves etc. I strongly recommend it. I'll try and find a link for the gite.

StableGenius · 19/07/2018 22:51

This: www.dordognegites.co.uk/location.html

It was fabulous. Lovely hosts lived on site and made us bellinis on the night of our arrival, but weren't annoyingly intrusive at all. Apartment was cool in the evenings because it was a little bit below ground level. Pool was shared with another gite on site, but basically nearly always empty. Excellent value for money too. (And there were cats, much to the delight of the dc.)

SpongeBobGrannyPants · 20/07/2018 14:34

Look up Le Banquet gites. They come highly recommended on here.

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