Information

During the tourist season there is a huge variety of events and activities in the vicinity. Two great resources to check out what's happening during your holiday are the searchable Bergerac tourist information what's on calendar (for the department of Dordogne) and a similar calendar in French for Lot-et-Garonne department next door

It can be difficult to wade through the very long list of things to do around here. Although you can just as easily relax by our pool instead of course, we've put together a cheatsheet of the things we'd suggest as a visitor to the region:

• A trip out to Chateau de Biron and the nearby bastide town of Monpazier (with a stop in Beaumont on the way back)

• Head off to the bastide town of Villereal and rent an electric bike for the afternoon from Bees bike station. On your way back, stop off in Castillonnes for a cuppa at Thé Amo on the main square (closes at 5.30pm)

• Visit mediaeval Limeuil and rent a canoe for a paddle down the Dordogne (or Vizere) river. On the way, stop off in Lalinde, a popular place to eat (on and around the main square), and to rent bikes to cycle along the V91 cycle path along the river

• Spend a day in Bergerac - see the historic centre, take a small river cruise, do a wine tasting in Quai Cyrano, and visit the tobacco and (free) Dordonha museums. On the way back, visit the Chateau de Monbazillac to see the famous vineyard in all its glory (with castle visit, interactive museum, wine tasting and boutique)

• Head (walk) down to Issigeac for the hugely popular Sunday morning food market (be sure to take cash!), or enjoy al fresco dining at the Thursday evening 'marché gourmand' in the town with communal outdoor dining with food and wine for sale from local producers

A few more ideas include:

• Beautiful nearby villages of Eymet (beloved of the English), Monflanquin, or Belvès

• Castles such as nearby Chateau de Lanquais, or (for kids) the castles of Tiregard or Bridoire

• And for sport, try horse riding with Rachel in nearby Faux, golf in Mouledyier, archery with Xavier Brochard (Le Bel Oiseau) or lake swimming at Lougratte

• A day trip to take in the medieval town of Sarlat-la-Caneda and the painted (reconstructed) caves of Lascaux (book ahead for that) - two huge draws in the region
  

Almost every village in the area has a small information point with local circuit walks listed - they are everywhere in the Dordogne and are maked by yellow wooden signs and posts. You can pick up a number of these circular walks from Montaut (see download button below for map) - just turn right as you leave the gite and you'll find the crossroads after a couple of hundred metres. Or check out on this handy (though fiddley) interactive map of walks in the area. 

Cycling is taking off in a big way in the region. Between Issigeac and Eymet a new set of ten cycling ciruits has been launched (download the overview map below) which are well signposted. There's also the V91 veloroute (see download button below), a 30-0dd kilometre cycle path along the Dordogne river from Bergerac. There are also plenty of others you can find on the searchable map from the Bergerac tourist board.

If you don't have bikes, there are a couple of places you can rent from. For e-bikes, try Station Bees in either Monpazier or Villereal managed by the friendly Franck and Frederique. They can also work out some routes for you. Or for regular bikes there's Biking Dordogne in nearby Lalinde. For both, call ahead to reserve, and if you rent for several days, both will deliver to you here in Montaut.

There are many vineyards in the area - if you see a burgundy sign saying 'route des vins' you can just turn up during office hours and the owner will offer you a tasting of their wines for free. 

There's a brochure with all the vineyards listed (see download button below). Some of the closest to us include Colin Madrigal (literally down the road with a small selection of wines, poor English, but very friendly);  Tour de Grangemont (5 km from here in St Aubin de Lanquais) with a reasonably priced sparkling white wine (Champagne style) as well as nice reds and whites; nearby Verdots with a big bar/boutique to roam around; and the very small-scale Sainthongers run by the local mayor's wife.

The boutique in the same building as the tourist information office (Quai Cyrano) in Bergerac has a great selection of local wines and offers small tasting sessions during the day

And the wine you found in the fridge comes from a place not too far away – Domaine de Siorac which has great wines and also picnic hampers where you go into the vineyards for lunch (phone ahead though). They have nice grape juice and fizzy grape juice too for the non-drinkers

There's also Chateau de Monbazillac which has a castle to visit, wonderful viticulture museum, wine tasting and a great boutique - this one isn't free though

And if you want an organised tour (with guide) there is the Dordogne Vineyard tours so you can take it easy and leave the car behind

All the big supermarket and hypermarket brands can be found around Bergerac.

There is also an Intermarché supermarket in Castillonnes 12 kilometres away open all week and on Sunday mornings.

Closer to home you can find the small grocery shop, 'Spar', in Issigeac (3-km away) as well as an organic shop and bakery next to the church. There is a boulangerie also in the village.

And for local produce, the very popular Issigeac Sunday market is a huge draw every Sunday morning.

There are wonderful fresh food markets in most of the villages and towns in the region. Several that are easy to visit from here include:

• St Aubin de Lanquais - Wednesday and Saturday mornings. A local farmer sells organic fruit and veg from a stand in front of the church

• Monpazier - Thursday morning market

• Villereal - Saturday morning market

• Issigeac - Sunday morning market

Additionally there are many summer "marché gourmand" a type of evening market where you buy prepared food (and wine) from local producers and eat at big tables in the centre of a town or village. They are really great places to try regional French cuisine and soak up the local atmosphere. They are a lot of fun, and are a lot cheaper than going to a restaurant.

Nearby ones include:

• Villereal - Monday evenings

• Eymet - Tuesday evenings

• St Aubin de Lanquais - Wednesday evenings

• Issigeac - Thursday evenings

There are more restaurants in the region than days of the year so we can't even begin to provide a thorough overview of what's on offer. However, below are some of our favourites - covering different tastes and budgets. Always a good idea to book in advance, and all (normally) have veggy options (although it's always best to mention this on the phone when you reserve).

Fine dining: In Issigeac ( L'Atelier), Bergerac (L'imparfait), Villereal (La Table de l'Europe) and Monbazillac (Le Bistro)

Cheaper eats: Monpazier (Le Croquqant), Villereal (Nord-Sud, La Cale), Bergerac (Jardin de Kashmir, La Brasserie, Homard Bleu, L'Authentik), Issigeac (Shabby Chic - daytime only), Eymet (Cafe des arts, mostly daytime), Belvès (L'Echapee), Lalinde (Le Coulobre, Catnat café, La Ripaille-Lindoise). And the truckers' restaurant Les Routiers in Plaisance is a veritable tradition in France with super cheap set menus every evenining on weekdays.

Rustic dining: The marché gourmand concept is a great way to eat French food in the evenings in the summer. You can also try 'table paysanne' on a farm where you get a good-priced, fixed menu dinner, produced on the farm and served on big tables outside. Chez Mimi near Castillones is a great one to try

Itinerant food truck/takeaway: Ho'mburger (burgers on Tuesdays in Issigeac, Mondays in Faux), Dordogne chippy (in Eymet on Thursdays - reserve your chips though), Pizza Marmotte (Thursday in Issigeac / Fridays in Faux), Chez Taco for Mexican in Faux

And should you be tempted by Michelin stars, La Tour des vents à Monbazillac, Le Vieux Logis à Trémolat, and Les Fresques à Monestier are the nearest (although we haven't yet tested these out as yet - alas).

Bars: Issigeac boasts three bars - Bar d'Europe on the square by the church, Andy's bar off the rounabout, and Le Lion d'Or on the Grand Rue of the village. There are also decent bars of the main squares of most bastide towns, including Villereal, Eymet, Beaumont, Castillonnes, Monflanquin and Molieres

Cafes: Some of our regular places include: the lovely 'Shabby Chic' in Issigeac ; the 'Thé Amo' in Castiollonnes, and 'Cafe des Arts' in Eymet

Boulangeries/Bakeries: There's a decent boulangerie in Issigeac, opposite the tourist information (closed Mondays) and you can also pick up bread and croissants from the local Spar in the village

For really great bread you have to head further afield. Although a chain - the Marie Blachère Boulangerie at the Creysse/Bergerac Intermarché has great breads for good prices. And the bakeries in Castillonnes, Lalinde, Bouniages and Beaumont are all good for breads and pastries. And for amazing sourdough bread, there's 'Lo Pan del Puech' in nearby Saint-Quentin-du-Dropt but you have to be quick to pick up their hand-made, organic loaves as they only open on Mondays and Fridays from 6 to 8pm and Tuesday mornings until 1pm

There are board games in the gite, and there's always fun to be had around the pool and in the garden. But if you want to head off with the children for something else, here are a few ideas for entertainment:

Horse riding - Rachel's horse riding centre in Faux welcomes children for regular lessons and rides

Archery - Xavier Brochard at le Bel Oiseau organises sessions with children of all ages

Water, beaches and swimming - There are two nearby lakes where you can swim, with a beach and activities for childres. Lac de Lougratte and Lac de Pombonne. And you can go and have a picnic by the water in nearby Lanquais

Canoeing : You can easily go canoeing in nearby Lalinde, with the ever-friendly Azul and his canoe rental place

Castles - There are two castles that cater to children in the area - Bridoire and Tiregard with games and activities all summer for kids of all ages

Play - For the little ones, there's a small play park next to the rugby club in Issigeac

And if it's a bad weather day, there is a multiplex cinema in Bergerac, and small cinemas in Castillonnes and Eymet which also show films in English. There's also the microfolie interactivie exhibition (art and 3D experience) in the tourist office in Bergerac. And a great favourite of ours is to take a pottery class (all ages) with Les demains dans la terre in Bergerac