Camping La Garenne

If you’re struggling to wrangle your small fry from the clutches of the on-site antics, perhaps you’d do well to start by suggesting a visit to the Bovetti chocolate museum, 25 minutes away, where they can learn about the production of the sweet treats and pick up a few samples along the way. Or maybe they’ll get excited about the prospect of climbing high up into the canopy at the Appel de la Foret adventure park to make their way through the treetops on nets, swinging bridges and pulse-raising zipwires. Down in Montignac, 20 minutes’ drive from base camp, there’s more activity in the form of canoe and kayak trips on the Vézère river, and you can pop over to see the prehistoric paintings in the Lascaux caves from here (it’s actually a replica cave in order to preserve the ancient artworks in the original, but a mighty fine spectacle nonetheless). More cave action can be had at the Tourtoirac caves, half an hour from the site – here you’ll see all manner of fab natural formations on your guided tour. Back above ground, sashay over to Château de Hautefort, 20 minutes away in the car, a former medieval fortress converted to a stately home in the 17th century. There’s much to marvel at here, including some well-preserved furniture, fab formal gardens and of course the fably handsome building itself. If you’re of the green-fingered variety be prepared for the rest of your being to turn green with envy as you visit the Jardins de l’Imaginaire, also around 20 minutes away – the place has been designed in a series of garden ‘rooms’, with art installations, a gorgeous collection of roses and some imaginative water features as you go round.