Aire Naturelle de Camping Moulin de Malesse

You may decide that there’s little that can beat the views of the fairytale-esque Tours de Merle (15 minutes’ drive), a ruined 12th-century citadel balanced on a craggy hill between oak forests. All the same, you might find yourself soon mistaken when you enter the Dordogne Valley (from 15 minutes), with its hilltop villages, caves, castles and riverfront towns. Argentat-sur-Dordogne (20 minutes) may be your moment of realisation, as it has riverfront cafés and bistros and a small fleet of restored ancient boats which whisk passengers on trips down the Dordogne. It's rather pretty at Les Jardins Sothys (15 minutes) too, wandering around the botanical and vegetable gardens or tucking into lunch at the lakeside barn restaurant. Still, it’s only with a 10-minute drive that guests can get a taste of life in the Middle Ages. Farms of the Middle Ages Xaintrie (10 minutes) has farms, a mill, church and gardens with 400 plants used for medicine and other needs in the medieval times.