Camping Le Pagnon

Talk of the Dordogne and the Périgord may conjure a particular image: the French château. There are some fab examples hereabouts to tick that particular box, starting with the famed Château de Hautefort, 25 minutes’ drive away, and moving on to Château des Milandes – the former home of famed dancer Josephine Baker – a little under an hour and a half from the site. But time marchés on, so travel back to the present by seeking out that oh-so-French market life… There are lots of options near the site, like the Thursday markets at Excideuil (20 minutes) and Terrasson-Lavilledieu (50 minutes), Objat’s Sunday market (half an hour), and – during lucky, well-timed stays – Saint-Masmin’s night market. Diving beneath the surface, the Tourtoirac caves and the famous Lascaux II caves are both within an hour of base, and well worth an explore. If digging around caves doesn’t do it, opt instead for touring the spectacularly stunning towns and villages round the site: the clifftop Rocamadour is an hour and a half away, it’s an hour to Brantôme, and Jumilhac-le-Grand and Saint Robert are both within half an hour.