Prestige Ride in Dordogne

You will be met upon arrival at Brive la Gaillarde Railway Station at 2:00 pm and then driven to the famous Prehistoric Painted Cave of Lascaux in the heart of the Dordogne (45 minute drive). Transfers are also available from Brive la Gaillarde Airport. After a visit of this UNESCO World Heritage site, and its fabulous Cro Magnum paintings, you will be taken to your 4 star hotel with its Spa and indoor heated pool in “Les Eyzies de Tayac” for the evening. Enjoy a wonderful dinner served at the hotel restaurant which has been selected in the Michelin guide.

After breakfast and allocation of the horses, the first day’s ride takes you through the countryside and, from time to time, along the famous Saint-Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage trail to the Troglodytic City of “La Roque Saint Christophe” built on a cliff face. Before enjoying lunch by the Vézère River, you will have the opportunity to visit this site where men have been living since the Prehistoric time until the Renaissance. In the afternoon you will ride back to the same hotel as the previous night for another delicious dinner and overnight.

This morning’s ride will take you east to the “Chateau de Commarque” built in the 12th century. You will visit this secluded medieval castle, built in a national heritage valley, before enjoying another delicious picnic lunch at the foot of the fortress. The afternoon’s ride continues further east, through the farmlands and forests of the area, before arriving at the “Chateau de Campagnac” where you will leave the horses for the night. You will be transferred to your 4 star hotel, a charming 19th century mansion and genuine haven of peace, in the beautiful medieval town of “Sarlat la Canéda”, an exceptionally preserved city with more than 1000 years of architecture living in the lanes, walls and buildings. Dinner will be at a gastronomic restaurant nearby your hotel.

This morning take a break from riding and wander through the old town center of Sarlat and its market. Sarlat has more medieval, Renaissance and 18th century facades, carved doorways, fountains, turrets, gables and unusual roofscapes than can be photographed in a week of fine days. The local shops provide a good hunting ground for souvenirs, particularly the gastronomic products of the region. At the end of the morning you will be transferred back to the Chateau de Campagnac for lunch before your afternoon ride which takes you to the 12th century “Chateau de Beynac” built on top of a cliff overlooking the Dordogne River. After the visit of this fortress, which was the scene of many battles during the Hundred Years War, you will be transferred to your hotel from the night before. We will then spend the evening at the best restaurant in Sarlat, a one star Michelin, to savor a wonderful meal.

After breakfast you will be transferred to the “Chateau de Fénélon”, where the horses will already be waiting for you to start the day’s ride. After getting the chance to explore this remarkable 13th century medieval fortress, classified as an historical monument, you will enjoy another wonderful picnic lunch, before continuing the ride east through the chestnut and oak woods of the Dordogne. Your destination today will be the 4 star hotel “Chateau de la Treyne”. Overlooking the Dordogne Valley, this14th-17th century Château is famous for its refined taste and discreet luxury. Situated on a listed site, the château is surrounded by a French garden, lined by century-old cedars and a large park with rare species of trees. During the evening’s meal at their one star Michelin restaurant you will have the opportunity again to try some of the area’s best specialties and wines.

The ride continues in the morning through the deep valley of the Ouysse River. After a quiet ride stop for lunch at the 12th century fortified village of Rocamadour, hanging on a cliff’s edge. Rocamadour was, and still is, a very famous destination for pilgrims since the middle ages: Henri II Plantagenêt, Aliénor d’Aquitaine, Louis XI and Simon de Montfort are just some of the French and English aristocracy who came there to venerate the statue of the Brown Virgin and the tomb of Saint Amadour. After lunch, ride on through arid lands and a wide variety of trails heading back to our charming hotel, Chateau de la Treyne. The gourmet farewell dinner in this lovely Chateau will be a wonderful end to a great week of riding.

After breakfast, transfer back to Brive la Gaillarde Railway Station (45 minute drive) or Airport.