Free-wheeling fun on a bike
The DorDogne is perfect pedalling country, finds Sarah O'Meara.
A 300-mile bicycle ride in the heat of southern France, with only a bottle of Fanta and a banana for fuel, is few people's idea of a civilised holiday.
But when your boyfriend describes such an adventure over a bottle of Burgundy in the garden on a hot night, it's easy to get carried away.
Having accidentally agreed to go on my first cycling holiday, I was plunged into fear. Would I get lost? Would I die? Would he die – and I be expected to go for help?
Frantically looking up cycling holidays and "novice" on Google, I came upon Headwater Holidays, which specialises in organising activity trips for enthusiastic amateurs.
Ignoring my lover's raised eyebrows (for goodness's sake, I'd said "Yes" hadn't I?), I promptly booked the temptingly-titled Dordogne Gastronomic Cycling trip.
Touring the Perigueux prefecture of the Dordogne region for seven days, we would change hotel every couple of nights, our luggage following safely behind in a van.
The scariest moment would be contemplating the calorie count of the hotel's home-made crme brle.
In a bid to be eco-friendly holiday saints, we decided to go by train. And in saint-like fashion, a fire in the Euro-tunnel made martyrs of us.
After a night and morning of panicking, we dragged heavy bike bags onto a luggage conveyor belt at Stansted airport, and arrived in Bergerac hours later. Heaving our bags into his van, our Headwater rep made it clear that we could stop worrying about unforeseen circumstances. For the next seven days, the only variable was the weather.
The Dordogne Gastronomic Cycling trip has been running for 10 years and pedalled into perfection. Our detailed itinerary gave a choice of two different routes each day. Depending on our energy levels, and how much fried duck and red wine we'd had the night before, we would cycle anything from 12 to 25 miles per day. Our rep, sweetly, gave us a real ordnance survey map. But in reality, comprehensive printed instructions with diagrams from Headwater were far too user-friendly to resist.
This part of France, favoured by emigrating Brits, is ideal for those new to cycling holidays. The routes are quiet and made up almost entirely of back roads, well-maintained farm tracks and cycle paths.
There are also plenty of hills of varying difficulties. Once I'd discovered the joy of cycling up a hill, getting a hit of endorphins and then whooping my way down the other side, there was no stopping me. After a few days, I found myself looking forward to steep inclines, much to the amusement of my boyfriend.
The Dordogne is a luxurious, magical place to visit. Flying along under a sharp blue sky, surrounded by green fields filled with walnut trees, we felt as though we were absorbing, rather than observing, the scenery.
Chateaux seemed to float into view from behind trees and mist, as we glided past medieval hill villages and castles.
We felt nothing but smug pity for tourists piling out of people-carriers, shuffling around cobbled streets, straining their necks to enjoy the views.
Free from transport restraints, high on exercise and blessed with perfect weather, we really did feel as though we'd been tapped with the holiday fairy's wand.
In fact, our only real responsibility was to find the hotel marked in the itinerary every other evening. And that wasn't difficult.
Cycling for four hours every day also meant that we felt guiltless about eating plenty of food. We'd happily consume a large dish of pan-fried duck with olives from a roadside restaurant at lunch, before sitting down to four courses in the evening, just hours later.
When we needed a break from our saddles, there was usually something a little bit special on the horizon. As well as the countless chateaux, and wonderful restaurants, this area is the original home of cro-magnon man, one of the earliest recorded humans. Many will already know of Lascaux. The site, close to the delightful town of Montignac, is where 17,000-year-old cave paintings were discovered almost 70 years ago. Unfortunately for tourists, these prehistoric images are now carefully protected from carbon-dioxide damage, and only copies are on public display.
However, Abri Du Cap Blanc, a 15,000-year-old frieze excavation near the town of Les Eyzies, is open to the public and easily accessible by bike.
Another treasure is the Chateau de Commarque, a few miles down the road. Buried in undergrowth in the heart of a wood, the castle is well worth tracking down. For 350 years, nobles's houses, a Roman chapel and a magnificent knight's tower were hidden by vegetation. Now, partially uncovered, it has the magic of Sleeping Beauty's tower.
Visiting in September, we were lucky with the weather, although occasionally we had to cope with a little rain and wind. As a first-time cyclist, I was keen to be as comfortable as possible.
More experienced cyclists might find such extras as sunglasses – which give you shade in the sun and clarity when the weather's overcast – to be an extravagance.
But these glasses by bike manufacturer Specialized (www.specialized.com) were super. Perfect for that moment when you're pedalling hard up a hill, the sun suddenly comes out and a car pulls out in front of you. No-one likes the feeling of being blinded.
We also took our own own bikes. Admittedly, my Specialized carbon-fibre racing bike was an indulgence (weighing fractionally more than my handbag) but it did make me feel a little like an Olympian.
How to get there and what awaits
Sarah O'Meara was a guest of Headwater Holidays on a Dordogne Gastronomic Cycling Tour, packages available from May to September from 1,098 to 1,227 per person (child 699 all season) for self-drivers who go by Eurotunnel.
Prices for air-rail packages (based on Gatwick-Toulouse by BA) range from 1,199 to 1,299 (child 849 all season). Regional supplements include Manchester (76), Glasgow (75).
Tour only prices: from 1,049 to 1,179 (child 679 all season).
Singles: add 25 per night except for June 30 departure.
Package includes half-board accommodation, bike hire, local transfers, maps and route notes, bags transported between hotels, 24-hour emergency support and back up.
Headwater reservations: 01606 720 033 and www.headwater.com.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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