Les Eyzies Info» accommodation

Les Combarelles

admin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:37:00 +0000

On the left bank of the Beune River, a group of caves are located at the opening of the small Combarelles Valley. The entrance to the Les Combarelles Caves is located on the right side of the departmental road 47, 2 kilometers after the village of Les Eyzies in the direction of Sarlat.

The environment of the cave consists essentially of agricultural lots in front, surrounded by a dense tree cover. In order to preserve the natural landscape, there is no picnic area in close proximity. There is, however, a gravel parking lot around 100 meters from the cave entrance.

Just next to Les Combarelles, Rey Cave, excavated by Emile Rivière, yielded a magnificent decorated spatula made from reindeer antler.

Around 50 meters further up the valley, the two Les Combarelles caves open into one wide entrance on a ledge around 10 meters above the current valley bottom. Les Combarelles I is open to the public, Les Combarelles II is closed.
There is a free parking lot very close to the welcome center. Guided visits must be reserved ahead of time at the ticket office of Font de Gaume cave.
Discovered in 1901 by Louis Capitain Henri Breuil and Denis Peyrony, the engravings of Les Combarelles Cave made a major contribution to the acceptance of parietal art. Along with those of Font-de-Gaume Cave, discovered just a few days later, and those of La Mouthe, known since 1895, the parietal works of Les Combarelles convinced researchers who until then did not believe that prehistoric humans had the mental and technical capacities necessary to realize them.

The entrance of the cavity was long used as a stable by peasants who found many Magdalenian flint and antler artifacts. But at the time, their interest was not recognized and the stratigraphy of the site remained unstudied.

The enthusiasm of Prehistorians concerning the engravings, on the other hand, lifted the site to its rightful place as one of the most beautiful decorated caves known. Henri Breuil even referred to this discovery as “(…) an enormous firecracker in the world of prehistory”.

Les Combarelles I has belonged to the State since its discovery. It is classified as historic monument and is open to the public. To accommodate visitors, the floor of the cave, was lowered and covered with a metal walkway. The lighting is dim and Plexiglas covers protect some of the figures from rubbing. Due to the fragility of the walls and natural alterations such as calcite deposits, it is necessary to limit the number of persons to 6 per visit. Les Combarelles II is closed to the public.

The innermost part of the cave is covered with engravings from the Magdalenian period (about 12,000 years ago). Drawn over a period of 2000 years, many are superimposed one upon another, and include horses, reindeer, mammoths and stylized human figures – among the finest are the heads of a horse and a lioness.

Hours May 15-Sept 15 Mon-Fri and Sun 9:30am-5:30pm; Sept 16-May 14 Mon-Fri and Sun 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-5:30pm

Location On D47, 17km (11 miles) north of Bergerac

Phone 05-53-06-86-00

Prices Admission 6.50€ ($8.45) adults, 4.50€ ($5.85) students and ages 18-24, free for children under 18

Nicest B&B in the Dordogne

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:32:44 +0000

In the early 12th century 6 Monks from the Monastery of Paunat were travelling between Monasteries when one of the Monks became very ill, they set up camp in Tayac near a water source. The monk was dieing, but miraculously healed after drinking the water from the “Tayac Source”. To the Monks of Paunat this was a “Sign” and round about 1123 they started building the magnificent and fortified church of Tayac, they called it “St Martin“. At the same time, the Monks of Paunat started working the land in this lush Vezere valley, they built the farmhouse / monastery, which is now “Ferme de Tayac” that has been completely renovated, and is now a lovely B&B opposite the church. For hundreds of years the Monks lived here and worked the lands, bit by bit houses were built against the rock. The water from the “Tayac Source” was taken to other surrounding Monasteries, for it’s healing powers, Tayac was thriving. Two centuries later, things took a turn, wars were breaking out, armies were constantly attacking areas and strongholds. Religion and all that went with it lost it’s power, and very slowly the life in and around Tayac became what it is today. St. Martin still stands proud, and is without doubt the nicest Fortified Church in the Perigord, the “Tayac Source” is still there, although no longer in use.

Most people visiting the Vezere and Dordogne Valley have an interest in history, so why not stay a few nights in an historic B&B in the heart of it all?. B&B Ferme de Tayac, a 12th century former farmhouse / monastery ideally situated in Les Eyzies de Tayac, in the heart of the Vezere Valley, known as the “Prehistoric Capital of the World” In the beginning of the 12th century, the monks of the monastery of Paunat settled in Tayac, and started building the fortified church of Tayac, Saint Martin. At the same time they started buiding “Ferme de Tayac” which became the working farm and monastery for the monks. B&B Ferme de Tayac is a must place to stay if you are visiting the Dordogne, since it officially opened to the public 2 years ago, it has been rated the #1 B&B accommodation both years running. B&B Ferme de Tayac is a 12th Century former Monastery farmhouse, lived in and run by the Monks who owned and worked the land for hundreds of years. Located in the heart of the Vezere Valley in the picturesque small village of Tayac, just 8 minutes walk from the center of Les Eyzies. In 2001 Suzanne & Mike purchased Ferme de Tayac after it had been unoccupied for over 10 years. It was in a sorry state, and was deemed dangerous and a hazzard. It took Suzanne & Mike 7 years to bring Ferme de Tayac back to it’s former glory. With among other things, meter thick walls, rooms built into solid rock, oak beam structures, and bedrooms in former monks quarters make Ferme de Tayac a speacial and very unique place to stay whilst visiting the Dordogne, and it is not hard to see why Ferme de Tayac has been the travellers choice of accommodation for 2 years. For more and updated info on Ferme de Tayac please visit their official web site http://www.fermedetayac.com/

Read travellers reviews about Ferme de Tayac:

Explore the REAL Dordogne

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:45:49 +0000

The Dordogne, also known as the Perigord is without a doubt one of the most interesting and diverse regions in the world. The Vezere Valley in the “Perigord Noir” is with it’s more than 250 UNESCO sites of interest, the undisputed “Prehistoric Capital of the World”. Prehistoric dwellings, caves, rock shelters and lots more, most of which are only accessible on foot.
However, Dordogne has much more to offer than just relics from the Prehistoric era, castles, bastides, medieval towns & villages, all of these,and lots more, all in the stunning and amazing scenery the Dordogne is famous for, hills, cliffs, windy rivers, great weather, friendly locals, and lots more make the Dordogne one of the most interesting and exciting places in the world.

Walking Dordogne takes you to all the well kept secrets that are only accessible on foot. To see the “Real Dordogne” you will have to get off the roads, and on the tracks. Let us take you back, to the places our ancestors called “home” more than 260000 years ago.

Walking Dordogne has about 20 excellent walks in their Itinerary, varying from 3 hours to 10 hours, most walks can be combined with other walks to make them longer or shorter. Our walks are guaranteed to show you the REAL Dordogne, and take you to all the main highlights this region is famous for.

Our walks are suitable for all ages, but for most walks a certain level of fitness and stamina is required. Most walks are on tracks & trails, some marked, others not. Certain walks to caves, dwellings, ruins and view points are off the tracks, and up hill walking is often required.
Some of our walks may not be suitable for people with a fear of heights.

The great thing about Walking Dordogne is that our walks are not planned months or weeks ahead, we usually plan the walks together with the customer the day before, depending on the wishes and preferences of the customer, this way we can make sure everyone gets to see what they want to see. If the walks are done in combination, with canoeing or horse riding, then these walks are usually planned ahead, to guarentee the use of the horses or canoes.

Why “Walking Dordogne” you may ask yourself, well we believe there are numerous very good reasons why we are the best choice to see the real Dordogne. A few mayor differences between us and other operators are…

At Walking Dordogne you are based in one spot, your accommodation is at the nicest B&B in the Dordogne, you will feel at home here, you do not need to pack your belongings every morning to move on again to the next accommodation. After any of the walks or other activities, you can just relax at the pool, or stroll into Les Eyzies for an ice cream.
We at Walking Dordogne are local, we live here, we know the area, and we know the best places to go at the best time. We know what and where to avoid. We take you to places unknown to tourists and tour operators that are not local, and not mentioned in guide books or maps, places that are known only to locals.
Walking Dordogne is extremely flexible, the one thing we can not control is the weather, and we all know that getting soaked on a walk is not a nice experience. With Walking Dordogne, the weather is not a problem, if we have a walk planned and it is raining, we just get into a car and visit some scenic attractions, such as the caves of Lascaux, National Prehistoric Museum, Castle of Beynac, etc. There is not a single tour operator that offers such flexibility as we do.
Small Groups. Our groups are very small, hardly ever ** larger than 5 people ( 4 guests and the guide) this way you can bond with your group, decisions are easy to make,the tours have a more personal touch, and we will be able to call you by your real name. (very difficult to do with groups of 20+)
Our large choice of walks and tours are suited for all age groups, we will put together a wonderful itinerary depending on each individuals needs.
Save money: With Walking Dordogne there are plenty of ways to save your money, you only pay for what you want, for example, if you feel you would like to do a few walks or canoe trips without a guide, we will supply you with a detailed map of the walk, arrange for your drop off, and you save money by not using a guide.
Really the only thing that cannot be changed is the accommodation , otherwise like mentioned before, we are very flexible.
Your wish is our command: If you would really like to spend some of your time doing something that is not mentioned in our itinerary, just ask us. We are locals and know almost everything that can be done in this region, so if you would like to do a culinary course, or play a few rounds of golf etc. we can arrange this for you

For more info : www.walkingdordogne.com

We are pleased to announce that Walking Dordogne has now joined the “YouTube” generation.
A few of our trips and tours have been posted, and more will be added in the near future.

It will now be possible to subscribe to our channel, and get notified as soon as we add new content.

We would like to thank the “Duke of Dordogne” for putting in so much time and effort in adding Walking Dordogne to among other sites, YouTube.

Just click on the YouTube below and take a YouTube tour of Walking Dordogne.