thE COULOBRE in the long journey through the Dordogne basin Follow
From the mountains of the Massif Central to the shores of Atlantic...
Cantal
Puy-de-Dôme Waters from the snowmelt and run-offs from the volcanic soils, together with the underground resurgences, mingle at the foot of the Puy de Sancy. Here, where the Dordogne has its source, you can drink the water, slide on it, or benefit from its thermal properties.
Descending steeply, the river leaps down over waterfalls, then eddies in the pools. This is the realm of trout, otters, and even of wolves, which some people are said to have glimpsed in the dark forests.
Not daft, those Gauls - nor the Romans after them who also had a quick dip round here.
Lot
Corrèze
EPIDOR
The Dordogne is among the rivers with the highest concentration of hydroelectric installations in France. The dams have obliged the Dordogne's sparkling waters to calm down a bit. Don't worry, though; the river is still good and lively!
Etablissement Public Territorial du Bassin de la Dordogne
Don't forget the Salers cattle, their lovely horns, their big eyes, and their wonderful cheese!
The Dordogne cuts through the limestone plateaux, and the cliffs seem to shoot up from its waters. Giant whirlpools, mighty cliffs, ox-bows… and a river runs through them.
The forests of the Corrèze provide vine stakes for the Bordeaux vineyards, also coal and the timber for building cargo craft to transport them all.
The River Dordogne provides salmon, too!
Have you seen the sheep and the goats? And tasted their cabécou cheeses?
And don't forget the barbel, the gudgeon, and the cormorants!
Gironde
Dordogne
The river here is characterised by very large curves. Each bend has its château and its medieval villages, each beach has its swimmers, and countless canoes and kayaks take the place of the cargo craft of yore.
Now into its alluvial plain, the Dordogne is considerably wider and has begun to experience tidal influence. Amid a scene of gentle slopes and marsh country, river and fine wines have cohabited for thousands of years - the wines on the banks and their transport on the water.
Me, 1OO,OOO geese! I counted 1,OOO châteaux!
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And me, a million tourists!!
9 different species of fish, including 8 migratory species - that's not to be sneezed at! On top of which, we've the biggest river bore in Europe!
Candidacy of the Dordogne Basin for Unesco's Man and the Biosphere programme www.biosphere-bassin-dordogne.org
EPIDOR 2011