The Dordogne becomes navigable at the small town of Argentat in the Corrèze which, during the 17th and 18th centuries, was quite prosperous due to the transportation of wood down river in order to make barrels for the wine trade. This is where the flat bottomed gabarres began their journey to Bordeaux. Nowadays the gabarres carry only visitors but in...

Languishing on the lower reaches of the Dordogne river where the peaceful waters head towards the Gironde, Bergerac is at the centre of the Dordogne’s tobacco fields and world famous vineyards such as Montravel and Péchermant The fascinating Old Quarter surrounds the Ancien Port on the right bank of the river and half-timbered 15th and 16th century house can be...

The Gabarre, sometimes spelled Gabare, a word derived from the Occitan gabarra, is a flat bottomed boat that was used on several French rivers which flow into the Atlantic. This type of design enabled the vessels to get further upstream to load up with products from the interior and indeed to deliver foodstuffs, fuel and other goods to places which...

The Gorges of the Dordogne can be found in the upper part of the river valley in the Corrèze département of the Limousin region. Many of the major rivers of France pass through gorges, some rocky and precipitous and others wooded. The Dordogne Gorges fall into the latter category and are of great ecological interest due to their extensive flora...

The river Vézère is often overshadowed by its big sister the river Dordogne and although it is in fact a tributary of the latter it is in many respects its equal. Known in the Occitan language as Vesera the river is relatively short at only about 134 miles (211 km) long. It begins its journey in the Massif Centrale and...