This will be our sixth to France since 2016. This trip we will return to the eastern Dordogne for the third time:
Our itinerary (37 nights) will be:
25 August: Denver to Frankfurt - overnight flight
26 August: Frankfurt to Toulouse - morning flight then drive to Castelnaud
26 August – 30 September: Castelnaud, Dordogne (36 Nights)
30 September: - Toulouse (1 Night)
01 Oct: Toulouse to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Denver - Home
We take an overnight flight from Denver to Frankfurt then connect with a Lufthansa flight to Toulouse in southwestern France. From there it is about a two hour drive north to Castlenaud.
The back dot at the tip of the arrow denotes the bend in the Dordogne River where the town of Castlenaud and the castle above is perched.
Our only location is on the eastern side of the Dordogne valley where we stayed the two previous trips.
Castelnaud-la-Chapelle is nestled along the river at the base of a towering hillside where the castel is perched. Getting to the castle is a grueling climb which we achieved last year on foot from our house at the base of the hill. In order to maintain the ancient fortress it has become a popular tourist attraction with museum of medieval armaments, tacky gift shops, and some interesting restaurants which we may try this year. Along the way up the hill is a walnut grove and oil processing plant which was a fun divergence- lots of walnut samples, extensive nut cracker collection, and art work everything "walnuts".
This year our AirBNB is part way up the hill which should be more private and quieter than last year's apartment with more expansive views of the entire valley. A step up in accommodations with a lovely terrace where we can watch the morning balloons and meandering river below.
