By Stuart Forster
Satisfyingly, a carefully planned long weekend away can feel like a much longer break. That was my conclusion after three nights in southwest France, on an enjoyable trip with a gastronomic and cultural focus.
The first night was at the Chapelle Saint Martin, a charming hotel this year celebrating 40 years since its owner, Gilles Dudognon, was first awarded a Michelin star. He was aged 24 at the time, becoming the youngest ever chef in France to gain that culinary distinction. These days, he works in the kitchen with his son.
His property is less than 10 minutes’ drive from Limoges Airport. It’s on a country estate formerly owned by a porcelain manufacturer – an industry that continues to thrive in Limoges. The Adrien Dubouché National Museum, in the heart of the city, explores the history of ceramics. Yet after staying the night at the Chapelle Saint Martin, it was La Maison du Fromage that drew me into Limoges, for a candlelit cheese tasting in one of the centuries old cellars hewn beneath the city’s streets.
Gilles explained that he enjoys showcasing seasonal produce from the region and that his menus frequently feature Limousin beef.
Leather has long been a byproduct of the meat industry. That and other details are conveyed at the Cité du Cuir, a riverside attraction that opened in December in Saint-Julien. Translating into English as ‘City of Leather’, Cité du Cuir tells the story of leather production and hosts workshops offering interactions with craftspeople, helping to maintain and share artisanal skills.
The Dordogne Valley is known as the land of 1,001 castles because of its many manor houses, palaces and fortifications. At the Château de la Treyne, whose origins date back to the 14th century, I stayed in a spacious tower room with elevated views over the sweeping river. In a dining room adorned with a tapestry and gilded coats of arms, executive chef Stéphane Andrieux’s exquisitely presented menus feature local produce, including foie gras, truffles and lamb.
The five-star property is an ideal base for a romantic weekend break or for delving into the region’s heritage. It is a short drive from Rocamadour, a cliffside village that was one of medieval Christendom’s most important pilgrimage sites. Rocamadour’s Black Madonna statue became associated with miracles and people would climb more than 200 steps on their knees to reach her chapel and pray. The site continues to draw a steady stream of pilgims yet many more visitors are attracted by the sheer beauty of the village, which attained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1998.
Another of the region’s A-list attractions is the Gouffre de Padirac, a 75-metre deep chasm that leads into a network of caves and underground rivers. Thanks to local lore associating the site with the Devil, nobody dared descend for centuries. In 1889, Édouard-Alfred Martel was winched down and the commercial value of opening the caves to tourists became apparent. Boat journeys along a subterranean river bring opportunities to view illuminated stalactites, including the 60-metre-high Grande Pendeloque. Some of the rock formations resemble abstract sculptures, including the stalagmite known as the Pile d’Assiettes (meaning ‘pile of plates’), in a chamber large enough to house Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral.
Le Vieux Logis, a four-star hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant, is a two-minute stroll from the heart of the quaint village of Trémolat, whose church walls feature colourful, medieval murals. From there, it’s a 40-minute drive to Bergerac. At Place Pélissière, a statue of the literary character Cyrano de Bergerac gazes towards his romantic interest Roxane. His passion went unrequited.
I returned home smitten by the charm of this laid-back part of France.