I called into the Lalinde Tourist Office yesterday and they have a new map listing 4 different day trips driving through the beautiful bastide towns of the Dordogne. I've enclosed the main Office de Tourisme link ( there are 2 ) which has a French and English tab that may be helpful for researching the area….but in the short time, I've listed these 4 day trips and using the Office de Tourisme link you can also visit the web page on each of these interesting towns.
Circuit 1 of abut 100 km starts from Maison Porte del Marty at Lalinde and heads off through
Beaumont
Beaumont towards the English Bastide town of 
Monpazier, one of the plus beau villages de France on their national register, this very well preserved bastide walled town is a delight to visit, from Monpazier drive on to Biron with it's fabulous
- Chateau Biron
Chateau and médiéval village, from here we continue south through Vergt -de -Biron to St Avit, after a stroll here, next stop is Bonaguil with it's fortified Chateau of the 15th century, we then move onto Villefranche du Périgord, another Bastide town….but French, not English ! Following on, our next destination is Besse, a médievel village with a Roman and Gothic Abby completed in the 14th century, some of these magnificent buildings took many centuries to build, but most have also been modified over time through wars and expansion !. We then head to
- Belves
Belves, another plus beau village perched high above the valley floor with a great surrounding view. Our last stop of the day is Montferrand du Périgord with it's Roman chapelle ” St Christophe ” then back to Lalinde. At all of these places you can stop and enjoy lunch, a coffee or just sit and relax and watch life go by. I'll list the local markets in a later Blog to help tie in some visits with the bustle of a Market Day. You may think ' not another blimmin village '….. it always surprises us how different the local villages are, and how each has it's own unique charm and architecture.
