The Perigord Noir in Spring

The lovely spring weather that we've been having has got me out into the garden and onto the mower for the first time this year. A sit-on mower seemed like a great luxury when we first arrived here, but once the grass really starts growing in spring an early summer, it can still take several hours to complete the task! This year I am having to do some careful manoeuvres as we have both purple and white violets in great swathes across our meadow and orchard: the most I've ever seen.

One of the lovely things about visiting the Dordogne during Spring and early summer is the display of flowers, both wild and cultivated. Indeed the beautiful roses and wisteria that we saw in many gardens as we drove into the Perigord Noir, were one of the  attractions on our first visit to Meyrals (8 years ago at the start of May) and that was before I had realised that we'd also have several varieties of wild orchid growing in our own garden!  To see these at their best, visit in May when it is possible to find many different wild orchid growing in their preferred limestone environment.

Spring weather here, as in the UK, can be variable with "giboulee de Mars" rather than 'April showers' but there are plenty of caves, castles and museums to keep everyone amused - and dry. The great thing being that apart from in July and August, the pace of life here is pretty slow, and you're unlikely to meet big crowds or queues where ever you visit. Likewise the roads are generally fairly empty (it's always a bit of a culture shock for us when we leave the Dordogne and meet lots of traffic)!
June is another particularly attractive month in this part of France: it's usually still looking very green despite the weather really warming up, and is the ideal month for those who like to combine sight-seeing with sun-bathing but aren't constrained by school holidays. Even better, the prices are lower - check out our booking page or email us for any late booking offers on your preferred accommodation!

 Before we moved to France we had never visited the Dordogne, but I'm now astonished that we could have missed such a pretty and interesting part of the world! We have many visitors who return year after year to visit and revisit the beautiful villages, canoe down the rivers, clamber around castles or creep into caves.........and we now fully understand why!
Come and find out for yourself why the Perigord Noir is such a fantastic location for your holiday.

Pictured above right, above left, and to the right are just 3 of the 6 or 7 variety of wild orchid growing at Le Jardin des Amis!

Below: wild iris surround Meyrals village pond and laverie in spring.