Known as Périgord Pourpre (purple Périgord) and famous for its rolling hills, fields of sunflowers peppered with tiny hamlets, vineyards and grand chateaus you can see what draws people to holiday and retire here.
And it’s in one of these hamlets that we have the opportunity to house sit. La Forestine is surrounded by trees full of miseltoe and with only one neighbour close by the hamlet of Rouzade is very quiet, well until the donkey starts!!
We are here to look after 2 dogs, Harley and Blue, and 3 cats. Harley and Blue are Blue Merle Border collies with ancient roots and clever herding skills they are one of the rarest border collie coat colours. We don’t actually get a photo of the cats because they each have a different routine.
Each day we drive Harley and Blue to the neighbouring village of Lembras for a walk along the river, these dogs are incredibly intelligent, full of energy and love to retrieve sticks from the river.
Bergerac is a town we have visited before and nestled along the banks of the River Dordogne it’s just a 10 min drive from where we are staying.
The 15th-century medieval town entices you in with its labyrinth of ever-so-charming streets and little squares, half-timbered houses, moving out of the town the surrounding areas are busy and diverse.
Split by the main road Lembras has a handful of shops and bars but it’s an ideal place to walk the dogs and there is a great little aire for motorhomes.
now a heritage
A classic bastide town, it’s well known as a real favourite for ex-pats. Featured in a host of TV programmes, but most notably in Little England, Eymet has had a mixed reaction from many people, which is a shame because it is a lovely spot that has a lively market every Thursday morning, and when we visit today its Asparagus season and theres an abundance on the veg stalls.
House sitting for us is the opportunity to have a temporary home whilst travelling, we get to meet people from all walks of life and get to look after their beloved animals and on the whole we have been lucky.
We have always assumed it was our job to clean and tidy the house we aren’t staying in a hotel – it’s somebody’s home. If we are leaving the same day the owners return we remove the bed linen ready for laundering. We aim to leave the house as clean, if not cleaner than when we arrived!
So we have enjoyed revisiting this area it’s been an ideal base to do some shopping, enter the Bake-off challenge back home and explore some of the picturesque countryside and villages in this area of the Dordogne.