At the confluence of the Dordogne and Vezere Rivers, Limeuil offers canoeing  and a river beach, and a pretty little village that is well worth exploring.

The village is still partly surrounded by its original fortified walls, and  is another of the ‘picture postcard pretty’ villages of the Dordogne, with  cobbled streets winding between honey-coloured houses and pretty gardens.

Despite its picturesque location it is not usually completely overrun with  tourists in the way that some places are, and the Parc Limeuil at the top of the  town, while not spectacular as a park, has some fine views and is usually  quiet.

A very pleasant place to escape the crowds.

A short stroll around the village gives a taste of the diversity on offer; at  the foot of the two magnificent bridges, built in 1891, a sandy beach leads down  into the clear water. A little further along, the 15th century port entrance  which leads up to an extremely steep street is carved with the water levels  reached during the great floods. Getting to the top of the village is hard,  but rewarding, work – take the time to study the medieval architecture on the  way up. At the Place des Fossés, the château gardens provide a wonderful view  over the river confluence, the rooftops and terraced gardens. The black Virgin  Mary in St Catherine’s Church was the patron saint of the river traders.

The visitor can go from the blacksmith, to the glass-blower. Limeuil enjoys  many sporting activities including canoeing, horse riding and mountain-biking.  The holiday-maker will find plenty of welcoming hotels, restaurants and  campsites.

Evidence of the period when Aquitaine was English can be found on the Bugue  road leading out of the village: St Martin’s Chapel was built in 1194 to expiate  the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, St Thomas à Becket