Dordogne Valley – 8 Days

DISTANCE - ABOVE AVERAGE

Distance training is a major consideration in your overall training program. As you progress, incorporate longer walks into your training plan.

Schedule one or two long walks each week, gradually increasing the distance until you can comfortably cover 17-25 km in a single day. Also include walks on consecutive days to help your body adapt to the demands of walking for multiple days in a row. Take every opportunity you can to walk. If you have a fitness watch or phone, you should try to reach >15,000 steps every day.

Ensure you can comfortably walk the average distance per day displayed in the graph, at least one month before you undertake your hike.

ELEVATION - ABOVE AVERAGE

Elevation training is a major consideration in your overall training program. You must include walks with serious hill climbs.

If you do not have access to hills, it is essential to replicate the elevation level you will be undertaking in any way possible such as on a treadmill or stair climber. Walking up and down stairs at work, at a local oval with a grandstand, or up and down small hills is incredibly useful. Also, prioritising resistance weight training will help you develop overall muscle strength.  Elevation is often where walkers encounter problems, opposed to distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles to everyday flat walking.

If high altitude is a factor, incorporate sessions at a higher altitude to acclimatise your body to reduced oxygen levels if you are able to. Ensure you can comfortably walk the average elevation per day displayed in the graph, at least one month before you undertake your hike.

MOUNTAINOUS / UNDULATING TERRAIN

As terrain associated with mountain climbs is often somewhat uneven and rocky, balancing and core exercises are vital.

Try to also include some form of elevation in more than 50% of your walking and prioritise resistance training, whilst incorporating stairs anytime you can. Walking up mountains or hills, up and down stairs at work, or up and down at a local oval with a grandstand is incredibly useful. Elevation is often where walkers encounter problems not distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles to everyday flat walking. Concentrate on doing lots of squats and lunges to build your glute muscles

AVAILABILITY

This walk is available from the 1st of March to November 15th.

HOW TO GET TO THE START AND FROM THE END OF THE WALK

The walk starts and ends in Sarlat. You will need to get yourself to and from the start and end of your walk. i.e. you will need to organise your travel to the start of the trip in Sarlat. To make it easy we have collated some useful information that will assist you in making arrangements for your travel.

Train: From Paris with TGV High-speed train Paris or from Bordeaux and then Bordeaux to Sarlat or with a direct train also from Paris. Or from Bordeaux airport by train from Bordeaux to Sarlat. Please see websites below for more information.

Trainline.com: https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times
TGV: https://en.oui.sncf/en/tgv

Plane: One of the easiest options would be to fly into Bordeaux and then catch the train from there to Sarlat. There are many airlines that fly from Paris to Bordeaux. Below are possible websites that provide a number of different carriers to choose from.

https://www.kayak.com/flights
www.google.com/flights

WALKING

What’s important is to optimise your time whilst you are in the region. We transfer you on some days to avoid out-and-back walks, to let you discover more of the Dordogne region at your own pace. The terrain is hilly, but not mountainous, with lots of chestnut & oak forests, and typical farm animals like cattle, sheep and goats. The walks are not technically difficult as there is not much elevation, so the walks are fairly easy, but we still offer shorter options for those who want easier days.

The walk is moderate with some long days if you wish. There are options to shorten the walk on all of the long days. Full-day walks average about 18 km with 5 –6. hours walking each day. The walking is over mostly flat well-maintained paths through the most beautiful parts of the Dordogne region. Please assess your walking capability in context of how many kilometres each day is walked to assess whether this walk is suitable for you. Walkers have let us know that our assessment of the walk as moderate is accurate but their level of fitness may not be equivalent to your fitness level.

This is a beautiful area with many fabulous historic attractions on top of the fabulous walking routes. We highly recommend that you incorporate some extra time after the walk to rest and immerse yourself in the region.

For what to bring please refer to Gear Advice on our FAQ section.

WEATHER

From March the temperature begins to rise so be prepared for warmer days if you walk in June (summer). The walk is not offered in winter as the accommodations close and the conditions are not pleasant or perhaps even safe in the mountains. Shoulder season is by far the best time as the weather is perfect for walking and the added advantage of having less people around in the villages and towns (we walk away from the people on the walk so crowds are never an issue.)

See the weather information at different times of the year.

INSURANCE

We require that you have adequate travel insurance against potential losses, damage or injury, including cancellation costs and loss of luggage.

For all trips that require international travel, you must have purchased travel insurance that also includes medical evacuation coverage.

We also charge a cancellation fee if you cancel your walking holiday after we have confirmed it to cover costs incurred from our suppliers and in the office.  See the FAQ section for more information.

INFORMATION PACK

For nearly 30 years we have taken pride in providing seamlessly organised walking holidays, but we know, even with that in mind, that you’ll have many more questions. You will receive a very detailed information pack and itinerary approximately 6 weeks out from departure outlining all the fine detail and much more.

CONTACT

If you have any questions, feel free to ask one of our destination consultants. You can get in touch with us via our contact form, email us at info@auswalk.com.au, or call us on +61 3 9597 9767.