With the year-end festivities not long over, and after eating ourselves full on Pancake Day and Mardi Gras, we needed a way to lose a few pounds… and what better way than making the most of the spring-like weather to test our bikes for the coming season !
Every Easter Monday, there is a large mountain bike/run/walk organised in the small quintessentially village of St Felix de Villadeix, just 10 min from Bergerac.
So we decided to get some cycling practice in and explore this pretty village along with some of the well-marked trails surrounding the area at the same time.
There are a mixture of both walking and cycling paths (these can be used for both) as well as « Grande Randonnée » (long distance hiking trails across Europe) that loops through many of the Dordogne villages.
There is a map with the circuits on the car park next to the Mairie.
Needless to say, there is an extensive choice for everyone and all abilities… with distances ranging from 7 km to over 30 km!
We decided to follow the green cycle route and headed off along a small road.
Any crossroads or forks are well signposted, and if for any reason some signs are damaged, they are in sufficient number to ensure you will come across the next one pretty quickly!
After about a mile of flat road/path, we went up a small hill to see out over the valleys. The path alternated between small pathways, large tracks, with very small portions of quiet road.
As it’s been quite wet here recently, some of the tracks were quite muddy, but in the summer they will be perfect as most of them are through the woods and so are lovely and shady.
Our circuit was 11km long, although we did cut off about 2km at the end due to roadworks.
If you would like to take part in many of the fun cycling events across the Dordogne or simply enjoy a bike ride on your holiday in the beautiful Perigord region…. contact us! At Bike Hire Direct we can deliver bikes direct to you across the Dordogne for FREE!