The colours of autumn
Villages to see, restaurants to book, family trips to enjoy and a meander through the Dordogne Valley seeing chateaux, distilleries and walnut mills.
I’ve got itchy feet and writing this newsletter has me reaching for Google Maps and the calendar. But where to go? The cider farms and calvados distilleries or Normandy; or the Festival of the Stomach in Rouen are both tempting. Paris is already booked for late October, and I can’t wait…
Those looking for inspiration might find a my recently been published stories useful. If you fancy a quick trip to northern France this autumn, then my article from The i Paper about villages to visit should provide some inspiration (beautiful Gerberoy is one of them). If you’re heading to the south-west, then this piece for Club Oenologique can guide you to make your restaurant reservations: ten of the best places to eat in Bordeaux. While my article on a trip to Paris with my daughter was published on Sawday’s fabulous website.
Speaking of travelling with children, my friends Lottie and Steph asked me to contribute to their newsletter Talking Travel Writing, in which I overshared the crazy work-family juggling act I do in order to continue writing about France. It also demonstrates why I should be asking much more frequently for people to upgrade to paid subscriptions, so that I can stop scrolling LinkedIn for full-time jobs. Making a living from writing only seems to get harder.
Events
I’m joining forces with fellow Profile Books author Ned Palmer, whose new book A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France comes out next month. We’re speaking at Toppings in Bath on 8th October and Max Minerva’s bookshop in Bristol on 14th October. Please come! There will be cheese and entertaining conversation about all things France and food-related.
Dordogne in autumn
My last newsletter touched on my love for the Dordogne Valley in autumn and the fantastic trips I’ve had there in the past. One of those trips inspired this story about a trip I did with my sister.
It's hard to keep your eyes on the road as your passenger coos a constant stream of delight: “Wow! Just look at that!” to “So beautiful!” says my sister, as she gazes from the window over the Dordogne countryside. Her squeals of joyful awe hit a crescendo as we pass through the village of Beynac-et-Cazenac and, while I try to not crash the car, either right into the river, or left into the golden-stone houses that line the road, I crane my neck to see the medieval chateau high on the cliffs. “Ok, we’re stopping!” I declare, and we pull into the car park just beyond the village and walk back through plane trees to admire this most famous of French views.
We began our Dordogne Valley road trip yesterday, making a beeline out of Bergerac’s compact airport to follow the river east, crossing the River Dordogne’s loops to Trémolat, where the region’s signature rustic food awaited for dinner at Bistrot de la Place. There was no mistaking our ‘terroir’, as we tucked into smooth foie gras and confit de canard, sipping a heady Bergerac red.
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