Forty kilometres northeast of Périgueux, the Château de Hautefort (daily: April to mid-July & Sept 10am–noon & 2–6pm; mid-July to Aug 9.30am–7pm; Oct 2–6pm; Nov–March school hols 2–6pm; €7) enjoys a majestic position at the end of a wooded spur above its feudal village. A magnificent example of good living on a grand scale, the castle has an elegance that is out of step with the usual rough stone fortresses of Périgord. The approach is across a wide esplanade flanked by formal gardens, over the moat by a drawbridge through the oldest part of the building and through a stylish Renaissance courtyard backed by an arcaded gallery and enclosed by slated towers. Once the property of well-known troubadour Bertrand de Born, it passed into the hands of the Hautefort family in the seventeenth century and was extensively remodelled. It was the childhood home of Marie de Hautefort, a young beauty who captivated Louis XIII.It's possible to get from Périgueux to Hautefort using public transport, but you'll have to stay two nights: a bus leaves Périgueux at 5.20pm (Mon–Fri only), with the return service departing Hautefort at 7.40am. It's no hardship to stay overnight, however, as Hautefort has a very pleasant hotel, L'Auberge du Parc (tel 05.53.50.88.98, fax 05.53.51.61.72; €30–40; closed Wed & Sun eve, also mid-Dec to mid-March; restaurant from €15), just beneath the castle walls. By car the most attractive route is along the River Auvézère via Cubjac and TOURTOIRAC, which is best known as the birthplace of Antoine de Thounens, a colourful local character who single-handedly tried to establish a colony in South America.
Pages in section ‘Hautefort’: The King of Araucania.
| 