12 day, Lodge based moderate to quick water, canoe trip exploring the rivers, castles, and caves of Southwest France Canoe France trips meet at the Brive Train Station on: 2008 Departures: May 7-18, 2008 June 4-15, 2008 July 2-13, 2008 Sept 10-21, 2008 Trip Price: $3076.00 Requested Single Supplement: $495.00. Private Bath: all evenings Rental: included in trip price. Trip Notes Day by Day Itinerary Canoe France Questions jim@battenkill.com		Canoe France  Rivers, Caves and Castles Good food and excellent wine in an area where man and nature have lived in harmony together for 25,000 years. France , the word alone invokes visions of quiet countryside, outdoor cafes, fine wines, and enchanting rivers. In this land of southwest France where history begins with prehistory, explore with BattenKill a landscape that takes you back in time. Castles perched on cliffs, bring us back to the Middle Ages. And 20,000-year-old cave paintings, still brilliant in color, remind you that this region is considered by anthropologists to be the “cradle of mankind.” Travel with us to this enchanting country that is just waiting to be shared. Four magical rivers offer an abundance of canoeing, prehistoric history and medieval villages stimulate our minds and fine wines and regional cuisine satisfy our gastronomical needs. We journey to the heart of this rich destination, tracing a network of ancient paths along the walnut-lined riverbanks of the Vézère, Cele and Dordogne Rivers. These fertile valleys invite us to paddle and to experience a region defined as much by its historic treasures as by its natural bounty. Our journey explores past and present in exquisite detail. Delicate etchings on cave walls and dwellings perched high in cliffsides inspire wonder at the nature of human life thousands of years ago, while vineyards and an herb-scented countryside stir our senses. Our journey begins in the Vezere Valley – the Valley of Man.  The Vezere River cuts its way through stunningly rustic landscape punctuated by massive limestone cliffs.  The cliffs are riddled with caves and rock dwellings.  Here we will find evidence of humanity’s beginnings with artifacts and bones, and in the large natural caves we enjoy amazingly sophisticated paintings and carvings.  The Vezere Valley’s extraordinary wealth of Paleolithic finds has led UNESCO to classify it as a ‘world heritage’.  The canoe is a wonderful way to discover this valley and that is exactly what we have planned.  We will journey the length of the valley by canoe, enjoying the river and sites by day while stopping for the evenings in quaint villages where wines and good food are the perfect ending to the day. From the Vezere we continue on to the rivers Lot and Cele.  The Cele is a clear and intimate stream that tumbles along through gentle valleys and steep colorful gorges.  The tiny hamlets found along the river offer wonderful opportunities for riverside lodging and discovery.  The Lot is a broader stream that dances through a magical valley where sheer cliffs hang over villages and mingle with delightful meadows and shady woodlands.  We will take time out of the canoes to explore the ancient villages of Marcilhac, Ste Eulalie and St-Cirq Lapopie.  Among these we will find caves with prehistoric paintings, small shops and art studios tucked away on narrow cobbled streets and remains of fortified abbeys and châteaux’s all reminders of a time long ago. Our journey goes on to the Dordogne River.  The valley is dotted with majestic châteaux’s, vineyards and villages built into the face of overhanging cliffs.  Defying architectural design, the villages seem to have grown from the very ground on which they are built.  The paddling is gentle and unhurried allowing us plenty of time to really capture all that this valley has to offer. All of this and more we will find as we travel in the Dordogne region of southwest France. It is here we discover a land of quiet calm, where rivers weave gracefully through ancient valleys. Where limestone cliffs tower over the rivers and the reflection of their soft hewn colors of ochre, magnesium and yellow dance along the water. Where fortified medieval villages seem to be wedged tight into overhanging cliffs and fine wines, foie gras and regional cuisine can be enjoyed at the end of the day. Travel with us to this enchanting country that is just waiting to be shared.  Four magical rivers offer an abundance of canoeing, prehistoric history and medieval villages stimulate our minds and fine wines and regional cuisine satisfy our gastronomical needs. Contact Us BattenKill Canoe, Ltd. 800.421.5268 or 802.362.2800 fax--802.362.0159 ©2002 BattenKill Canoe, Ltd.. All rights reserved