Dordogne Activities

Mr Sharp, 05/09/2022

The Dordogne activities holiday was well thought out and put together. The staff on the ground wee helpful and available. The accommodation was uniformly excellent and baggage transport efficient and problem free. Equipment was good quality and well maintained. Be aware that e-bikes need to be pre-specified, which is a detail that had passed me by and if walking any stages, the instructions are sketchy. Other than that, a lovely experience and a good holiday.

Mrs Nunn, 01/09/2022

Thank you for a wonderful holiday. The Dordogne region is a beautiful part of France, and lent itself well to this type of activity holiday. We were very impressed with the hotels, all with swimming pools, which were very welcome after hot days walking, cycling or kayaking. Staying in the luxurious Chateau Monrecour was a particular highlight.

Christine explained everything perfectly, and was even able to swap two of our individual kayaks for a double after the first day, which made the second day on the river easier.

This is quite an active holiday - perfect for my 15 year old, but some of the up-hill cycling (mostly just the last day - we are from a flat part of the world!) and kayaking on his own was sometimes a bit of a stretch for the 13 year old, although we got there in the end. The Headwater App made navigating on the bikes very easy.

Lots of happy memories of a fantastic week.

Mrs Venton, 20/08/2022

We travelled by ferry and car with our two children aged 14 & 12 for the Dordogne Activities holiday, a total of 8 nights in the Dordogne. Two days canoeing and 5 days cycling. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We are used to cycling at home and have also done a fair amount of canoeing previously. The quality of the bikes was very good, the cycling was about the right level for us, a few hills, mainly quiet lanes and roads but there were a few fast and busy ones. The canoeing was enjoyable too, the water level was very low in places in the Dordogne due to the prolonged drought making the canoeing harder due to less current and needing to navigate to deeper water. The accommodation was on the whole very good and also the food, although menu options were a bit limited at times. We would definitely use Headwater again for a cycling holiday.

Mr Jenkinson, 02/09/2019

Superb holiday! Andrew and Janet were extremely helpful and made for an extremely relaxing holiday. Accomodation and food was generally excellent, with some really exceptional meals (wine lists were extensive but quite expensive, generally minimum about €20 a bottle). Activities were well planned and clearly explained. Holiday does require a good level of fitness for the activities and the hotels, twice we were on the third floor but no lift (lots of stairs to carry suitcases up). Would highly recommend this holiday.

Mrs Carney, 29/08/2019

An excellent week mixing Canoeing and biking around the Dordogne with our 11 year old son. There are loads of places on route to stop off for a swim in the river, which is beautifully clean. There are also plenty of places to stop for drinks and a bite to eat.

Mr Baseley, 07/08/2019

We had a fantastic holiday. We stayed in some great places, had some wonderful food and cycled / canoed through some fantastic scenary. The local reps Janet and Andrew were superb and always available to help if needed. The bags, bikes and canoes were always in the right place at the right time. All we had to do was enjoy ourselves.

Mrs Geddes, 23/07/2019

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. Château Monrecour was the highlight for accommodation and food but we also found Relais Saint Anne to be very special. Our tour reps Janet and Andrew were fantastic. They went above and beyond to help us out and make sure everything went well. Everything went very smoothly with luggage transfers, bikes and canoes.

Mrs Burrows, 15/08/2018

A super family break with relaxed canoeing and more challenging cycling. The pool at every hotel was very welcome, the bag transfer service slick and efficient and nothing was too much trouble for the reps. Chateau de Monrecour was a particular highlight, as was trying the via ferrata above the Dordogne!

Mr Hayes, 22/07/2018

The holiday overall was very good, with some excellent and some distinctly average hotels. The holiday overall is about the activities and the surroundings that you are in and in this respect the holiday was excellent. The reps were excellent and no complaints there at all. The quality of the equipment was excellent and the introduction to the use of was also excellent. Two things to note, the walk from the river to the hotel in Souillac does take the a while and although flat, carrying all the equipment and if you have young ones is a task in hot temperatures. Secondly the position of the hotel in Sarlat is stunning for the views but is overall poor and is situated as stated out of town. After a hard day walking or cycling, to walk into town and and back (back is uphill and 2.8 k ) is not easy in heat, and the hotel said that it was almost impossible to get taxis to do the short distance (for them) to and from the hotel. These two things aside the holiday is a good one and we would reccomend to others and Headwater are a good company, we have had two holidays with them now and would use again. To clarify the earlier statement about some of the hotels being average, we have had several of this type of holiday with other companies as well as Headwater and they all seem to throw in one hotel that is a bit of a let down, we are now used to this and it becomes a bit of a game to guess which it will be. As with this type of holiday you are only in one place for a couple of nights before moving on you can put up with a poorish hotel as you are not spending that much time there, but if you like top notch all the time then research the hotels closely.

Mrs Suddes, 19/10/2017

professionally organised, good hotels in the main with excellent food. Local tour staff were first class, Jude and Tim were thoughtful, considerate and extremely helpful in every way. They provided excellent service and delivered a slick, personal service. The cycle routes were well mapped and very sensible quiet roads providing superb countryside views and charming tiny villages. The river canoe trips down the Dordogne were a highlight, so peaceful and the most relaxed activity we have ever done.

Mr Browning, 29/09/2017

It was a great opportunity to take part in activities I might not otherwise have tried. You can only get the magnificent views of the Dordogne river that we had from a canoe.

Mr Stevens, 27/09/2017

Thoroughly enjoyable week of mixed canoeing and cycling. We had intended walking days too, but found there was so much we wanted to see cycling was the only way to encompass as much as we could. Canoeing down the Dordogne was truly serene and magical. Most accomodation and food really excellent.

Miss Hillier, 24/08/2017

A relaxing holiday with positive together time as a family - nothing gets everyone working together as well as arguing more - than getting lost in the Dordogne countryside an hour before lunch !

Mrs Romanus, 06/08/2017

We last took on a headwater holiday15 years. Now we have an 8 year old daughter and 11 year old son. The dordogne was lush, warm and beautiful. The reps were helpful and knowledgable. The hotels were very french with great food. The activities were well balanced with relaxation at the pool. Super holiday i hope we dont wait another 15 years.

Mr Erdal, 21/06/2017

Dordogne is utterly beautiful, medieval chateaux rising from open woodland dotted with ancient villages. We hit a heatwave, so cycled rather than walked. Excellent maps (but read their key!) allowed us to discover our own way sometimes. The two days canoeing — we chose an open two-person canoe — were a revelation: clean river, beds of long green weeds flowering at the surface, home to dragonflies; real bliss, with occasional bursts of not-really-threatening adrenalin as we avoided shallows and bridge pillars. (Hard-working) Tim and Jude created a lovely laid-back, friendly, helpful feel for the 8 days. Hotels and food were superb.

Mr Stocks, 03/09/2016

Headwater provide gently active (this interpretation depends on one's level of fitness and expectation!) holidays in comfortable, interesting hotels and places. The restaurants vary, some are better than others, but in general they reach a very satisfactory standard. I think they are a great way to spend time exploring an area but with always the fall back of a pleasant hotel.

Dr Monte, 18/08/2016

We had a wonderful mixed activity holiday cycling and canoeing down the Dordogne knowing we had excellent food and drink to look forward to after a hard days work. Pure bliss !!

Mrs Moss, 10/08/2016

We have just returned from an excellent 10 days in France, having never been to this area before, we now are keen to return! The walking and cycling was definitely 2 boot, but worth the climbs. And we really enjoyed the relaxed canoeing down The Dordogne. All hotels were excellent with fabulous food. Sarlet is very pretty and well worth the extra night, although it is a long climb up back to the hotel from the town.

Excellent holiday.

Mrs Saxby, 02/08/2016

As a family of six, headwater is a great holiday choice for us. We enjoy spending the time together and the activities give us a shared focus and shared sense of achievement. The children age between 16 and eight, and they all enjoyed the holiday. It challenged their palates as well as their legs, as most of the hotels don't offer kids menus, but this worked out fine and they all discovered things they didn't know they might like. Canoeing was harder work than expected, but such a beautiful way to see the river. I really love headwater holidays, this is our third time and it definitely won't be our last. Now that all the children are confidently able to cycle we will try some more ambitious ones next time.

Mr Dransfield, 05/10/2015

Excellent, good location, helpful reps, fantastic hotels, good food, well maintained equipment with all necessary ancillaries. It all makes to an active but stress free holiday.

Mr Dale, 10/09/2015

Fantastic. The whole experience was wonderful. Travel was smooth - the 'local reps (Keith and Claire) were lovely, informed, committed and really, really nice couple. The itinerary was easy to follow and worked very well. Food superb and hotels great. thank you

Mr Crockford, 17/08/2015

A brilliant and well thought out holiday, with super routes and excellent hotels - well worth adding extra days to.

Mr Wilson, 11/08/2015

An excellent family activity holiday with a lovely range of hotels and universally excellent food. Chateau de Monrecour was a particular highlight. Look at the cycling routes carefully and plan the day especially with regard to food stops and water refills.

Mrs Middleton, 10/08/2015

The holiday offered varied activities which were not too strenuous, although you needed some degree of fitness to enjoy them. The support offered by the local reps was excellent as was the food at the various hotels.

Mr Robertson, 03/08/2015

Excellent Holiday with easy walking and kayaking

Dr McGeorge, 30/07/2015

A wonderfully relaxing holiday featuring the opportunity to mix a range of outdoor activities in a beautiful part of France with the chance to explore its towns, villages, sights and cuisine.