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When are you going?  Large site, or small?  How many of you - ie with children, or just a couple/single person?

Recommendations can change depending on the season - sites which we consider quiet in low season might be rather different in peak season. 

Quote: Originally posted by Ina on 11/11/2013There is a nice site at Vezac, details HERE. It does have a pool, but it is far from one of those fancy pools, it's just a plain pool. Pitches are large and shaded, it's by the river and it's about 5 miles from Sarlat. No fancy prices either, and the view of Beynac castle is fabulous.

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Quote: Originally posted by jaiash on 11/11/2013

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Quote: Originally posted by Ina on 11/11/2013There is a nice site at Vezac, details HERE. It does have a pool, but it is far from one of those fancy pools, it's just a plain pool. Pitches are large and shaded, it's by the river and it's about 5 miles from Sarlat. No fancy prices either, and the view of Beynac castle is fabulous.

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OI, Ina don't tell everybody!

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Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 11/11/2013

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When are you going?  Large site, or small?  How many of you - ie with children, or just a couple/single person?

Recommendations can change depending on the season - sites which we consider quiet in low season might be rather different in peak season. 

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You could use an ACSI card (www.campingcard.co.uk) - there are plenty of sites on offer in the Dordogne, including the lovely site Le Perpettuum near Domme which (in 2013) was only 12 euros per night for pitch, two adults, car and caravan, awning and electricity.  (Reviews on here).  Have a look at their website for others.   Here's the selection of sites they offer in the Dordogne. and there are around 14 charging only 12 euros per night.

Camping Cheques, too, offer several sites in the Dordogne (www.campingcheque.co.uk). 

Strange as it sounds, many sites in the Dordogne will be fairly quiet in June - peak season in France only runs from mid-July to mid-August, and you'll have no problems finding a pitch without the need to book in advance at many sites.  Sites where the website shows them to be a bit 'full-on' may be very different in June, and indeed we've been one of only ten occupied pitches, out of around 200, at that time of year!  It's when we always holiday so we've had plenty of experience.

Just to explain how the ACSI Card works - you buy the book in advance.  Inside it is a tear out card which you present at reception on arrival, and they will then charge you the ACSI rate.  This will be in one of four bands (for 2013 they were 10, 12, 14 or 16 euros) and that includes a  pitch, two adults, car and caravan, awning and electricity.  Each site sets its own 'ACSI Card' rate, and some sites offer other discounts such as 7 nights for the price of 6, but you can see what's on offer on the website.

Camping Cheques offer a similar 'package' per night, but you buy the Camping Cheques in advance (for 2014 they will be £14.95) and use them at the end of your stay to pay for the number of nights you've spent on site.

We stayed at Moulin de Paulhiac this year from 25th - 31st august and there were plently of pitches available then - although still a lot of people around in the Eurocamp units.  It's a lovely site - good pool, nice restaurant.  The river there is definitely for paddling rather than bathing.  I seem to recall the showers could be slightly variable but nothing too drastic and they were modern and clean.  we cycled through maisonneuve - it seemed to have pitches available as well.  Perpetuum was on our short list - so it must be an ACSI site late in August - hence I would think it would have space. 

We always travel last 3 weeks in August, don't book and we've always found lovely sites to stay at without difficulty. 

Quote: Originally posted by newbie73 on 03/12/2013

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We're thinking of Le Perpetuum or Camping Maisonneuve for end August but I'm reluctant to book as it seems the Dordogne isn't guaranteed good weather in the same way as the Languedoc or Provence/Riviera. Does anyone know whether there's likely to be pitches available at either of these from 18th Aug if we leave it to chance? In previous years everywhere has started clearing out when we arrive (completely coincidentally obviously!) but I'm not sure with the Dordogne as it's so popular with us Brits.

We also liked the look of Moulin de Paulhiac but according to one review I've seen the river there isn't much more than a stream in Aug and the shower temp is a bit variable. Does anyone know any different?

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You shouldn't have a problem finding a pitch at sites in the Dordogne - but I would ring on the day you're due to arrive just to make sure.

The river Ceou (where Moulin de Paulhiac is situated) is a much smaller 'river' than the Dordogne, and even in early season is a paddling river for most of the time.

About the weather, one August we'd planned to go to the Dordogne, and on the way south the rain got heavier and heavier.  When we crossed the Vezere just north of Brive it was a boiling, frightening, thick brown torrent, carrying trees and debris rapidly downstream.  It was still raining so we thought a site on the banks of the Dordogne wouldn't be a good idea!   We stayed overnight on a hilltop south of Cahors, (it was still raining) and in the morning looked at the site computer at the weather forecast.  The only sunshine was in the Languedoc so we carried on south and had two weeks of lovely sunshine.

The third week we moved to the Ardeche, and met up with a party of Dutch caravanners who had been in the Dordogne, and had two weeks of rain, during which they'd been confined to the site for four days due to flooding at the site entrance!

Watch the weather, go where the sunshine is, and move on when it isn't there any more!  That's what we do every year - and the Languedoc/Ardeche areas have given us sunshine for about the last ten years.