La Flow Vélo: Sarlat–Île d'Aix

This 8-day self-guided tour runs 400km from Sarlat in the Dordogne to Île d'Aix on the Atlantic coast. Early stages take in the Lascaux IV prehistoric art museum and medieval villages including Saint-Robert and Saint-Jean-de-Côle, along with the Château de Hautefort and its Museum of History of Medicine.

The route continues through Nontron and into Cognac country, with visits to a producer's cellar for a tasting, before following the Charente River valley, crossing by chain ferry and passing through Saint-Savinien on the way to the coast.

The final stages take in Rochefort's Corderie Royale (Royal Ropeworks), Fort Vauban, and a chocolate factory in Trois-Palis, finishing with a crossing to Île d'Aix and its Napoleonic fortifications.

Highlights:

• Lascaux IV prehistoric art museum
• Medieval villages: Saint-Robert, Saint-Jean-de-Côle, Nontron, Saint-Savinien
• Château de Hautefort and its Museum of History of Medicine
• Cognac cellar visit and tasting
• Charente River valley and chain ferry crossings
• Rochefort's Corderie Royale and Île d'Aix's Napoleonic fortifications

Surface and terrain:
River valleys and varied countryside routes, including the flat Coulée d'Oc greenway on an old railway line, with some climbs and descents elsewhere.

Suitable for:
Families; moderate difficulty and accessible to everyone.