THE open air public swimming pool in Villefranche-du-Périgord will open for the summer season on Saturday 18 July.
The pool is found near the gymnasium on the north side of the village and it will be open every day from 14h to 19h until Sunday 30 August, and for more information call 05 53 29 91 44.
CYCLING fans should head to Villefranche-du-Périgord on Sunday 10 June, when a race through the bastides and woods of the area takes place.
The 22nd Tour du Périgord will see 150 cyclists take on a 154 km course around the local villages of Villefranche and Besse, as well as the challenging hills and sweeping bends of the area, giving you a chance to experience an afternoon of cycling action.
Teams from across France will be in competition and the last race in 2016 was undertaken in a strong wind, that saw the field stretched out as the battle for first place came to a climax.
This year’s race starts at 13h15 from Villefranche-du-Périgord, with the finish expected to be around 17h and it forms part of the Coupe de France, Division Nationale 3 competition.
Here is a short video from 2016’s race.
THE stunning Dordogne countryside was the backdrop to stage 10 of this year's le Tour as television viewers from around the world saw the best of this corner of France.
The race itself saw German Marcel Kittel win the stage as he sprinted over the line for his fourth stage win, while Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey, but it was the Dordogne's many chateaux, its river and deep wooded hillsides that stared.
Crowds lined the 178km route from Périgueux to Bergerac, with particular mention of the thousands cheering on the cyclists up the slope out of Le Buisson.
For fans watching on the television the helicopter camera crew showed them the Dordogne valley with Dômme in the foreground, La Roque Gageac proved a popular stop and all the chateaux in the region seemed to feature.
Out on the road, and from our own vantage point near Urval close to the river Dordogne, people waved and cheered as the publicity caravan, including a motorised madeleine, sped past before the cyclists themselves in a flash of spinning wheels and blurred Lycra.
Despite the race only really taking off in the last couple of kilometres, the many thousands along the route are sure to have enjoyed the day, chatted and met new friends, whilst lapping up the growing excitement of le Tour's approach – I know I did.
IT was only last week that I was writing about la chasse and how they played a role in the countryside and whether it would change.
One task they undertake is to try and control the sanglier, or wild boar, as they can do real damage to the crops and in the local football team’s case the pitch.
A few days ago a number of sanglier dug up around 200 square metres of the pitch at Saint-Cernin-de-l’Herm, covering a corner and part of the goal area resulting in it needing reseeding.
The sanglier were digging for worms under the surface of the pitch, fortunately the teams at St Cernin have a second pitch to play on as it is likely to require a good few weeks for the pitch to get back to a playable condition.
And a low electric fence has been installed to try and keep at bay any future pitch invasions.
A BLUSTERY wind met the cyclists on the 20th Tour du Perigord which took place this weekend on a loop between Villefranche du Perigord and Besse.
Around 130 cyclists took part in the 160km race that was part of the Division Nationale 2 competition with teams from across France heading to this southern corner of the Dordogne.
Teams were made up of six cyclists, with full support vehicles following behind and team supporters stood at the side of the road ready to hand over drinks.
A strong wind helped and hindered as the race took in some steep slopes and longer hills as the peleton zipped through the forests and honey coloured villages of the area.
Four hours or so after setting off, French man Bastien Duculty broke away from a small group to cross the line first and stand on top of the podium, with the excitement of the day still spinning over the hillsides.
ANY rugby fan in France is sure to cast an envious eye at Keith Charge who has volunteered his time in a unique way down at his local club.
Keith is the officier de liaison avec la communauté britannique for CA Brive Rugby club, who compete in the Pro D2 league, and has recognised the value of working with the local community.
From strongly established connections with Brive and the surrounding Corrèze department, the club has turned to Keith to help establish links with English fans of the sport in the area.
But as the club has become more established within European competitions Keith’s work has seen him help teams in the UK and Ireland, and their fans, enjoy their time in Brive, although hopefully leaving with just fond memories and not a victory.
Hear Keith chat about how he got the liaison officer role at Brive and his experiences of French rugby:
Keith Charge can be contacted via email: keith.charge@cabrive-rugby.com
IF you enjoy motorsport and want to experience a rally around the roads of south west France then head to Sauveterre la Lemance (map).
A number of teams will be heading to the village for a day of racing on Sunday, June 27, with drivers from across France expected to attend.
The video above features last year’s competition, and you can read more at Racing through the French countryside.
WHAT should be a quiet Sunday morning as the sun beats down on the French countryside is anything but as the turbo on a Renault 5 GT rattles my ribcage.
IF you enjoy motorsport and want to experience a rally around the roads of south west France then head to Sauveterre la Lemance (map).
A number of teams will be heading to the village for a day of racing on Sunday, June 28, with drivers from across France expected to attend.
And if you want to get an idea of the race take a look over the photographs and videos on local website http://mcracing47.skyrock.com/
Update 28/06/09: Racing through the French countryside
Much planning goes into the Tour and here is the 2008 routeTHE Tour de France starts from Brest, in Brittany on Saturday, July 5 and finishes in the usual spectacular style on the Champs Élysées, Paris, on July 27.