May 15, 2024
To Sarlat-la-Canéda
We woke to a steady rain and after downing a croissant and coffee at the bar/café across the street we geared up for our morning ride to Les Grotte de Combarelles. The Combarelles cave comprise a series of narrow tunnels that date from from around 17,000 to 12,000 years ago. It is one of the few remaining caves that you can enter, and the six daily tours are limited to seven visitors each. We had booked the only English tour of the day, an hour long tour that began at 9:50. Brief introductions in the office and at the entrance to the tunnel provided background on the history of the site, a preview of what we might see, and also served to minimize our time inside the cave. Our guide was a young French woman doing her first tour in English – she was a bit shy but conveyed a wealth of information as she led us through the long, narrow passage deep into the cave. Early on, she stopped to ask if anyone was suffering from claustrophobia or fears of the bat seen flying by at the mouth of the cave.
Over four hundred carving and etchings have been catalogued inside Les Combarelles, most depicting large mammals including horses, deer, bison and mammoths. In addition, there are about fifty representations of human figures or anatomical parts, including heads, arms and genitalia. It was initially difficult to discern the outline of animals but with the help of a laser pointer and knowledgeable guide I was soon able to pick out the head of a horse or rump of a bison on my own. This skill proved to be especially useful when the battery on the laser pointer died! There is evidence of painting around some of the carvings, but Les Combarelles lacks the vivid colored artwork one can fine in Font de Gaume or the Lascaux reproductions. Nonetheless, there was a sense of awe in those long passageways and I felt a real connection with our hominid ancestors who walked those same tunnels and created images that have lasted through many millennia.
It had stopped raining by the time we exited the cave - the skies were grey, the streets were wet, but precipitation had ceased. We were growing hungry after out meager breakfast and as there were few towns ahead on our way to Sarlat, we detoured back into Les Eyzies for a tasty pecan tart and provisions for an afternoon lunch.
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When planning this trip for my Raleigh friends, I had not thought to include a visit to Les Combrelles or the nearby Font-de-Gaume. Instead, I plotted a route from Les Eyzies to Sarlat that dipped down to the Dordogne River and the Château de Beynac and booked an extra day in Sarlat for a visit to Lascaux IV by bike or bus. When Susie voiced an interest in visiting the prehistoric caves near Les Elyzies, we looked for ways to maximize our experiences in the area, trying to include both a cave and a castle. Considering ticket availability as well as the time English tours were available, we settled on the 9:50 tour Les Combrelles, thinking we would still have time for a short out and back to the Château de Beynac on our way to Sarlat. I plotted a 15 mile direct route to Sarlat with an optional detour to Beynac coming about ten miles into the ride.
As we began, the rain had stopped and patches of blue appeared, giving hope that we would remain in the rain-free area of the forecast. We set out retracing our morning ride to Les Combrelles but quickly turned off toward Meyrals. It was a quiet road through a landscape of woods, farmland and the occasional small town or cluster of farm buildings. A bus shelter at the turnoff for Beynac provided a convenient spot for a bite of lunch and discussion of the Château option. By then, the sun had disappeared and ominous clouds were forming to our south, the direction of Beynac. We all agreed to forgo the added miles and elevation and we continued directly on to Sarlat.
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The decision to skip Beynac turned out for the best, though it did not keep us dry as a steady downpour began shortly after leaving the bus shelter. I glanced at our route as I stowed my phone in the jacket pocket, making sure to turn the volume on high so I might hear the turn-by-turn commands, or at least the off-course warning. I heard nothing and missed our turn, instead following the signage to Sarlat that kept us on a sweeping downhill into town - a busy road favored by both cars and large trucks. We stopped at the bottom of the hill and after several starts and stops found our lodging, a two-bedroom apartment with a very expansive terrace. Susie headed to Aldi for provisions while Leah and I took warm showers; later we all set out for a look about the town before dinner.
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I was pretty hard on myself for missing our turn into Sarlat, an error that led to an ad hoc search for our lodging in a steady downpour. I had no phone with which to retrieve the name and address of our lodging and grew a bit cranky and stubborn, upset at leaving Susie and Leah standing in the rain. But they both were troopers, rising to the occasion without a complaint. Susie pulled a paper copy of our itinerary out of her bag and she then spotted the hotel name directly above us - we had arrived but were lost. Both Susie and and Leah were amazed by the central square of Sarlat, excited to wander through the stores looking for walnut oil and souvenirs. At no time during the day did they complain about the rain, they were just so delighted to experience everything. I toasted my cycling companions and reminded myself to relax and enjoy our time together. From the caves to Sarlat, it had been a special day, one that no amount of rain could really dampen.
Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 957 miles (1,540 km)
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