Dordogne walking vacation, France

Planet and people

UK Office:
We are well aware of the impact tourism has at home and abroad, and we make every effort to balance the environmental impact of traveling with the immense benefits sustainable tourism can bring to destinations and the people who live there. So we start in the office: we turn off all electrical equipment every night; we use energy-efficient bulbs; we measure print and paper consumption, and re-cycle wherever possible; we print our brochures on paper from sustainable sources, and send them out in bio-degradable packaging.

Leaders & local suppliers:
Although France’s Dordogne is one of the more known regions in the country, it is still possible, with a bit of effort, to seek out family-run businesses, seemingly unchanged over the years. One such example is the beautiful Hotel Les Glycines on the fringe of pre-historic capital, Les Eyzies. Although the town gets busy – over 600,000 visitors are expected this summer – our hotel enjoys seclusion and tranquillity with pool, stunning gardens and superb cliff-facing views. Owner Pascal Lombard is also chef de cuisine and is incredibly proud that virtually everything on his menu comes from his fruit and vegetable gardens. Everything here is home made, from the amuses-bouches to the freshest local meats!

Staff:
Staff will suggest places to see and visit locally. Many of our overseas staff have worked for us for many years now – in fact, the 20 returning staff this summer have, between them, clocked up an impressive 189 years!

Group size:
Having no minimum number means that groups sizes can be small and therefore the trips have less impact on the environment.

Activity:
Walking has minimal impact on the environment as you provide most of the energy yourself and, when you’re strolling from village to village, you can enjoy a relationship with locals in a way motorists passing through never can. On foot, you get off the beaten track, and you’ll find that people treat you as a visitor rather than a tourist. Also, by walking independently, and not having to worry about keeping up with a group, you set the pace so you can soak up the sights, sounds and scents of your surrounds and really get under the skin of the place you’re visiting.

We proactively encourage walking clients to think about traveling responsibly too: packing light, saving water, buying locally and re-cycling all maps and route notes at the end of their trip.