Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

The village has grown up around the church and a meadow beside the river. Narrow lanes of golden stone houses with steep stone-tiled roofs lead back from the water, and there are a few cafés and craft shops in the centre.

Its size is part of its charm: you can walk every street in well under an hour and still have time to sit by the river.

The church stands right on the riverbank and is one of the finest Romanesque churches in the Périgord. It was built in the twelfth century, partly on the remains of a Gallo-Roman building, and has a stone-tiled roof and a square bell tower.

Inside, traces of medieval wall paintings survive. In summer the church hosts concerts, including those of the Festival du Périgord Noir; check the programme each year.

Saint-Léon has two châteaux within the village. The Château de la Salle, with its square keep, stands near the square, while the Château de Clérans is a Renaissance building by the river.

Both are privately owned and generally viewed from outside. They add to the picture of the village rather than being sites to visit in their own right.

The Vézère is calm here and the riverbank is a pleasant place for a picnic. In summer canoe hire companies run trips on this stretch, and paddling past the village is one of the best ways to see it.

Check the current conditions and safety advice before swimming, as the river can be deeper and faster than it looks.

Cars park at the edge of the village. Check current parking arrangements before you travel, particularly on summer afternoons.

The village is flat and easy to walk. It is quietest early in the day and in the evening.

La Roque Saint-Christophe, a long cliff with terraces and shelters once lived in from prehistory to the Middle Ages, is a short drive downstream. Les Eyzies and its caves lie further on.

Upstream, Montignac and Lascaux IV are close by, so Saint-Léon fits easily into a day spent on the Vézère.