There is a fascinating (to us, at least) disparity between the English and the French.  Brits are water addicts.  If there is a river, stream, canal, lake, or the sea (estuaries included)  Brits like to sit by it.  In contrast, the French have enormous stretches of beautiful rivers and they don’t capitalise on them at all.  It is very odd.

Here in Sainte-Foy-La-Grande the Dordogne runs (limpidly) between us and Port Sainte-Foy.  There are many places where someone might have started a bar or restaurant, but no-one has.  Incredibly, between Bergerac and Bordeaux we know of only 4 river-side restaurants.  There is a very busy (and expensive) spot on the town side of the Quai in Bergerac, which makes it about 100M or more from the water,with a road separating it from a car park and the water.  In Port Sainte-Foy there is Restaurant au Fil d’Eau, which offers 12 diners the opportunity to sit with a river view.  In Cabara there is sorry, I may have the name wrong, La Restaurant de la Gabarre, where we have had drinks, but no food to date.

Yesterday we were told of a restaurant on the Dordogne’s rive gauche, just east of Castillon de la Bataille.  We went there on spec today.  Their web site (www.latablerouge.com) wasn’t working this morning when we were doing our research, but we decided that that didn’t matter: it was a lovely day and we’d take a spin out in the car anyway.

I chose the scenic route, which is short-hand for getting lost. I have yet to understand why the French have to have the D936A -D936G, or the D130A -E, but they do.  They also have numerous junctions that are only signposted from one side.  Thank goodness Graham is a calm and patient driver.

We got there (La Table Rouge) eventually.  It is set on a beautiful stretch of the Dordogne.  Sadly, there’ s a road dividing it from the river, but it is neither wide nor busy and the restaurant’s owner is vigilant when it comes to seeing people who might park in such a way as to block the view and asking them (nicely) to move a bit.

It is clear that La Table Rouge is a popular place.  Reservations are definitely recommended.  We got there unfashionably early and, therefore, were lucky enough to snag the last table in the shade on the terrace. Other, later, arrivals weren’t so fortunate.  Having partaken of a late-ish breakfast, we weren’t particularly hungry and ordered a pate de maison and baked Camembert, both of which were very good.  A pichet of the local wine was a perfect accompaniment.

We chose a more direct route home and have promised ourselves a long, lazy “proper” lunch there before we return to Tortola.

La Table Rouge is open Wednesday – Sunday lunch in the summer months and Friday night – Sunday lunch out of season.  Visit their web site for additional information.