The driest part is around Bergerac, followed in turn by RibГ©rac, Sarlat, and Nontron. Thus the Dordogne valley in the southwest has 750 mm whereas the highest parts of the countryside to the north of Nontron, such as PiГ©gut-Pluviers, have 1160 mm. Within the Dordogne, annual rainfall varies, increasing as you move from the southwest to the northeast вЂ“ in line with the increase in height above sea level. This is more than the driest parts of France, such as the Alsace Plain or even the area around Paris, which have les than 600 mm, but well below the mountain areas such as the Alps or the Vosges, where rainfall exceeds 2000 mm on average. In the summer, on the other hand, there is more sun in the southwest of the department вЂ“ the band stretching up from Bergerac to RibГ©rac- than elsewhere.ДЄverage annual rainfall in the department is 860 mm. The curious result of this is that in the winter there is more sunshine in the Sarlat area to the southeast, than in that of RibГ©rac to the west, where the greater proximity to the coast makes for a milder but also cloudier and foggier winter climate. These variations are partly influenced by a combination of airstream coming in from the Atlantic coast to the west, and the slightly more continental conditions affecting the east and north, and partly by the configuration of the landscape and the nature of the subsoil. However, within the department there are variations in weather patterns, making weather a very local affair, with temperatures and rainfall varying not only in broad bands across the department, but also within quite small areas. If you come from the south of England you will find that the summers are hotter than in the UK, but that the winters may be colder. Generally the Dordogne enjoys a varied and temperate climate. In the south they flow through broader plains.ДЄ temperate climate, with local variations In the northern and eastern parts of the department the rivers cut valleys into the hills. The numerous rivers that flow through the department follow this north/northeast to southwest trajectory, gradually combining in the Dordogne, which in turn flows into the Gironde estuary. (The first and second largest are the Gironde, round Bordeaux, and the Landes, to the southwest.) To understand its structure and climate, you need to see it as a transitional landscape, changing from the вЂњBassin AquitainвЂќ вЂ“ the coastal plain around Bordeaux вЂ“ in the southwest, to the higher country in the north, culminating in the Limousin and the Massif Central. The Dordogne is the third largest dГ©partement in France, with a total area of 9,200 square kilometres.

Dordogne map