The Cro de Granville is a rock shelter in the Dordogne, near Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin, in the part of south-west France where the limestone plateaus are riddled with caves, shelters and overhangs and where early humans lived and painted for tens of thousands of years.
The nearest places you can count on are Rouffignac, a village of about fifteen hundred people, and Le Bugue, about eleven kilometres away, with a little under three thousand. Both have bakeries, a few cafés and basic supplies, but for proper fuel and supermarkets the larger town is Boulazac, near Périgueux, some twenty kilometres off. If the tank is low, fill it before you wander into the back lanes, because the plateau between the valleys is thinly settled and some of the pumps in the villages are automatic card-only machines.
The riding in this area is lovely in a way that sneaks up on you. The roads are narrow country departmentals, with gentle undulations, tight little bends through chestnut woods, and sudden open views over walnut orchards, maize fields and honey-coloured farmhouses. Surfaces vary, with patched tarmac and the occasional gravel patch on the smaller lanes, and farm vehicles are common, especially in late summer. The Vézère and Dordogne valleys are pretty roads in their own right, flat and fast along the river and busy with canoeists and caravans in July and August.
Food is a major part of the day here. This is duck, goose, walnut and truffle country, with foie gras, confit and cèpes on every menu, and the markets in the small towns are worth a detour on the right day. The Dordogne in high summer can be very crowded around the big cave sites, which often require timed tickets booked in advance, so check Lascaux IV and Rouffignac's own cave, which is visited by little electric train, before you commit to a schedule. May, June and September are the best months, when the light is warm and the roads are clear.