But the Dordogne is not simply a pretty picture. The region is enhanced by an unusually rich heritage and culture. The French call it a land with ''un peu de tout''. A slow cycle is a perfect way to trace these ancient paths through a landscape that does indeed offer ''a little of everything''.

People have come to the Dordogne-Perigord in France's south-west Aquitaine region from prehistoric times, drawn by its navigable rivers, rich soil, benign climate and the haven of its limestone cliffs and caves.

The region has been heavily contested, hence the proliferation of medieval ''bastide'' towns, fortified chateaux and, in the case of the remarkable La Roque Saint-Christophe, an entire multi-storeyed troglodyte fortress city built into the cliffs above the Vezere River. The Dordogne is, in fact, the ''valley of 1000 castles''.

Everyone has wanted their slice from the Neanderthals, Romans and Vikings to England's Richard the Lionheart. So our UTracks eight-day cycle tour around the Dordogne is a futuristic ride back in time. Futuristic, because to properly embrace the region's ancient history and culture, we lighten the load with e-bikes.

The truth is, the Dordogne's dazzling landscape of rolling hills, limestone crags and the deep valleys of the Dordogne and Vezere rivers, make for some challenging leg-driven cycling.

The 220-kilometre round trip from Souillac (with six cycling days, rated a moderate 3/5) offers modest daily distances, from about 30 kilometres to 54 kilometres. France is cycle-friendly but our route mostly avoids main roads, taking us instead along secondary roads, lanes, ''pistes cyclables'' and river paths. E-bikes mean we can choose the longer options to visit the plethora of wonderful, often UNESCO World Heritage-listed options. Steep climbs into bastide towns such as Domme offer unmissable views of the Dordogne Valley and the inevitable hikes up to the hilltop chateaux are a breeze.

There's time to pause and appreciate not just the landscape but also the produce from one of France's most significant food regions. Is there anything so rich and fragrant as late spring in Europe, with the Dordogne offering up a rich seasonal bounty?

We ride through groves of walnuts and chestnuts, corn and wheatfields embroidered with poppies, orchids, white elderberries, flowering hazel and cherry trees ripe with fruit. We freewheel through forests of oak and ash while poplars shed their drifts of white seeds.

Sarlat, a beautifully preserved medieval market town, takes its gastronomy seriously - the abundant fruits of its fertile soils appear at the weekly Saturday markets. You cannot visit the Dordogne without coming upon all things duck.

Walls of water accompany us to St Cyprian where we flood a patisserie for lunch before enduring a soggy slog to the Dordogne's centre of prehistory - Les Eyzies on the Vezere River, where a hot bath and fabulous hotel dinner await.

It's a particularly long and hilly 54-kilometre final day cycle back to Souillac, which involves Romanesque church visits, a lunchtime bask in the Dordogne's particular glowing kind of sunshine, and a grateful arrival back in Souillac for our celebratory last meal (yes, duck), champagne and bergerac wine.