One price, home and away: A riverside house in La Roque-Gageac, apartments in Lisbon and the Dominican Republic, a house with moorings in Sandnes or a four-bed on five acres in Ballyragget
From the top of the Belvedere – the highest point of the Hanging Gardens of Marqueyssac, one is afforded a wide panoramic view over the banks of the River Dordogne. Three majestic châteaux painted in a limestone brilliance stick out from the otherwise verdant green landscape, framed for us today by yellow, spotty 'citron' butterflies. Here we are, deep in the heart of France, in the Périgord noir, a couple of hours' drive north from Toulouse, the easiest point of access from London in early spring. There is sun on our faces as we survey the valley below, identifying Château Beynac on the horizon, where Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' was filmed, and the charming village of La Roque-Gageac, where summer revellers continue to enjoy the scene once also frequented by Vikings (their modern day canoes now seen with more regularity by outdoor pursuits specialists in the summer months). Astronomer Jean Tarde, born here in 1561, was the first to draw a map of t