It is a sunny mid-spring Monday morning as I look out from the crenellated battlements of Château de Castelnaud. Beneath me, the Dordogne river, still full of the downpours of the last few weeks, languidly divides the valley.
As the morning mist dissipates, I see Château de Beynac appear; its ochre limestone walls and turrets bathed in the golden glow of the early morning sun. Almost a reflection of each other – one English and one French – it's hard to imagine these two chateaux as bitter rivals, and yet that is exactly what they became during the 100 Years’ War.
