About us
Experienced Guide
Gabrielle Wise created " Walk Talk Eat “ in 2014 out of her passion for good food, wine, love of cooking, languages, fluent French German and English, architecture arts & history to offer walking holidays in France.
After training as a chef in Europe and working all over the world, mostly in the private and luxury sector, she decided to leave Australia and spend the second half of her life in the Dordogne Valley where she now has been for 9 years and set up the base for her tour company.
It is a small friendly operation, all the tours personally guided by Gabrielle, keeping the adventures personal and private.
Her daughter Bec with a business and Hospitality Background, has moved from Sydney to join in, looking after all the behind the scenes organisation and operations.
No big groups to slow you down and no stress, it's all is organised for you. Fully inclusive tours with more time to explore
and take in the surroundings. Immerse yourself for a while like a local, and visit beautiful sites in the regions. Here you will
learn of wonderful local stories and secret places, only the locals know about.
Specialising in creating more intimate, personal tours in just 4 stunning locations of France,
The Dordogne, Provence, and the Loire Valley. & Normandy
The tours are designed for travellers & food lovers with some cooking classes and wine tasting thrown in, creating wonderful memorable experiences.
You can Eat Talk Cook and Walk every day while discovering some of the most beautiful places you have always wanted to visit.
Gabrielle is able to share her knowledge of history, architecture and prehistoric cave art and of course food and wine in France.
We focus on small groups usually for 2-8 guests.
As a “local“ resident, Gabrielle loves to guide you around her “back yard", She regularly is joined by fellow passionate foodies and guides who assist with the tours and share their experiences.
Tours are created with attention to detail to ensure authentic, unique and memorable travel experiences. We want to welcome you, show you around the local areas and explore the countryside. Gabrielle is passionate about the history of the regions as well as making sure everyone gets to taste authentic foods. You will forage in forests for mushrooms and gather baskets full of figs & walnuts as well as get to shop and mingle at local markets and visit local producers.
We stay together as a group in charming inns, beautiful old farm houses or historic hotels. While the level of walking is usually medium grade its more often gentle wandering & meandering so we can enjoy the sights as well.
If this sounds like your next holiday, we would love to have you on our Tour. Enquire now for further information and upcoming tour availability.
Hunters Gatherers & Cooks
Depending on the time of year our walking tours in the Dordogne and Provence include days for hunting gathering and foraging. What ever is in season we can find locally and there is an abundance of beautiful things to collect which we will cook and include in our daily meals. Cepes and forest mushrooms, freshly cut asparagus, gathering walnuts & wild figs along country lanes or searching for truffles with a trained sniffing truffle dog or sometimes a friendly pig.
Cooking classes and discussions are included on some days in the preparation of evening dinner. We use the local produce bought at the markets or fresh from the farms we visit. Learn to cook authentic local favourites like Duck Confit as well as hearty traditional french classics like Cassoulet. Bake croissants for breakfast and learn how to do simple show stopping deserts like Apple tarte tartin, Cherry clafoutis and French "Opera" cake. Prepare a full 3 course dinner inspired by Truffles.
The Dordogne Valley
France is a country with so much varied regional beauty, but the Dordogne and the Lot Valley stand out. These are two delightful and gentle "departments" quintessentially "french" with stunning medieval villages of soft golden sandstone and hill top fortified "bastide" towns. You will visit mighty castles in the region, with over 400 fairytale chateaux. The Dordogne and Lot Valley are famous for their colourful weekly markets in just about every village. You will find the mysterious black truffles and famous fois gras as well as artisan goat cheese, honey fruits, vegetables & walnuts.
Historically known as the PerigorNoir, the Dordogne area was settled in pre-historic times. There are troglodyte cave dwellings along the river valleys and famous prehistoric cave art sites. At the centre of the region is the beautiful town of Sarlat. It is the largest preserved medieval town in France. Here we experience its famous gourmet markets. We visit a pilgrimage site at Rocamadour and walk in white limestone areas of the Lot river valley. On our walks we visit some of the designated "Most Beautiful Villages in France", beautiful gardens,
walking trails, linking villages, château, vineyards, riversides and oak forests.
We stay at a beautiful holiday farm house of "Esparoutis" situated in the pretty Ceou Valley just 12kms from Sarlat. Setting off each day to explore this delightful region, before returning in the afternoon for cooking lessons and glasses of wine with our local produce.
The Loire Valley
Luberon and Provence
Luberon and Provence
Known as the Garden of France, is the Loire Valley. Come visit its enchanting fairy-tale like castles, exquisite gardens, charming towns, and unforgettable wine. It is renown as one of the best places to visit in France. We start in Sancerre with beautiful delicate white wine and famous goat cheese. An interesting visit to ancient Porcelain factory along the Loire River and then on to the grandiose Castle of Chambord and the feminine decorated Chateau of Chenonceau. The gardens at Villandry are stunning, and not to be missed! Leonardo Da Vinci lived in a pretty house just next to Ambois Castle, which you will get to visit and explore. Wonderful history & market towns around the valley, provide many beautiful days of site seeing and taking in the local culture.
We stay in a wonderful historic hotel and then a grand house, not far from Villandry so we can do day trips without having to pack up each day.
Luberon and Provence
Luberon and Provence
Luberon and Provence
Rocky and dry landscapes of vineyards and orchards. Fascinating "perched" hilltop villages, outstanding natural produce. It was the "light" so much loved by impressionist artists, Van Gogh and Cezanne. A laid back lifestyle in a pocket of land away from the rush of the French Mediterranean coast and focused on pure French ‘joie de vivre’, "the enjoyment of living". Markets, wine, nature and scenery, This is the real Provence, full of character and life. A warm sunny climate and pure clean air which just breathes the incredible contrasts between a rich, and variable natural landscapes. The purple strides of lavender, the subtle nuances of green in the forests, the flamboyant and blinding colours of the cliffs of red and yellow ochre. We visit the fabulous antique market at Isle Sur Sorge, as well as Luberons best-loved villages Gordes, Lourmarin, Manosque and Roussillon. We stay in a wonderful comfortable traditional Provence home for most of the trip, as well as an authentic old world hotel .
The Normandy Beaches
Personal Itineraries to suit you
Personal Itineraries to suit you
Our signature Beaches of Normandy Tour is an unmissable 7-day journey giving you an opportunity to explore the shores and the sites of Normandy connected to the D-Day landings.
We will dive into all five landing beaches of Normandy, with a special focus on the American landing sectors with our journey ending at the stunning medieval monastery on the tidal island of Mont-Saint-Michel.
This tour is designed for people who want to combine culture and military history on their vacation in Normandy.
See the highlights of the Allied war efforts, as well as the stunning cultural backdrop against which these events played out.
The tour can be tailored to your special requests of interest including visits to war cemetery .
Personal Itineraries to suit you
Personal Itineraries to suit you
Personal Itineraries to suit you
Where ever you would like to go, what ever you would like to see, your personal preferences and special interest are always our utmost priority.
We specialise in making your holiday a truly memorable every time .