Dordogne in May, crowds or not?

We found the Dordogne to be heaving with tourists in April this year but there was wall-to-wall sunshine for three weeks in the month and that probably helped to swell the crowds.

I was also going to suggest Lot but it seems to me to be even more hilly than the Dordogne and having any kind of walking problem would be accentuated by the terrain.

Both the Lot and Dordogne are certainly well worth a visit and we intend returning within the next two year although the earlier suggestion of Croatia seems a good option.

In this thread others haven't mentioned the reason the Dordogne is popular with English, is that it is very 'green and pleasant' and the reason for that is that it can rain a lot there.  Here is what I've posted in response to your post on another forum, copied and pasted, which does make reference to the rain:

Don't make too many plans - just go!  If the weather is nice in the Dordogne then head there - crowds or not it's a lovely area and in May really shouldn't be too busy or too British - if it is move elsewhere.  Further south, as suggested is the Lot, further west the Landes and the empty beaches - good for flat walking - further east the Massif Central, and even further south east the Languedoc and the Mediterranean - and in most of those you'll find few British.  There are many other lovely areas - if you like wildlife and wild countryside then the Gorges du Tarn, the Cevennes, and the Ardeche areas may suit you - and walking in the river valleys is pleasant and level (though there are obviously some steep hills!)

In May you can go where you please - some sites may be almost empty (others not yet open), and you can stay if the area, the sites, and the company suit you - and if not move elsewhere.  

I'm not going to suggest specific sites, anywhere, because at that time of year you can find exactly what you want, anywhere, without booking, but I'd do what your caravan is made for and tour.  

Choose other areas you may like to visit, and then have a look at some campsite search websites.  We use an ACSI Card so tend to use www.campingcard.co.uk to look for a lot of sites within one website.  Earmark some you like the look of in several different areas, then just head in the direction of the best weather at the time of your crossing.

A word of warning, though, about the rain, it can really rain.. .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. (and that's almost anywhere in France at certain times)!  One year we were heading south, intending to canoe on the Dordogne.  Our first day heading south had been dry and sunny.  The start of day two brought rain so we set off into ever heavier rain.  Crossing the Vezere river it was boiling like a dark brown torrent, carrying logs and debris . .. . . .. . .. . and we thought 'No way', so we carried on.  Near Cahors we ran into floods, so found a hilltop site (thanks, ACSI) and stayed there for one night.  The following morning we looked at the weather on the campsite free internet, and found that only the Languedoc was forecast for a period of sunshine.  We had ten days there, then headed into the Ardeche, to stay at Bastide en Ardeche.  A few days after arriving we found a rally of Dutch campers had pulled in - they'd been spending two weeks in the Dordogne, and for almost a week had been confined to their site because of flooding around the site and the area!

Last year on the way home we ran into floods at Vierzon, which got worse the further north towards our overnight stop we got - and more and more roads were closed to traffic.  We were only able to get to our stopover by a series of incredible coincidences and the following morning found the one open road in the whole area (heading west) but by heading that way were able to get west and then north towards our ferry, getting there on time.