Dordogne--sarlat area and St Circ area

La Bayardine looks great. For me, part of the fun of that area was driving through the villages and countryside, so I say no. OTOH, if you want to have more a town/village stay where you can walk to restaurants and you find another great place, then maybe yes?

I always add about an hour to Google and viamichelin.com times. "Country" roads can be slow. Besides, you want to enjoy the drive to Cahors. I would do it as a long day trip. Leave early, have a nice lunch there, see the Pont Valentre, the cathedral, wander around, visit St-Cirq-Lapopie and have a nice drive back. Or go to St-Cirq first. Either way, make a full day of it.
Your time of 8-9 days in the Dordogne is good. There are so many varied things to see and do. We spent 10 days there in June of 2023 and loved it! Except for missing the night markets held during the summer months, I think the weather in May or June would be best. If you want to kayak on the river, check when the companies open and close their seasons.
Amusez-vous bien!

By the way, we rented a house that wasn't in a town, but enjoyed the location and ambience, and it was a short drive to several villages and towns for restaurants and cafes and shops. (We were between Vitrac and La Roque Gageac). Our longest drive for activities was about 25-30 minutes. Most drives were 10-20 minutes (Beynac Castle, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, river kayaking, Sarlat, Lascaux IV, Domme, Font-de-Gaume..........etc.
Your place looks really nice!

I don't have any personal experience since I have my own house in this region, but I saw La Bayardine on Google, and it looks extremely nice. La Bayardine is definitely not the place to stay if you plan on walking to a restaurant. But since you'll have a car...

If you decide to stay there, don't be too surprised by the very narrow dirt road that leads to the house. Welcome to the Dordogne!

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and Cahors are indeed a bit far apart, and Google Maps' travel times are generally optimistic, especially if you're not used to driving in rural areas. That said, it's definitely doable in a day.
But be careful about drinking Cahors wine and driving afterward!

There are also plenty of other, closer places to visit.

If you enjoy the "Most Beautiful Villages of France" there are 8 in a small area heading east less than an hour's drive from Sarlat. But even if you optimize your route, it's impossible to see them all in a single day.

Martel

Carennac

Turenne

Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne

Curemonte

Loubressac

Collonge-la-Rouge

Autoire

You'll find them on this map, I already provided this link in another post, so I'm posting it again.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OdPOg8AgsNn0Jlv1cNHkujaWv9p_Jpc&usp=sharing

And keep in mind that while Sarlat and surroundings are very popular with international tourists thanks to some great marketing campaigns (and Rick Steves), it's only a very small part of the Dordogne Valley.

thanks everyone! Jolui--since you live in the area can you tell me your favorite time of year? We are thinking next May or late Aug/early Sept. I do want to avoid mosquitos season since we would like to do some hiking, where I live in the USA it is bad right now but usually is better by late Aug. Maybe later Sept would be better--but I thought maybe if we do the last week in Aug we could still do a night market. Thanks so much for your input! Debrah

the other place I really like the look of and location is : https://leshautsdesaintvincent.com/
but the cottage has a double bed and we prefer a queen of course if anyone has any ideas for places similar to these that you have really liked let me know! I would prefer to stay in one place if possible --though it would be a long day to go to St Circ area.

Deb, Try the gites-de-france website. That's where we found our fantastic rental. There were seven of us and we had a four bedroom three bath house on a large property. It was called "Le Petit Fort". Check it out on the website to get an idea of what we had. Of course, smaller places are available too. We paid about $3000.00 for 10 days for 5 adults and 2 children (9 and 12). We have often used gites-de-france for lodgings, of 2-3 days up to 2 weeks. $300.00 a day for 7 people was a bargain for our very deluxe rental.

Deb, We were there the middle part of June and didn't have any mosquito problems, even when kayaking on the river.

There are a few mosquitoes in the Dordogne, as everywhere, but as Judy told you, it's not something you should be concerned about. No visitors to the Dordogne are specifically worried about mosquitoes.
We're having a significant heatwave this week, at the maximum alert level, with exceptional temperatures. It's 42°C (108°F) in the shade as I write this reply and I think mosquitoes are the least of the concerns for visitors who want to hike.

Due to climate change, I'll also refrain from giving a definitive opinion about the best time of year if it's weather-related, but usually late May, June, or the second half of September are better than July and August anyway, with fewer tourist crowds and cheaper accommodation prices.

What you call "night markets" are actually what are more commonly called "Marchés Gourmands" (Gourmet markets) which take place in July and August, and where people (local or not) bring their plates, glasses, and cutlery for a large communal dinner, often with all kinds of entertainment. There may be some after August, but it's quite rare. I've listed a few in the "Markets & Gourmet Markets" section of my map. They're the ones with an owl head icon.

So do not confuse night market and gourmet market even if "gourmet market" is sometimes translated as "night market" in English
Night markets are simply small markets held in the evening until 7 or 8 p.m., with vendors selling their products, just like the morning markets.

Also note that from May to late September, there are local village festivals almost every weekend with some musical entertainment, large food evenings, and sometimes a large garage sale on Sunday. So, it's not essential to focus on the most famous summer gourmet markets.

As Judy wisely recommended, also check out the Gîtes de France website. It's an organization that's over 50 years old offering all kinds of accommodation run by local individuals, mainly in rural areas. All offers are regularly inspected by the organization and checked for compliance in terms of comfort, amenities, etc. Even the quality of the fruit juices offered at breakfast is checked.

https://www.gites-de-france-dordogne.com/

For the eastern part (identical to the Dordogne), which is called the Lot-Quercy region:

https://www.gites-de-france-lot.fr/

Just like hotels, there is a classification system:

https://www.gites-de-france-haute-savoie.com/le-classement-gites-de-france.html