Located on the north bank of the river Dordogne a picturesque 2km walk along the tow-path from the centre of Bergerac. 2½ acres of mature gardens with fields to both sides, a quiet, idyllic setting. The accomodation is a beautifully renovated, completely separate part of a large house with charm and character. Plenty of history - originally built by the English as an armoury in the 14th century. 2 Bedroom, each en-suite, plus lounge/diner/kitchen. Beautiful private heated swimming pool, with beach and waterfall – good for children. Salt water based so no stinging eyes! Trampoline / Children’s slide, swing; Wireless internet; English TV; Bicycles – several to borrow including a trailer bike; child seat and various helmets; Good fishing: Salmon, trout, sturgeon and cat fish all caught before; Canoeing – the river is wide but quite calm. Bergerac airport 10 mins away, pick-up and drop off possible. A perfect place to relax and an ideal location to explore the region and its attractions.
Wine, Food,Travel, walking & cycling: We can arrange visits to various vineyards; we have numerous friends who have vineyards (English spoken) plus St Emilion and Chateaux Margaux are 50 mins drive.
Indoor and outdoor tennis courts about 10 mins walk along the river.
Some fantastic local restaurants - some of our favourites: L’Imparfait; La Tour des Vents; Le Vieux Logis; Le Bistrot du Presbytére and Le Saint Jacques.
Easy direct flights to/from the UK. Fly direct to Bergerac (just 10 mins away) on Flybe from Southampton; Birmingham; Manchester; Edinburgh; Gatwick & Exeter. Ryanair from: Bristol; Stansted; Liverpool; East Midlands; Rotterdam & Brussels. Jet2 from Leeds-Bradford + Bordeaux airport 70 mins away.
We're 6 hours drive from St Malo and www.brittany-ferries.com operate there from Portsmouth. It's a good way to start the holiday as the ferry is overnight - arrive 8AM, stop for lunch and arrive mid afternoon.
Plenty of walking and cycling trails - maps available.
Bird Watching: Thanks of a birdwatcher who stayed for a few days in Sept 2009, here’s a list of what he saw which included 17 kingfishers on a short 40 min canoe ride along the rider:
Kingfisher; little owl; tawny owl; great tit; blackbird; black headed gull; short toed tree creeper; spotted flycatcher; magpie; jay; coal tit; rook; carrion crow; collared dove; stock dove; wood pigeon; grey heron; starling; grey wagtail; common sandpiper; white wagtail (pied) grey heron; night heron; cormorant; little grebe; coot; moorhen; mallard; buzzard; kestrel; black kite; green woodpecker; serim; chaffinch; green finch; cetti’s warbler; fan tailed warbler; house sparrow; house martin; swallow; swift; red kite; sparrow hawk; black cap (f); great spotted wood pecker; blue tit; gold finch.
Prehistoric sites and more: renowned neolithic caves – including things of interest to children - Les Eyzies and Lascaux with their famous cavemen paintings.
Local equestrian centre – excellent horse riding for adults and children.
French Lessons!
Local Aquarium.
Nice Chateaux to visit (Monbazillac) – which you can see from here!
Markets to visit in Bergerac – Wednesday and Saturday.
Take the tourist train to Sarlat for the day.
Go to the beach for the day – miles of beautiful golden beaches at Cap Ferret – 2hrs away.
Go swimming at one of the local lakes (setup for the purpose with waterslides etc).
In Bergerac - for smaller children - 'Les P’tits Castors'; for children 7+ 'LaserPlay': for older teenagers and adults! 'Le Windsor' nightclub.
Local museums (National Tobacco museum – they grow tobacco here as well as produce wine), Transport museum.
Rowing (aviron) - Bergerac has one of the top rowing clubs in France http://www.snbergerac.org/ - along the river just before entering Bergerac when walking from Franchemont.
Also of note - Beregrac's Jazz festival in May and the free open air Jazz evenings in Bergerac every Wednesday during the summer!
