The Area:
This is ancient Gascony (now called the Gers), France's least developed and least populated Department - land of d'Artagnan; Armagnac; foie gras; sunflowers; hot summers; temperate winters and an abundance of wildlife. The area abounds with beautiful old Bastide Towns such as Mirande with its Country Music Festival, a 25 minute drive and Marciac, world-famous for its 2 week Summer Jazz Festival, 45 minutes. Auch, the capital of the Gers, is less than 20 minutes away - a wonderful medieval town crowned by its famous Cathedral at the top of the vast stone staircase climbing up from the river Gers. Up in the Old Town near the Cathedral there's a maze of narrow streets lined with ancient buildings housing chic boutiques, exotic food shops, bars, brasseries and restaurants. On a more practical level, on the outskirts of Auch you will find many famous names of French shopping - Carrefour, Leclerc, Intermarche etc. - very useful!
Local Activities:
The nearest 18 hole golf course is the 4,635 metre Par 67 'Golf d'Auch-Embats' just outside the Cathedral town of Auch, about 30 minutes drive. The views are stunning and so is the food! Another course worth visiting is Château Pallanne, on the road to Marciac. There's horse riding about 30 minutes away and several tennis courts just 15 minutes away at Pavie. Water skiing, sailing, windsurfing on the lake at Marciac. Marked walks all around (Guide Leaflets supplied in the house) & it's fun to walk round 'your own' 65 acres where you may well see deer, herons, badgers, hares, partridges, pheasant, birds of prey, red squirrels and a host of other fauna & flora. Some weeks in the summer our farming neighbours keep sheep on the lower fields away from the house. There is fishing in local lakes and rivers; river Boat hire at beautiful Condom, about an hour's drive - & much, much more - just ask us.
Further Afield:
'Lalanne' is a 1 hour drive from the Pyrenees, 1 ¼ hours to Spain, about 2 hours to Biarritz on the Atlantic coast & about 2 1/2 hours to the Med. You can even get to the Costa Brava in about 3 1/2 hours. The nearest airport is Toulouse, just over an hour away. It's perfectly feasible to drive to the Pyrenees in the morning for some stunning walking - then have lunch in Spain, buy some cheap gin or brandy and return home in time for a swim and dinner. In winter the nearest (and one of the largest) Pyrenean ski resorts is just 1 1/4 hours drive - so day trip skiing is very easy. This area of Gascony truly combines peace, beauty and tranquillity with amazing accessibility.
Other Activities:
Boules, table tennis, badminton
marks the location of the property in Midi-Pyrenees
