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Direct booking, independent holiday breaks throughout France, in privately owned self catering country houses, cottages, gites and apartments, villas and traditional farmhouses, or in a choice of delightful Bed and Breakfast Chambres d'Hôtes. | |
Holiday Homes In France 1998-2008 |
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Country House with pool in the Lot et Garonne
Castillonnès, between Bergerac and Villeneuve-sur-Lot Southwest France
5 bedrooms and a dormitory, sleeps up to 15 people
La Maison
Our rambling 19th century house is opposite the church in the small hamlet of Pompiac, about ten minutes from the ancient bastide town of Castillonnès. Now fully restored in keeping with the character and spirit of the period, the house is one of five houses in Pompiac, only one other of which is occupied apart from ours. The large garden behind the house is entirely private and has lovely open views across miles of peaceful countryside.
We are 30 kms south of Bergerac in the Dordogne and 28 kms north of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, midway between the River Dordogne and the River Lot. In between is a region steeped in history, scattered with medieval villages, each its own extraordinary story to tell; Villeréal, Issigeac, Monflanquin and beautiful Monpazier. Castillonnès has a range of shops and supermarkets, a weekly market in the main square and several cafés and restaurants. The Sunday morning market at Issigeac is especially good, packed with every imaginable thing from foie gras and local cheeses to kilos of apricots and cherries, a dozen different kinds of lettuce, home baked cakes, tarts and wine, to garden plants and wicker baskets. The heart of the house is the kitchen, set around a fireplace with a dresser and table and equipped with an oven and hob, microwave, dishwasher and fridge, a coffee machine and kettle, plus various other appliances. The sitting room is comfortably furnished and there are books, two televisions, DVD and video.
Three of the bedrooms lead off the main hallway, which runs along the length of the house. The main bedroom has a double bed, a wardrobe, a sofa and a pedestal table with four Louis Philippe chairs. One of the windows looks out across to the church, the other out onto farmland. The second bedroom is a twin room with a wardrobe and chest of drawers and a small writing desk and two chairs, again looking over neighbouring fields. The third bedroom is also a twin room with a large fireplace, two armchairs and a bureau, a small table and a wardrobe. Upstairs, the attic has been made into a dormitory room with eight single beds and a double bed. An annex across from the house has two other bedrooms, one double, the other a twin. There are three bathrooms in total, one with a bath, two with a shower, washbasins and wc, plus a second wc with a washing machine. The swimming pool is next to the old sheep barn, which has now been made into a summer kitchen and dining area, equipped with two tables that together seat 15 people, a large fridge with an icemaker, sink, dishwasher and a chimney barbecue. The pool is secured for the safety of young children. There is table tennis and badminton racquets are provided.
The Area
There is an excellent 18-hole golf course and clubhouse at Castelneau de Gratecambe, 12 kms from here, four tennis courts in Castillonnès and riding stables in Tourette, 3 kms away. At Lougratte, again an easy drive away, is a marvellous lake with supervised swimming and picnic areas that is ideal for the whole family. There are endless places off the beaten track to walk and cycle and both the Dordogne and Lot rivers have river cruises and canoe/kayak hire bases. Villeréal, built at the end of the 12th century with a covered market hall dating back to the 14th century, has a succession of summer festivals and fairs, pottery and antique shops and country horse races. The weekly markets have taken place every Saturday, the day chosen by its founder Edward 1st, ever since. The medieval bastide of Monpazier has excellent shopping, stunning architecture, cafes and good restaurants. This romantic hilltop village, often used as a film location, has a rare cèpe and truffle market between June and September. Monflanquin is a thriving village with a weekly market that has been held every Thursday for 900 years. There are banks, butchers, bakers, a post office, doctors, cafés and several restaurants. One of our favourite restaurants is the Prince Noir, situated under one of the beautiful vaulted arcades in the central square. The beautiful town of Bergerac, the centre for wine produced in the vineyards that surround it, has a wine museum and ‘maison de vins’ wine tastings. A choice of very good restaurants, free music concerts and exhibitions, a fabulous 14th of July firework display and a fête de music in June, are just a taste of what this old riverside town has to offer. Travel Information
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Prices and booking information
All prices are Saturday to Saturday arriving at 4pm departing at 10am Linen and towels are extra There is a small charge for water and electricity Extra cleaning can be arranged on request Pets welcome A deposit of 30% is requested on booking, together with a returnable damage deposit of 20% of the total booking
Telephone: 01 45 22 02 96 (International + 33 1 45 22 02 96) Mobile: 06 27 61 04 51 (International + 33 6 27 61 04 51) Please mention Vacation France when contacting the owner
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