The organic vineyard of Chateau Haut Garrigue in the village of Saussignac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) near Bergerac has it all – a wonderful situation overlooking the Dordogne valley; a self-contained gite “The Grape Escape”, friendly English-speaking (well, Irish) hosts and a real opportunity to see and learn more about wine and wine-making (if that’s what [...]
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There are numerous criteria for selecting the perfect holiday gite – for me it has to be a combination of tranquility, privacy, a decent view, comfortable accommodation, swimming pool; within walking distance of a bar, shop and preferably a restaurant; within striking distance of a town with a good selection of shops – and with [...] In the heart of the Côtes de Duras vineyards between St Astier and Duras (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) on the Chateau la Petite Bertande – a gite sleeping up to 8 people. With 3 bedrooms, bathroom, well-equipped kitchen and a terrace surrounded by vines. The vineyard produces some excellent Côtes de Duras AC, especially the crisp dry white [...] Self-Catering Cottages and Bed & Breakfast Accommodation in a listed 17th Century domaine in Gascony – 35 acres, lakes, pool and Spa The problem (and delight) of South West France is that there are so many areas to explore, and often renting a gite can be so delightful that getting out and exploring might be limited to the nearest town and trips for French Bread, a bar and an ocassional restaurant. The Spring Festival (Fete de Printemps) takes place in the medieval town of St Emilion (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), one of the best appellations for Bordeaux red wines. There is always a colourful parade with a band through the town, with plenty of opportunities to taste some of the wines at any of the wine shops [...] The Proclamation of the Harvest takes place in the medieval town of St Emilion (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), one of the best appellations for Bordeaux red wines. There is always a colourful parade with a band through the town, with plenty of opportunities to taste some of the wines at any of the wine shops scattered [...] Held every year on the third Sunday in January (20 Jan 2008) the village of Sorges (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) holds a competition to find the biggest truffle – and its the highly prized Black Truffle (truffe noire d’hiver).There is also a Truffle Market and the local hostelries will be offering Truffle omelettes! For more info see [...] It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme – an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success. The latest we’ve come across is the Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon). Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up [...] Most French autoroutes between major towns and cities are toll motorways, which whilst often offering fast and uncrowded dual-carriageways, can nevertheless add significantly to the cost of a trip through France – e.g over €90 (over £60) on a one-way trip from Calais to Nice (1226km of motorway driving about 760 miles). However there are significant [...] With the 2007 Rugby World Cup kicking off in early September, it is worth knowing when and where the matches are to be held – if only so that you can avoid the additional heavy traffic for several hours around the match time. Particularly susceptible to congestion will be the Paris Peripherique and the A1 [...]
Between St Emilion (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) and Bergerac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) there is a special garden centred on an old 18th century farmhouse – combining both English and Italian themes – the Jardins du Sardy at Velines (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine). JF reports: “We saw it advertised in the tourist office in St Emilion, and we found it [...]
Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) is home to the famous Agen Prune – the gently baked moist plums which are a key feature of SW France cuisine. The delicacy (although not that delicate) is protected as an Appellation Controllee. The town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) holds a 2–day festival to celebrate the local Prune (pruneau) when the Prune is King! (Le Pruneau Roi) – demonstrations of the history and transformation of the plum into prune, parades, music, clowns, and a cookery competition using prunes 23–24 Aug 07 For more info see Villeneuve-sur-Lot – Animations. At last a budget airline has introduced transparent pricing on its website. Flybe now shows the actual cost to fly on their routes to France and elsewhere. Until now airlines would headline their offers along the lines of “Flights from 99p” but by the time booking fees, admin charges, airport charges and government taxes were [...] Australia v Canada in Bordeaux Canada v Japan in Bordeaux Ireland v Georgia in Bordeaux Ireland v Namibia in Bordeaux Langon (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) midway between Bordeaux and Saint Emilion holds a well-balanced festival of wine,cheese and bread (La foire aux vins, fromages et pains) on the first weekend of September. Given the proximity of some of the finest vineyards in the world – Graves, Sauternes, Pomerol, Saint Emilion – the wine element alone should [...] |
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