Accommodation France

At Poligny (39 Jura, Franche Comté) on  6 & 7 February 2010 the Percée du Vin Jaune festival takes place (and every year on the first weekend in February).

The festival celebrates the piercing or tapping of the barrels of the Jura’s famous “Yellow Wine” (vin jaune) which has spent 6 years and 3 months maturing, to enable the vintage from 6 years ago to be bottled, sold and enjoyed for many, many years to come.

British locals John & Carolyn Scallan run a B&B (Chambres d’Hote) at Sens-sur-Seille  and have put together a special weeked offer for the Festival which includes a special Jura Discovery dinner and transport to and from the Festival. With their local knowledge of wine, food, markets and things to see this would be a great way of getting the very best out of the Festival and learning more about the local wines and region – all at a bargain price:-

Come and spend the weekend discovering the wines and foods of the Jura region, meet the producers and enjoy the festival, on a specially arranged weekend break, which includes two nights bed and breakfast accommodation in our comfortable B&B, a special Jura Discovery dinner on Fridaynight, and transport to and from the Percée festival on Saturday.
PROGRAMME

Friday evening, arrive and check into your room here in Sens sur Seille. Rooms will be available from 4pm onwards. Freshen up and then at 7pm join us for a special Jura Discovery dinner, with an introduction to different Jura wines from different producers, carefully matched with each course.
Saturday morning, after a copious breakfast, feel free to discover the local market in St Germain du Bois. 11.30am leave for the Percée festival – transport is provided.
6pm return transportation
The evening is free for you to try one of the excellent local restaurants. There are 2 here in the village, and several more in the nearby towns.
Sunday, depart after yet another copious breakfast.
PRICE PER PERSON €82
Price includes 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation (based on two people sharing a double room) special dinner on Friday night (wines included) and transport to and from the wine festival.
Not included: Transport to Sens sur Seille, entry to the wine festival (€11), other meals.
Additional nights may be booked at a discount to the normal room rate. Please ask for more information.

For more info and an enquiry form CLICK HERE

Brittany Ferries is offering 10% off all holidays booked by 18 January 2010.

The choice includes Brittany, Normandy, Western Loire and Aquitaine; Hotels, gites, villas. cottages, apartments, camping etc.

For more info see Brittany Ferries

Boulogne's port hub

LD Lines Ferries are changing over to a traditional ferry on their Dover-Boulogne cross-channel route which will increase capacity and competition on the short-sea crossings from Dover. Also there is now a new Ferry port at Boulogne which will hopefully be less down-at-heel than the previous landing point. The new terminal is called the Boulogne Hub Port, which remains close to the town centre and provides reasonable access to the A16 and other autoroutes. Additionally passengers can leave their car in a free car park by the terminal and with a short walk across a footbridge into the heart of the town.

From early November 2009 the Norman Spirit will transfer from its current Western Channel Portsmouth – Le Havre route to commence operations on LD Lines’ Dover – Boulogne service, considerably increasing freight and tourist traffic capacity. The high speed catamaran Norman Arrow, which began operating across the Dover Straits in June 2009, will re-locate to the Portsmouth – Le Havre route, where she will begin a six month seasonal operation from Easter to September 2010. Norman Spirit will operate four return sailings daily between Dover and Boulogne and provide a crossing time of one hour 45 minutes. The ship has capacity for 1850 passengers, 700 cars, 110 freight vehicles and the service will also carry coaches and foot passengers.

LD Lines is also offering 10,000 Tickets @£22.50 each way for a car + 4 passengers – a limited number available at this price – so book soon – see www.ldlines.com

Boulogne is a pleasant arrival port – and the town is well worth a visit. Like most ferry ports industry and warehousing tend to dominate the immediate  area, but the more interesting and  attractive parts of the town are close by. The ferry trip provides a good view of the French coast (when the weather is good) and is schedules to take 105 minutes – slightly longer than the Dover-Calais crossing, but being further south compensates if  heading towards Paris, Rouen, Normandy, Picardie or beyond.

Find the best rates for Hotels in Boulogne-sur-Mer

If you’ve ever considered being part of the French wine harvest then have a look at RTE’s video on Chateau Haut Garrigue in Saussignac west of  Bergerac – see www.rte.ie
Caroline & Sean Feely purchased the vineyard 4 years ago, and have developed a biodynamic, organic vineyard which is winning great acclaim from winelovers and professionals. Certainly we have enjoyed their wine (red, rosé and white Bergerac AC) and a visit to the Chateau last year.

They are huge enthusiasts and have developed the domain, opened a self-catering gite and enjoy sharing their passion for wine with visitors – including nature vineyard walks in and around the vineyard, wine tours to St Emilion and Medoc and classes including

a hands-on ‘Wine Workshop’ to learn about French wines and understand the complicated appellation system or a ‘Day Tour to St Emilion, Medoc or Bergerac’, a luxury 3-day ‘Vineyard Walking Tour’ or an ‘Exclusive Experience’ at our working organic vineyard and wine estate. Our goal is to exceed your expectations and give you relaxation, new knowledge and wonderful memories to take home. If you have more than a day why not create your own unique multi-day French wine tour using our suggested day tour options.

And it does not stop there – you can rent a row of vines and benefit from the fruits of the vintage; an online shop for buying their wines from UK, Ireland or France. It is well worth a visit!  If you are quick you can still order your wine for Christmas for UK delivery  (deadlne 16 November 2009) – see www.hautgarrigue.com/ukwine.html

Chateau Haut Garriguee24240 Saussignac France.

As northern Europe settles into an unwelcome late autumn/early winter, memories of a balmy French summer  fade. Which is why a missive from the Aveyron is so welcome – evoking some of the magic of the region – and making the prospect of a winter break in the warmer climes of the Lot Valley almost irresistible especially with a tempting special offer at Sweet French Cottages self-catering neat Entraygues-sur-Truyere:-

SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER-BOOK A COTTAGE BY 1 DECEMBER 2009 FOR CHRISTMAS OR NEW YEAR’S 2009 & RECEIVE 15% DISCOUNT

Rain Heron, the Americal owner of the cottages writes:-

Autumn has arrived. The decades-old chestnut trees in the ancient forests are dropping their huge copper-colored leaves, followed dutifully by their fruit, the spiky chestnut. In just a few days time, the almost-fluorescent lime green of the chestnut husks will fade into a fantastic shade of gold sienna, making the fallen chestnuts resemble a huge colony of sea urchins. In contrast, the shiny, smooth dark chestnut brown of the nuts will become strewn about on the forest floor and along the country roads, making them quite easy to harvest. The acorns follow suit, although the forest animals, including the red squirrels like the original ‘Squirrel Nutkin’ of Beatrix Potter fame, seem to scavenge them with great gusto.

The fall weather is truly heavenly in the microclimate that we enjoy near the Lot River in the Lot Valley with its crisp, chilly mornings giving way to warm, sunny days reaching up to 80º F in the afternoon sun. The sun becomes lower in the sky at this time of year and the cooler evenings are perfect for pulling on your favorite jumper and gathering around the fireplace with the smell of fragrant woods on the fire (I also like to throw a handful of rosemary in the flame for an extraordinaire, herbal perfume). You can also roast chestnuts right in the open fire with one of the chestnut pans with their heavy perforated bottoms, which gives off a heavenly and distinct aroma.

The change in season here is clockwork. The trees begin turning cheerful shades of yellow, gold and orange right on cue. The garden follows suit with the regional harvest of nuts including walnuts and hazelnuts with the delightful fruits of late summer becoming ripe for the picking, such as figs, apples and pears followed closely by the most gorgeous eating grapes at all the market stands. With the advent of the season, the geraniums and roses are still in full bloom and the hydrangeas are stubbornly holding onto to their summer blooms, now turning the most gorgeous shade of burnished red and the palest of pinks.

The banks of the rivers are laden with freshly fallen heart-shaped birch leaves and the leaf bed is soft and colorful. The silhouettes of the birch trees — particularly the silver birches — are quite dramatic against the clarity of the fall skies. The rivers change from their summer greens to deeper shades of blue, contrasting beautifully with the still green hillsides.

This is my favorite time of year to go on long walks through the French countryside. I enjoy walking along country roads where the pavement looks inky and the crushed granite shines likes diamonds in the gravelly parts in the bright, crisp afternoon sun and the clouds billow effortlessly. The gentle autumn wind caresses my face and the sound of the rustling leaves captures my imagination. The vistas of the patchwork-colored pastures and vineyards and stone farmhouses along the river are postcard-perfect. I marvel at the way the autumnal light accentuates the myriad of colors, particularly late in the day when the landscape resembles the painting, “Chestnut Tree in Bloom” by Renoir. The late afternoons turn to sunsets that are softer and subtler, with their signature corals, pinks and lavenders unique to this time of year.

Once again, it is “Au revoir” to summer and “Bonjour” to autumn. Autumn is here in its full regalia and I, for one, find it an unforgettable, comfortable and insightful time of year.

More details on Sweet French Cottages

Our ocassional series of articles using local knowledge to help you get the best out of a visit to different parts of France.

le segala logo

The Segala is a rural area comprising part of the south Aveyron and northern Tarn departments.

The Segala is an old provencal region also known as the Land of the 100 Valleys. The area is a little known gem often by-passed by sun worshipers on the way to the Mediterranean.  Indeed the Aveyron boasts no less than 9 Plus Beaux Villages de France more than any other department. Among these is the bastide town of Sauverterre de Rouergue which has retained much of its medieval charm and throughout the summer many

sauveterre

medieval festivals are held here including the Fete de Bougie (8-9 August 2009)  and culminating with the chestnut and cider festival in October – Fete de la Chataigne (24-25 October 2009)
To the south of this region is Albi which is an absolute gem with its medieval streets and stunningly colossal 500 year old brick built cathedral. It is also the birth place of the artist Toulouse Lautrec and there is a fine museum of his work next to the cathedral : Musée Toulouse-Lautrec

The region has to be one of the best undiscovered areas of France – stunning landscapes and few people!

Where to stay – Le Clot B&B- Owned and run by an English couple, Colin and Stephanie Evans, there are 3 double rooms for guests and all have private facilities. All rooms have been recently renovated keeping much of the character of the original buildings. Table d’hotes offered on request and using many ingredients from the garden or source them locally. Situated between Rodez and Albi.

Where to eat (recommended):

Le Papillon Restaurant 1, bis Rue Toulouse Lautrec, 8100 Albi. Tel 05 63 43 10 77. The restaurant specialises in American-Asian fusion and vegetarian cuisine – it is also excellent value for money.

Le Senechal Hotel/Restaurant

Where to eat (gourmet):

Le Senechal in Sauverterre de Rouergue is an elegant Michelin starred restaurent. run by Michel Truchon – Tel. 05 65 71 20 00

Segala Veal logo

Local food:

The Segala is noted for its ‘rosé’ veal from the many herds of limousin cattle -the Veau d’Aveyron et du Segala is renowned throughout France for its quality.

The other local delicacy is Tripoux a stew of veal tripe which is served for breakfast and special celebrations!!

Local wine:

This area is situated between the wine regions of Gaillac and Marcillac which both have AOC status. Gaillac AC wines are widely available in the UK and produce red, rose and white wines, the whites ranging from dry to rich dessert wines. Sparkling wines are also made here – look out for the Gaillac Perle AC – a very lightly sparkling wine made from the local L’En de l’El grape. (Gaillac Wine Fair in early August (8-9 August 2009)

Marcillac wines are seldom seen outside the local area.

Local markets: For authentic ‘French markets then Carmaux on Friday mornings and Villefranche de Rouergue on Thursday mornings are the best. For night markets where cooked food can be purchased from the producers and eaten on the spot – Sauverterre de Rouergue on Friday nights in July and August

Viaduc de Millau on A75

Must see: The world famous Viaduc de Millau bridge that crosses the Tarn gorge designed by Sir Norman Foster is only an hour by car. Much closer is the Viaduc du Viaur – an impressive iron railway bridge which must have been as impressive to the visitors of the 1910s as the Millau viaduct is today!.

In Albi there is the Cathedral Saint Cécile and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum.

A bit of culture: Each year there is week long guitar festival in Albi (7-10 July 2010) and each August there is a festival of Ocitan music and poetry in Rodez

Shopping: Both Albi and Rodez have a good selection of retail outlets and nypermarkets – otherwise the small villages offer essentials and some interesting craft shops.

For a walk: The region has many marked ‘Randonee’ routes along river valleys and through wooded hills. The local tourism office offers a detailed itineraries and maps of walking trails.

For the children: Head for Cap Decouverte – a converted open cast mine now dedicated as a leisure site. It has water skiing, zip line, open air pool, beach, down hill cart track, dry ski slope, Between Rodez and Millau is Micropolis where the small world of insects can be explored. Or a litle further afield try the Velorail and Train Touristique de Larzac

Getting there: Fly to Rodez from Stansted and Dublin with Ryanair – or to Toulouse from numerous UK airports including Birmingham,

By car: Take the autoroute to Clermont Ferrand (A71) and then the A75 south to St Flour – taking the road to Albi

By train: not on the main TGV routes, but you can travel direct from Paris Austerlitz and book your tickets from the UK at RailEurope

Getting around: A car is essential – drive down or hire from the airport or railway station.

Some of these recommendations kindly supplied by Colin & Stephanie Evans who offer B&B (Chambres d’Hote) at le Clot