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The trouble with writing about “hidden” corners of France, is that you run the danger of sharing the secret with too many others. Places which I felt were “real France”, quiet, peaceful and unspoilt, have often changed in the last 20 years, becoming commercialised, crowded and bland. But, somehow the location and geography of the upper Lot Valley probably make this less likely.
Although I have made many visits to the lower Lot, especially around the town of Cahors and the Cahors AC vineyards, I had only ventured up-river once - and that was to the picturesque village of St Cirq-la-Popie - perched high on the limestone crags overlooking the valley about 20 miles distant. The valley even here is quite different to the lower Lot where the river, although still pleasingly curvaceous, tends to be wider.
Few vineyards are to be found upriver from Cahors, but the countryside of the Upper Lot and Célé valleys is spectacular - and quieter. The limestone crags and cliffs dominate the landscape offer breathtaking views - and although the roads are often narrow and distinctly bendy, this tends to have the effect of entering a land where time runs more slowly, where nature makes itself felt - and that is miles away from the tourist centres of the Dordogne. And the journey keeps unfolding as you head on up the valley - another 90 miles in our case.
Our objective was to get to meet with Americans Lance and Rain who have 3 cottages to rent near Entraygues-sur-Truyere ( 12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees). Although we had been in contact by email, I was intrigued to discover how and why 2 Californians had settled in one of the lesser-known parts of France.
The journey up the valley provided at least part of the answer - this is a truly beautiful part of France - the valley becomes narrower, but still offers delightful villages, stunning views and plenty of opportunity to enjoy the river - whether just sitting on the bank in the shade or being more energetic with canoes or kayaks. Entraygues-sur-Truyere, which translates as “between the waters” - i.e. the river Lot and its tributary the Truyere - is everything you expect of a small rural French market town - with its bridges over the river and narrow streets - and the essentials - a bank, boulangerie, hotel, bar etc - and the quiet air of a place at peace with itself - especially on a hot summer afternoon.
The other reason for Lance and Rain choosing this spot also became clear when we found the “Sweet French Cottages” up a narrow track above the river a few kilometres out of town. We discovered a haven of tranquility - with delightful hosts and some wonderful holiday cottages - well, appointed, cleverly and carefully restored - but above all secluded and deep in the countryside - yet just a few miles from all the conveniences of the town - and in an area rich with local artisans producing wine, cheese, wine. pottery…… The local wines, Vins d’Entraygues et du Fel VDQS, had to be tasted of course (along with some wonderful goats cheese made by one of the neighbours)! The vineyards are often terraced high on the sides of the valley, and production is small - mostly drunk locally. The white we tasted from Domaine de Mejanassere was a blend of Chenin Blanc and Mauzac grapes - a light, refreshing dry wine with a pleasing floral nose and exotic fruit finish; the red (Gamay, Fer Servadou, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Savignon), whilst being a tad “rustic” was perfect with some local saucisson. Somehow these uncomplicated straightforward wines were a great match for the time and place!
Whilst many might aspire to the Californian lifestyle, these Californians have clearly found their home in the depths of France, and whilst they remain ambitious, they are relaxed and welcoming - a long way from the stereotypical loud American we’ve all met. Indeed, there is something about the place that seems to instill some sense of peace and contentment - the world of autoroutes, big business and conflict seems, and is, a long way away - whilst nature imposes its own sense of order to things - whether it be the landscape, the river or the weather.
It is certainly an area I intend to return to - there is so much to explore, especially guided by two people who know the area well, and are keen to share it with others. Their ambitions include developing artists retreats (with a studio planned) and themed stays based on the local food etc.
For more about Lance and Rain’s SWEET FRENCH COTTAGES - see www.frenchduck.com/latest OR to enquire about availability and rates etc, complete the form below:-
cforms contact form by delicious:days
which provides an entertaining insight into the geography and history of this wonderful region.
One of the growing band of British winemakers in France is the Quinney family at Chateau Bauduc near Creon (33 Gironde, Aquitaine).
As well as delivering to private customers in the UK, we supply some of the country’s leading chefs: our Bordeaux Blanc has been the house wine at all Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants for eight consecutive vintages and a bespoke Bauduc red is the top selling wine in his three Michelin star establishment – still the only London restaurant with that accolade. Our white is also a ‘special selection’ at Rick Stein’s.
Since they bought the Chateau in 1999 the reputation of the Chateau has grown, not an easy task in the competitive marketplace that is Bordeaux. There is a 4-bedroom farmhouse on the estate which
…. is rented out on a weekly basis, overlooks the vineyards and backs on to the farm buildings and chais where the wine is made and aged. This 18th century stone dwelling was completely restored in 2002 with painstaking attention to detail and is a great place to spend a week or two in lovely surroundings.
For more details see www.bauduc.com
Chateau Bauduc, Creon 33670, France T: 00 33 (0)5 56 23 06 05 Email: team@bauduc.com
We keep coming across gites and Bed & Breakfast (Chambres d’Hote) on vineyards in France, but there are obviously some domaines that also offer camping, whether canvas or motorhome.
One such is Chateau de Pennautier in the Cabardes appellation (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) north west of Carcassonne. (see map). We have mentioned this chateau before, partly because its wines are a crossover between the Mediterranean and Languedoc to the east and the Atlantic and South West to the west and also because unusually for a domaine in one of the lesser known appellations, it has really worked on making a visit to the vineyard an all-round experience - rather more than a dank cellar with old vineyard tools and some stainless steel tanks.
They offer a wine bar/restaurant/shop as well as a cellar (not dank!) and now offer a campsite and mobile homes to let as well.
The wines are pretty good too - Majestic Wine (amongst others) stocks the red Château de Pennautier 2006 Cabardès AC, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah and Grenache - a true south/southwest blend.
“Aromas of fresh raspberries and mulberries follow through to a firm, tannic palate, showing the Cabardès appellation at its best.” £5.99
See our customised map of the Aude département.
Regular readers will be aware the the Lot Valley in the South West of France features frequently in these pages - in many ways the essence of “deepest France”, it is less crowded than the Dordogne to the north and yet offers a wide variety of landscapes, pretty villages, great cuisine - and is home to the often under-rated Malbec-based wines of Cahors. Hence an essential recent purchase has been the revised edition of Helen Martin’s Book Lot: Travels Through a Limestone Landscape in SouthWest France
Helen has kindly allowed us to print an extract of the section on Cahors and its wines…….
Lot: Travels Through a Limestone Landscape in SouthWest France
Chapter 8 The Lot Valley: West of Cahors
Below Cahors, the valley of the Lot belongs to the vignerons and the vineyards of the black wine of Cahors, châteaux-country in fact, but in times gone by it also belonged to the bishops of Cahors, who worked and played but mostly – in that great Christian tradition – fought along its banks.
Downstream of Luzech, the really wild cliffs you see to the east of Cahors become a thing of the past, replaced by gentler, graceful slopes, albeit with a certain grandeur to them, that, even though they may end in cliffs, are less formidable and are called cévennes. The river idles its way through the countryside in deep loops, or cingles, and was used as a major artery for transporting goods from the thirteenth century.
Along its banks grow the vines, and it was mostly the wine from these vineyards which used to be sailed downstream to the Garonne and Bordeaux and from thence to the world. The wine of Cahors may have had its ups and down in more recent times, but the Romans were making wine here in the third century and it had something of a reputation even then, so this river trade is very ancient. Finally, though, and in spite of the efforts of competitive Bordeaux wine-makers, it was phylloxera which put paid to the wine, and thus the trade, in the 1880s. By the time it had revived again, there were better means of transport. But even when the river was at the height of its usefulness, transportation was not always guaranteed. You would be surprised to know how many times the Lot froze right over in winter; the end of the eighteenth century was a particularly critical time – in 1766 it was frozen solid for two and a half months.
In the early nineteenth century, on a river much improved with the passage of time by locks and aids to navigation, 300,000 tonnes of freight was carried down it each year, including an astonishing 90 million bottles of wine – three times the number produced today. However, just as it was phylloxera that killed the river’s wine trade, so it was the coming of the railway that killed the river as a serious form of transport. In more recent years, though, it is coming to life again as leisure craft ply their way up and down, no doubt bringing new problems of pollution.
The villages along this western stretch of the river, unsurprisingly enough, are notable for their wine-producers’ houses – usually big and square with bolets or pigeonniers and sometimes both. You will notice, also, the use of decorative brickwork, the bricks being produced along the valley. Read more on this…
P&V have some special offers on their self-catering apartments in various parts of France - but these are limited time offers:-
Book 2 nights and get 2 free or book 1 week and get another whole week free! - offer closes 17th May. Available on 8 Pierre & Vacances residences - CLICk FOR DETAILS
25% off 2 week holidays in August - available between 16th and 30th August - CLICk FOR DETAILS
20% off luxury Adagio Tour Eiffel Aparthotel in Paris - available before 19th May. Includes this bank holiday weekend! 25% off 2 week holidays in August - available between 16th and 30th August - CLICk FOR DETAILS
15% off 4 night breaks at the Latitudes Beach Hotel in stylish Trouville (14 Calvados, Normandie)- available until 13th May - CLICk FOR DETAILS
Bordeaux is a vibrant and elegant city with its wine and maritime heritage and many improvements to make the place more visitor-friendly in recent years. With plenty of budget airline flights into Bordeaux from the UK and an untold number of vineyards and chateaux to visit (some within the city limits) this could make an ideal short break. In a pedestrianised street in the city centre is a beautifully presented 2 bedroom city centre apartment (sleeps up to 4) for short or medium term lets, for business or pleasure
WIFI and telephone available
Our apartment was selected for its location in the heart of the city on the fashionable Rue des Remparts. This pedestrianised street is situated between the prestigious shopping street “Cours de l’Intendance” and the city’s fine Cathedral “St. André”. Rue des Remparts offers a smart selection of bistro restaurants, cafés, boutique clothes and jewellery shops, delicatessen and specialised gift shops.
The apartment is on the second floor of a bourgeois ‘pierre du taille’ (cut local stone) 19th. century building. This beautiful apartment has been beautifully renovated and finished with all-new furnishings, fixtures and fittings.
Offering a beautiful and light, open plan living space of more than 50m². With original wooden floors, high ceilings, marble fireplace and 3 exquisite cast iron ‘Juliette’ balconies overlooking the street.To the rear of the main room a corridor connects to two separate comfortable double bedrooms and a modern shower room. The apartment is fully furnished and equipped to a very high standard, tastefully presented and modern, but in keeping with its period.
For more about the area - see map
For more info use the enquiry form below:-
Another of those books that leaves you yearning for the gentle pleasures of southern France, this one combines the story of setting up a classy B&B in the Tarn département and 100 recipes based on the food of the area. This is the land of Gaillac wines, Albi and the Tarn Valley on the border between the Languedoc and the SouthWest.
While walking in South-west France, cook and journalist Orlando Murrin dreamed up the adventure of a lifetime: why not wave goodbye to the rat race and come to live in this rural paradise, where the only traffic is the boulangerie van delivering baguettes? His book tells the story of how he set up a boutique b&b and includes 100 amazing recipes. …. they set about transforming the dignified old manor house into a phenomenally successful boutique b&b with its own magnificent kitchen garden. A Table in the Tarn charts the discovery, acquisition and renovation of the property. Along the way, we learn about the local food scene, with its astonishingly rich heritage of ingredients and dishes, about working in France and coping with the famous French bureaucracy, and about the unforeseen delight of working with the locals.Four years on, with countless plaudits and a coveted entry in the classy Mr and Mrs Smith directory, the business attracts visitors from around the world and continues to be a gastronomic destination for anyone seeking peace, tranquillity and above all fantastic food.
As former editor of the BBC Good Food Magazine and Olive Magazine, the owners know something about food and the recipes sound very enticing - Roast Pigeon breasts in Armagnac!
So now you can read the book, try the recipes and stay in the Manoir! The Manoir des Raynaudes is near Carmaux (81 Tarn, Midi-Pyrenees) - see our map of the Tarn and its attractions
A Table in the Tarn: Living, Eating and Cooking in South-west France
Le Manoir de Raynaudes, 81640 Monestiès T: 0033 563 36 91 90 F:0033 563 36 92 09
www.raynaudes.com
In the vicinity you’ll find the delights of the cathedral city of Albi (home of the Albigensian crusades against the Cathar “heretics”, a Toulouse-Lautrec museum - and you could pop in and taste the wines of one of the best Gaillac AC wine producers (red, white, sparkling and rosé) at Domaine de Labarthe at Castanet.
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 you want!).
Allez Vins! used to import wines from this domaine when it was run by its previous owners, but now it is being run organically under the title “Wild Earth Vineyards” by the enthusiastic and innovative new owners, Sean and Caroline Feely.
The Grape Escape, our well-equipped 4-person gite (self-catering holiday house) is surrounded by organic vineyards and offers fabulous views across the Dordogne valley. It is semi-detached from the main farmhouse facing onto the courtyard on one side and onto the vines on the two sides built out over the vineyard.
As our guests, you are very welcome to spend time with us to learn about our wine and winemaking, taste our wines and perhaps even take part in vineyard or winery activity depending on the time of year and your energy!
No chance for me to taste their wine yet - they produce red, rosé and white Bergerac AC wines and semi-sweet and botytised dessert Saussignac AC wines. (If you want to try them they will be showing their wines at the Real Food Festival at Earls Court, London from 24-27 April 2008).
For more info on the gite, wines and other offerings contact Chateau Haut Garrigue
| April 8, 2008 | to | April 12, 2008 |
With the arrival of Spring comes a celebration of Birds and Wildlife in Picardie ( Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature) from 12 - 20 April 2008. Forget the stereotyped connotations of Picardy, the Somme and northern France, this is an area of lakes, sanddunes, cliffs and gentle river valleys which is a haven for birds and wildlife - fantastic walking country, glorious seascapes and plenty of paths for hiking and rambling, and an extensive network of cycle paths. Whilst it may lack the best of the weather and has few exciting towns, the countryside is well worth a visit - especially as it is so close to the Channel ports of Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe and Le Havre.
The festival itself will offer guided walks, exhibitions, films and workshops, but the landscape and wildlife are the main attractions.
For more info on the Festival see www.festival-oiseau-nature.com/
For more info on the region generally see www.picardietourisme.fr
For somewhere a little different to stay in Picardie you could try the Belle Dune self-catering Holiday Village.
Belle Dune is one of Pierre & Vacances’ most popular self catering holiday villages in France. Built in the 20th Century style of the Picardy region, the village nestles in a preserved natural area of sand dunes, is surrounded by a large lake and flanked by one of France’s finest golf courses. On-site activities are numerous, the beach is accessible by train plus a mini-market and an English pub.
For more info and special offers see P&V
Book your cross-channel ferry online -
| Ferry to France by AFerry.to |
Two of the lesser-known wine appellations of Southwest are Marcillac AOC and Entraygues-et-Fel VDQS both of which are in Aveyron (12, Midi-Pyrenees) in the Upper Lot Valley. One way of getting to know the region (and its wines) is by renting one of three charming 200+ year-old restored cottages nestled on the hillsides near the Lot River. These rental cottages offer beautiful interiors, lovely views and relaxing ambiance.All of the “Sweet French Cottages” are located in the area that boasts 10 of “The Most Beautiful Villages in France,” more than any other region so you can just imagine how beautiful it is! Many historic sites, castles, forests, walking paths, hiking trails, wine tasting, restaurants, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing and golf or just sit and enjoy the views! Gorgeous village of Entraygues-sur-Truyere offers full services and is only minutes away.
All cottages are newly renovated to a high standard by the owner-designer, and are fully outfitted for self catering. Each has beautiful, comfortable interiors with antiques and quality furnishings. Many original features including stone exteriors, slate roofs, wood beam ceilings, fireplaces, handmade terracotta tile floors or pine floors. Delightful river, castle and forest views.
The owners are a Californian couple , Lance and Rain Odeja who have embraced the French way of life with great enthusiasm and will offer you a warm welcome and give you plenty of advice on what to do and where to go in this region.
See our customised map of the Aveyron
