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Jancis Robinson in the Financial Times (12 May 08) talks about the growing number of Brits who have followed their dream and bought a vineyard in France.

It is hardly surprising then that a substantial proportion of the hundreds of thousands of Brits who own French property have been tempted by the apparently bucolic life of a vigneron……
Are there any French winemakers left down there?
I asked Walter McKinlay, whose Domaine de Mourchon southern Rhône wines are some of the most successful from a British domaine, whether his Domaine de Mourchon wines were financially viable. He frowned. “Just about,” he said cautiously, then smiled. “But it’s a lovely lifestyle though.”

My own observation would be that it can be incredibly hard work and despite the attractions of the climate, landscape and the French way of life, it can also be very stressful. And as with all winemakers, a bad harvest, particularly in the early years can be devastating.

So, here’s our list of British vineyard owners (and 1 Irish couple) - that we are aware of (not an exhaustive list I am sure). Visits can be much more informative if the language is no barrier:-

Domaine de Laroux - Cotes de Gascogne, Armagnac (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) - Nick and Karen Kitchener
Chateau Haut Garrigue - Bergerac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - Sean and Caroline Feely (the Irish couple running an organic vineyard also known as Wild Earth Vineyards)
Domaine de Fontenay - Cote Roannaise AC (42 Loire, Rhone-Alpes) - Simon and Isabelle Hawkins

Chateau Richard - Bergerac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - Richard Doughty

Domaine de Merchien - Coteaux du Quercy and beer! (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees - David & Sarah Meakin

Clos d’Yvigne - Cotes de Bergeac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - Patricia Atkinson

Chateau des Milles Anges - Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Cadillac AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Heather van Ekris

Chateau Lezongars - Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Philip and Sarah Iles

Chateau Teyssier - Saint Emilion Grand Cru AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Jonathan and Lyn Maltus

Chateau de Sours - Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Esme & Sara Johnson

Domaine Gourdon - Cotes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) - John Coulthard
Domaine du Grand Mayne - Cotes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) - Andrew Gordon
Domaine de Begude - Limoux AC (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) - Catherine and James Kinglake
Domaine de Mourchon - Cotes du Rhone Seguret AC (84 Vaucluse, Provence) - Walter McKinley
Maison des Bulliats - Regnie AC Beaujolais (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) - Fred and Helen Lockwood
Chateau Méaume - Bordeaux Superieure AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Alan and Sue Johnson-Hill

Domaine a Sauvageonne - Coteaux du Languedoc AC, Vin de Pays d’Oc (34 Herault, Languedoc - Roussillon) - Gavin Crisfield

Domaine Sainte Rose - Vin de Pays d’Oc (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) - Charles and Ruth Simpson

Chateau Bauduc - Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Gavin and Angela Quinney

Domaine Sainte Croix - Corbieres AC (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) - Jon & Elizabeth Bowen

Chateau Monplaisir - Bergerac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - David and Helen Baxter

Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) is another of the growing number of city bike hire schemes which have blossomed throughout France - and which potentially offer a different way of visiting many of France’s cities. It has also given employment to those creative people who dream up catchy logos and names for such schemes!

It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme - an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success.

Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.

You need to subscribe, but for visitors there are 1-day and 7-day subscriptions and after the first 30 minutes you pay by the half-hour - e.g. a 90-minute hire will cost just €3 and you can pick up and drop off your bike at any of the hundreds of self-service stations across the city.

The Velib’ scheme has been based on a similar scheme VeloV in Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) France’s second city. The combination of these eco-friendly and fitness focussed schemes is now spreading throughout France:-
VeloCite in Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) and Besancon (25 Doubs, Franche-Comté)
Vhello in Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Le Velo in Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Velo in Toulouse (34 Haut Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)
Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Val de Loire)
Rouen (76 Seine Maritime, Normandy)
Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine)
Velostan in Nancy (54 Meurthe et Moselle, Lorraine)
Velo+ in Orleans (45 Loiret, Centre)
Velomagg in Montpellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon)

This is clearly a popular scheme, mainly aimed at local residents but may also offer a different way of seeing some of France’s major cities from a different perspective. However, I would recommend choosing a city with good cycle lanes and paths - you do get the impression that traffic in many of France’s cities is not very forgiving with errant cyclists - so do not try cycling around the rond-point of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!!

Inevitably there are some urban myths developing - such as the fact that there are always plenty of bikes at the bottom of the Butte de Montmartre, but none at the top - for obvious reasons. And you can get caught out in busy locations if you cannot find an empty slot in which to return your bike!

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Information on domestic flights in France is not easy to come by, one reason being that Air France has such a dominant position in France and already have flights on most internal routes.
Plus the French market is not as competitive. The French Railway system between major cities is both fast and competitive, especially if starting from Paris.
I have only been able to uncover a couple of airlines which offer domestic flights in France:-
http://www.easyjet.com/ - Toulouse to Lyon, Paris, Nice to Paris; Lyon to Biarritz, Bordeaux; Biarritz to Paris

http://www.twinjet.net/
Toulouse (32 Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse, Brest; Marseille to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse; Paris - Perigueux, Cherbourg

http://www.airlinair.fr/ Brest,(29 Finistere, Brittany) Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine), Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes), Poitiers (86 Vienne, Poitou-Charentes), Brive (19 Correze, Limousin) Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) etc

http://www.ryanair.com/ now also has links from Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) to Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas de Calais) and Brest (29 Finistere, Brittany)

You can try sites like http://www.expedia.fr/ but even a price comparison site like http://www.baisse-de-prix.com/voyages.php seems to offer little new – it looks like Air France have cornered the market with little opportunity for discounting.

The Vignerons Independents, the body representing independent winemakers, holds a number of wine fairs (Salons) in Spring and Autumn each year, which are open to the public and give you the opportunity to taste from a wide selection of vineyards from every region of France, meet the winemakers and purchase wines at cellar door prices.

For autumn 2008 the dates are as follows:-

30 Oct - 3 Nov 2008 - Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) - Hall Tony Garnier

7 - 10 Nov 08 - Reims ( 51 Marne, Champagne) - Parc des Expositions

14-17 Nov 08 - Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) - Grand Palais

27 Nov - 1 Dec 08- Paris (75 Paris, Ile de France) - Porte de Versailles

For more info see www.vigneron-independant.com (in French)

If you are visiting Lille, there is a good B&B on the tram route to the city centre - see Alix’s Garden

Salons des Vins (Wine Fairs) - Vignerons Independants (Independent Wine Makers) 2007.
Open to the public, a small charge gives you access to hundreds of wines and winemakers from all over France. Here you can taste and buy wines, often at cellar door prices - as long as you can carry them. Meet the winemaker, discover new wines - enjoy!

Rennes (35 Ile-et-Villaine, Bretagne) 13-15 April 2007
Lyon (69 Rhône, Rhône-Alpes) 25-29 October 2007
Reims (51 Marne, Champagne-Ardenne) 9-12 November 2007
Lille (59 Nord, Nord Pas-de- Calais)16-19 November 2007
Paris (Porte de Versailles) 22-26 November 2007

The number of budget airline routes to France from the UK is continuing to grow, as is the number of French destinations - no longer restricted to the major cities. This really does open up some of the less well-known parts of France.
The list below shows the extent of the coverage - and this excludes flights to Paris which are available from most local airports. Some flights are seasonal, so please check with the airline for timetables and availability.

Every year the city of Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) stages a remarkable festival of lights, its Fete des Lumières - this year the festival is taking place from Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th December 2006.
“A path of light will go all the way from the plateau of the Croix-Rousse down to the Place Carnot.” originally established to celebrate the anniversary of the unveiling of a statue of the Virgin Mary on the Fourvière hillside - a celebration of thanks to the Virgin Mary, who purportedly saved the city from a deadly plague in the Middle Ages. Every house on the route has a candle in the window which together with the torchlit parade provides a stunning winter spectacle. Other sites in the city will also be floodlit, such as the Church of Saint Nizier and the hill of Fourvière, City Hall (Hotel de Ville) and several bridges over the river Rhone.
Lyon, of course prides itself as being the gastronomic capital of France, so it is awash with plenty of restaurants and “Bouchons, small intimate bistros serving local Lyonnais fare - lots of local pork for the famous Lyon sausages; andouillette à la lyonnaise (a sausage stuffed with tripe, veal and served with fried onions), salade lyonnaise (lamb and chicken liver). For wine there is a wide choice from Beaujolais to the north and the northern Rhone to the south - the local Coteaux du Lyonnais AC is a light Gamay red, little seen elsewhere. (although the Wine Society stocks one) Parts of the old town (Vieux Lyon) are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site with their narrow passageways (traboules) that pass through buildings and link the streets either side.
For more info see www.en.lyon-france.com

Gauloise cigarettes, the Morris columns and now the iconic French (well, mainly Parisian) urinal is under threat. There is apparently only one of the original Vespassienne edifices left - designed by no less than Eiffel (of Tower fame) and that is in poor condition (near the Sante prison).

Named after the Roman Emperor Vespasian, whose footnote in history is that he was the first to introduce a tax on toilets, this has always been a spectacularly French and male edifice. Usually smelly in the extreme, these urinals (pissoirs) offered a minimum of discretion to both users and passers-by. By comparison the Victorians provided Britain with a pretty good system of public conveniences which is seldom matched “sur le continent”, and which probably spoils the visitor to French shores. Even where they are provided in France they are often a rude shock to the uninitiated - I’ll say no more on that subject!

In Paris and other big cities they have been largely replaced by the “Sanisette” - the tardis-like self-cleaning booths which even adorn British streets. I’ve always been terrified that either the cleaning cycle would start too soon, or that I’d get locked in - I would probably prefer a Vespassienne!

BUT the good news is that in Paris the Sanisettes are to be free of charge from now on, instead of charging €0.40 (about 25p) a pee.I have some worries about the reasons for the change of policy - is it for health reasons to encourage the Parisians to go more often? Or is it because the charges discouraged too many people and they have been finding other less environmentally friendly ways of meeting their needs!?

Cafe and bar owners may not be so happy - I know many visitors stop for a coffee/beer etc just in order to use their “facilities”.

Another of those little things which reminds you that France really is a foreign country! - Remember “CLOCHEMERLE”, a fictional story based on a maverick mayor in small Beaujolais town who decides that the erection of a magnificent municipal urinal in the town square is a perfect symbol to celebrate the virtues of the Republic - civic mayhem ensues. Although the screenplay was by Brits the original story was by a Frenchman!!

The original basis for “Clochemerle” was the village of Vaux-en-Beaujolais (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) in the western part of the Beaujolais vineyard. The village trades outrageously on the fame of the novel written by Gabriel Chevalier in 1934.