Les
Cerisier: It has taken two years to lovingly
restore the Les Cerisier from a ruin. Set in a tiny hamlet
surrounded by rolling hills, the views are truly stunning.
The house offers an open and airy atmosphere and is
flooded with light .There are wood floors throughout the
spacious living rooms. It is superbly equipped with a
newly fitted dining kitchen and two luxury bathrooms. All
care has been taken with the furnishings to make your stay
as comfortable as possible. The area is very restful and
quiet although there is plenty to do and see not far away
by car. Golf is available at Brive.
Swimming / kayaking /
fishing / and horse riding. The area offers excellent
scenic walks and is good for cycling. It is a very
historical area and superb for exploring. There are many
gastronomic restaurants to suit all tastes.
Le Petit
Maison: This beautifully restored cottage is full
of character and ideal for a 'get away from it all
holiday.' The house is furnished with comfort in mind and
ease of living with a touch of luxury. Le Bouix is a very
quiet hamlet and has lovely views and a tranquil
atmosphere. There are plenty of activities available if
you feel so inclined not far away by car and wonderful
eating experiences at the many restaurants in the area.
Golf is available at Brive. There are lots of historical
places to visit and walking and cycling is a joy here.
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"Make a getaway to Limousin and plunge
into the most lush vacation destination you could
imagine - a land of trees, water and pure, clean air.
The Limousin region, on the western slopes of the
Massif Central, attracts visitors in search of
unspoiled countryside. Almost entirely covered by a
thick carpet of vegetation, lit up by a large number
of rivers and lakes, Limousin is a haven of profoundly
harmonious landscapes.Situated in the foothills of
the Massif Central, Limousin is a paradise for nature
lovers. Famous for ‘Limoges’ porcelain and ‘Aubusson’
tapestries, it also offers many natural heritage sites
(Dordogne Valley, Regional Parks of Millevaches and
Périgord-Limousin) and some of the “Prettiest Villages
of France”.
Made up of still lakes, fast flowing streams, gentle
rolling valleys and forested hills Limousin has only
recently become popular with tourists looking for
off-the-beaten track holidays where the quintessential
old-fashioned image of rural France still exists.
Discover its medieval villages, granite churches,
magnificent countryside and mouth-watering cuisine at
your leisure. Enjoy!"
UKfranceguide.com
"Neglected and driven past, Limousin has only
recently become popular with tourists looking for
off-the-beaten track holidays where the quintessential
old fashioned image of rural France still exists.
Limousin cattle graze on the pasturelands, sheep
roam over the lower slopes of the Cévennes and the
rivers and lakes teem with fish. Increasingly they
teem with practically every form of outdoor water
activity imaginable, from fishing to kayaking.
| It’s fairly
remote, refreshingly underpopulated with
clutches of villages and towns that seemingly
have changed little in hundreds of years.
Traditional crafts such as tapestry and
weaving have seen a resurgence due largely to
some modern innovations and enamelled
cloisonné jewellery being back in demand."
Discover-france.info |
|
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Les Cerisiers and Le Petit Maison gites offer wonderful self catering
holidays and vacations in Limousin, the Dordogne area. Explore the
beautiful countryside and relax in the well equipped andcomfortable
gites.
Some useful information:
Wikipedia:
The
Limousin region is almost entirely an upland area. The lowest land is in
the north-west of the region (approximately 250 m above sea level) and
the highest land is roughly in the south-east (approximately 1000 m
above sea level). However, the greater part of the region is above 350
m. There are numerous important rivers in the Limousin such as the
Dordogne,
Vienne,
Creuse and
Cher. The region
is well-known for the high-quality of its water and for offering first
rate fishing.
Although summer temperatures often exceed 32
°C – and have
even reached 42 °C – the Limousin region has a damper and milder climate
than its neighbours. Winters are often long and cold, especially in the
higher areas, and snow is not at all uncommon.
The
area around Brive in the Corrèze has more than 2000 hours per year of
sunshine, the same as the southern city of
Toulouse.
The
Dordogne is a region of South West France between the
Loire valley and
the High
Pyrénées named
after the great river that runs through it. Locally it is known as the
Périgord. This dates back to when the area was inhabited by the
Gauls: four
tribes lived there, and the name for "four tribes" in the Gaulish
language was "Petrocore", which eventually became the Périgord and its
inhabitants became the Périgordin. There are four Périgords in the
Dordogne: the "Périgord Vert" (Green Périgord) with its main town of
Nontron, consists
of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams; the "Périgord
Blanc" (White Périgord) situated around the regions capital of
Périgueux, is a
region of limestone plateaux, wide valleys and meadows; the "Périgord
Pourpre" (Purple Périgord) with its capital of
Bergerac, is a
wine region; and the "Périgord Noir" (Black Périgord) surrounding its
capital of
Sarlat, overlooks
the valleys of the
Vézère and the
Dordogne, where the woods of Oak and Pine give it its name.
The
Petrocores took part in the resistance against Rome. Concentrated in two
or three major sites are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period - the
gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Dordogne (formerly Vesone), the
Dordogne museum's archaeological collections, villa remains in Montcaret
and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle in Villetoureix. The first
cluzeaux, or artificial caves either above or below ground, are found
throughout the Dordogne. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts
could shelter entire populations. According to Julius Caesar the Gauls
took refuge there.
In addition
to its castles, chateaux, churches, Bastides and cave fortresses.
Dordogne has preserved from centuries past, a number of wonderful
villages which still have their market hall, dovecotes, Tories (stone
huts), church, abbey and castle (s). Saint-Leon-sur-Vezere, Conclat,
Saint-Jefm-de-Cole, La Roque-Gageac and many others are real jewels of
architecture. As for the old quarters of Dordogne or Bergerac, restored
and developed into pedestrian areas, they have regained their former
charm. A number of small towns, such as Brantôme, Issigeac. Eymet and
Mareuil, have with-stood the often brash changes of modern times. A
special mention should be made in this respect to Sarlat and Black
Périgord.
Dordogne is one of the original 83 departments created during the
French Revolution
on
March 4,
1790. It was
created from the
former province
of
Périgord, the
county of Périgord.
Books to read:
The Rough Guide to The Dordogne and the Lot is the insider's
handbook to one of France's most compelling regions. A
full-colour section introduces the region's highlights, from the
vineyards of Bordeaux to the prehistoric cave paintings of the
Vezere Valley. The guide provides in-depth coverage of all these
activities and sights, and many more, including the Dordogne
valley's magnificent chbteaux and renowned local markets. The
authors provide practical advice on navigating the region's
waterways, whether by canoe or canal boat. For all corners of
the region, there are authoritative reviews of the best places
to eat, drink and stay, from humble B&B 's to Michelin-starred
restaurants. Finally, the contexts section provides incisive
background on the region's history, culture, festivals and
superb cuisine.
More
details
The rough guide to the Dordogne & the Lot
Published by Rough Guides, 2004
ISBN 1843532484, 9781843532484
|
About.com:
The idea of
a self catered vacation - renting a local home or apartment by the week
or month in Europe - is catching on big time, especially in places like
Italy and France.
Self
catering can save you money, especially if you eat some of your meals
in, and allows you to explore an area more fully than you might if you
were stuck in hotels. You'll can have the experience of going to the
local open air market and actually planning a meal rather than just
gawking.
Most
vacation rentals offer excellent examples of traditional construction,
often featuring recent restorations that bring out the finest details of
local housing construction combined with modern facilities.
The
Dordogne département (24) is found within the Aquitaine region of the
southwest corner of France. Most French people refer to the area as the
Périgord, a name used for the region before the French revolution; the
region changed its name to the Dordogne in 1790.
Why come to
the Dordogne? Well, the beauty of the region is unsurpassed; rivers cut
through limestone, leaving fantastic cliffs people have built around and
into for thousands of years. The vast system of caves below the earth
hold art so old it's difficult to think that people could have been so
talented back then. And the cuisine is one of the best in all of the
world. After all, the Perigord is known for Truffles and foie gras, two
of the most sensuous tastes on the planet. You'll find lots of duck and
goose cooked in interesting ways.
There are
many chateau in the Dordogne as well, a density similar to the famous
Loire castles, just less visited.
The
Dordogne is just inland from Bordeaux, so wine is no problem. Famous
dessert wine is produced at Monbazilac, and cheap, adequate reds are
produced around Bergerac.
The
Dordogne is compact and full of things to do. It's a great place to take
the kids.
Next, we'll
view a map of the Dordogne region and I'll show you what you can do in a
very small part of the Dordogne, the Perigord Noir, where
prehistoric folks found canvases for their extraordinary art in Lascaux
and other painted and engraved caves
Gites -
Self Catering Vacation Rentals
I know that
after a week or two of staying in a rural hotel each night, I'm going to
want to bed down somewhere for a protracted time to get my bearings, and
to wash out some clothes. That's where the gite comes in.
A Gite is
the French term for a vacation house. You can rent them by the week from
web sites like Gite de France. It's pretty much the same deal as Logis
de France--a good site with lots of tourism information for all regions
of France, as well as some categories offering suggestions for people
with small children and camping on the farm.
Gîte
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
A gîte, (masculine
gender,
pronounced
[ʒit])
is a
French
holiday home that is available for rent. Gîtes are usually
fully-furnished and equipped for self-catering. Many owners
choose to handle their own rentals and you can find these by
searching online on the multitude of gite listing sites or by
checking with the local tourist information office.
Technically speaking to be called a gîte the owner must live
close by in order to provide help, assistance and a warm welcome
to guests. Gîtes are generally old farmworkers' cottages or
converted outbuildings and barns within the proximity of the
owners' principal residence. This type of holiday accommodation
is sometimes regarded as 'basic' in terms of facilities, however
most gîtes are generally very well kept and a growing number
will have excellent facilities such as fully fitted kitchens,
en-suite bathrooms, TV, DVD and access to a swimming pool or
other sporting activities. The term gîte nowadays encompasses
most forms of holiday cottage and even holiday flats or
apartments.
The
original term Gite means quite simply a form of shelter. Gites
today vary from being luxury holiday homes to very very basic
apartments. Some Gites don't provide linen as standard, so many
gite holiday makers take their linen with them. However many
gite owners do include linen or at least the option of linen.
Gîtes are encouraged by the local tourist board and planning
authorities as they attract investment and tourism.
All
gîte owners are required to ensure that their gites are safe and
comply with the necessary rules, regulations and insurance
requirements.
Gîte classes
A
number of classes of 'gîte' are defined and graded by Gîtes
de France. These are:
- Gîte Rural
-
Offers self-catering accommodation located in the countryside,
by the sea, or in the mountains. The gite is completely self
contained with one or more bedrooms, a lounge or dining room,
a kitchen and bathroom facilities.
- Chambres
d'Hôtes
-
Bed and Breakfast (B&B) the French way. Stay as a guest in a
private home with a full breakfast provided. Some hosts offer
Table d'Hôtes which provide either full or half-board.
If Table d'Hôtes is not available there is usually a
local restaurant available for evening meals.
Words you might
search for: "Gites, holiday home rental, holiday, vacation, self
catering, France, Dordogne, Périgord, Limousin, French holiday, Gites
France., gite, rental..."
A Dordogne
climate guide from frenchentree.com
Sun, rain and
temperatures
The Dordogne is the third largest
département in France, with a total area of 9,200
square kilometres. (The first and second largest are the
Gironde, round Bordeaux, and the Landes, to the
southwest.) To understand its structure and climate, you
need to see it as a transitional landscape, changing
from the "Bassin Aquitain" – the coastal plain around
Bordeaux – in the southwest, to the higher country in
the north, culminating in the Limousin and the Massif
Central. The numerous rivers that flow through the
department follow this north/northeast to southwest
trajectory, gradually combining in the Dordogne, which
in turn flows into the Gironde estuary. In the northern
and eastern parts of the department the rivers cut
valleys into the hills. In the south they flow through
broader plains.
A temperate climate, with local variations
Generally the Dordogne enjoys a varied and temperate
climate. If you come from the south of England you will
find that the summers are hotter than in the UK, but
that the winters may be colder. However, within the
department there are variations in weather patterns,
making weather a very local affair, with temperatures
and rainfall varying not only in broad bands across the
department, but also within quite small areas.
These variations are partly influenced by a combination
of airstream coming in from the Atlantic coast to the
west, and the slightly more continental conditions
affecting the east and north, and partly by the
configuration of the landscape and the nature of the
subsoil. The curious result of this is that in the
winter there is more sunshine in the Sarlat area to the
southeast, than in that of Ribérac to the west, where
the greater proximity to the coast makes for a milder
but also cloudier and foggier winter climate. In the
summer, on the other hand, there is more sun in the
southwest of the department – the band stretching up
from Bergerac to Ribérac- than elsewhere.
Rainfall
Average annual rainfall in the department is 860 mm.
This is more than the driest parts of France, such as
the Alsace Plain or even the area around Paris, which
have les than 600 mm, but well below the mountain areas
such as the Alps or the Vosges, where rainfall exceeds
2000 mm on average.
Within the Dordogne, annual rainfall varies, increasing
as you move from the southwest to the northeast – in
line with the increase in height above sea level. Thus
the Dordogne valley in the southwest has 750 mm whereas
the highest parts of the countryside to the north of
Nontron, such as Piégut-Pluviers, have 1160 mm. The
driest part is around Bergerac, followed in turn by
Ribérac, Sarlat, and Nontron. In Bergerac it rains on
average on 112 days in each year – usually more in the
winter months than the summer.
In the summer months, visitors to the region will have
noticed the phenomenon of heat building up to a
crescendo, culminating in a dramatic storm of thunder,
lightning and rain, which clears the air and enables the
pattern to begin again. These storms occur more
frequently in the north and east of the department, but
are a wellknown phenomenon elsewhere.
Temperatures
As with rainfall, so with temperatures. There is an
average differential of about two degrees Centigrade
between the southwest and the extreme northeast, largely
because of the difference in height above sea level. In
the summer months the Bergerac temperature exceeds 30
degrees for about eight days each month. The first
frosts usually appear towards the end of October,
particularly in the narrow valleys in the north and
east, and will continue until the end of April. But
within the department there may be variations of fifteen
days or so for the onset or the end of groundfrost.
The better you know this region of France, the more you
will appreciate its quite astonishing richness and
variety. Don't expect it to be a ceaseless round of
sunny days: the landscape would not be so green if there
were no rain. This can mean that second home owners find
themselves in a cloudy spell when they visit. But on
balance the weather is going to be better than the UK –
and if the weather's disappointing you can always
console yourself with some local foie gras and a bottle
of Bergerac wine!
Antony Mair
1 June 2006
The figures quoted above
have been taken from the official site of
Meteo-France.
|
about-france.com
For a good many
years, British travellers have been
fascinated by, 'the Dordogne",
an area of France that conjures up an image of a return to rural
life at a slow pace; it has even been said that the Dordogne, for
the English, is imagined not really as an area of modern France -
which it is - but more as an imaginary reproduction of a bygone
rural England - which of course it is not - rather like a warmer
and sunnier version of the old Cotswolds, where the houses are
built of honey-coloured stone, the meadows are green and rich,
the locals all friendly and obliging country folk, and bemused
French visitors can actually watch people playing cricket on the
green - which indeed they can! Like Tuscany, the word Dordogne has
become laden with bucolic symbolism and imagery to such an extent
that it is useful to dig well below the surface and clarify what,
exactly, the word "Dordogne" really means, and what this area
really is.
In fact, the word "Dordogne"
has two different meanings. In the oldest sense of the word, it is
a long river, a tributary of the Gironde that rises in the
department of the Puy de Dome, in the mountains of the Auvergne,
and flows down through the regions of
Auvergne,
Limousin,
Midi-Pyrénées and
Aquitaine.
The second meaning of the word is a French department
(county), the "Département de la Dordogne", surrounding a long
stretch of the lower Dordogne between hills and plain.
Virtually the whole area is attractive hill country, full
of old villages, castles, small country towns and plenty of scope
for relaxing and enjoyable holidays. Much of the area,
particularly further into the hills, is very much "off the beaten
track", and just waiting to be discovered.
The department of the Dordogne
(24)
The heart of the "Dordogne" area is, naturally, the
department of the Dordogne, centered on its capital
Perigueux: the French tend
to refer to this area not as "la Dordogne" but as "le Périgord",
and in France the area is most famous for its gastronomic
delights, notably paté de foie gras, walnuts and truffles. For
tourists, the epicentre of this Dordogne is an area known as "le
Périgord noir", situated in
the south east of the department. Centered on the town of Sarlat
and the river Dordogne, this is the classic Dordogne, with its
limestone cliffs, castles (such as Beynac) and picturesque
villages such as Domme and Castelnaud, and also its world-famous
caves with their prehistoric paintings. There is a museum of
prehistory at Les Eyzies, while the grotto at Lascaux boasts the
world's most famous prehistoric cave paintings. On account of the
damage being caused by tourists, the real Lascaux cave, a UNESCO
world heritage site, was closed to visitors back in 1963, but an
exact replica has been carved out underground close to the
original location, and the visitor experience is totally
authentic. There are other prehistoric caves that can be visited
at Font de Gaume and Cap Blanc, and even a prehistoric theme park,
Prehistoparc. Perigord Noir is not a mountain region; it is hill
country, mostly at an altitude of between 200 and 350, metres.
West of Perigord Noir lies
Périgord Pourpre, the area round
Bergerac; this is a low
lying area, the limits of the coastal plain, a region most famous
for its wines and vineyards. As for the north of the department,
this is known as Périgord Vert,
Green Perigord, a greener and more undulating region of small
villages and farms, streams and rivers.
Upstream from the Dordogne department, the hills get
higher and the valley gets deeper. A traveller moving upstream
would reach, in succession, the following departments, which are
described in more detail below:
Lot,
Corrèze,
Cantal,
Puy de Dome.
The department of the Lot (46)
The river Dordogne just passes through the northern tip of
the Lot department; but this is a department that has also become
very popular with visitors from Britain, Holland and other parts,
and the Lot valley in particular has acquired an attraction of its
own. Like the Dordogne, this is limestone country, and until
recent years was actually more off the beaten track than the
Dordogne. The department boasts one of France's major tourist
attractions, the village of Rocamadour, perched up and down a
steep cliff face overlooking the valley of the Ouysse. Like the
Dordogne, the department has a number of spectacular underground
caves, including the Gouffre de Padirac.
In the north west of the department, the land is higher,
rising to 500 metres; but this is still delightful and soft
countryside. The capital of the Lot is the beautiful small city of
Cahors, famous for its
mediaeval streets and its unique surviving 14th century bridge,
the Pont de Valentré.
Cahors was once capital of a region known as the
Quercy, which is nowadays
made up of virtually the whole of the Lot department, plus part of
the Lot et Garonne department to the south west. The name Quercy
derives from the Latin word quercus, meaning an oak tree, and
naturally this is a region rich in oak forests - not the massive
oaks of old England, but smaller oaks of southern Europe. The
Quercy is a limestone plateau, cut through by numerous streams and
rivers.
The Department of Corrèze (19)
Before entering the Lot, the river Dordogne flows through
the department of Corrèze, capital
Tulle, which is administratively part of the Limousin
region. We are now in the Massif Central mountains, and apart from
the western tip of the department, most of the Corrèze lies
between the altitudes of 600 and 800 metres. With higher hills,
the climate is not so dry and hot in summer as the areas to the
south west, and Corrèze boasts a fine collection of very beautiful
small towns and villages, notably Collonges la Rouge - so named
on acount of the red sandstone from which it is built - Curemonte
and Turenne.
Cutting through the south west part of the department, the
river Dordogne passes through some beautiful small towns and
villages, such as Beaulieu and Argentat; and north of Argentat,
the hills get higher and the valley deeper as the traveller enters
the higher reaches of this river, the Dordogne gorges. From near
its source in the Puy de Dôme, down as far as Argentat, the
Dordogne has cut a deep valley through the mountains. Up above,
the plateaux of the western Massif Central offer wide areas of
upland farm country, fields and forests; this is an area which
tends to remain green all through the summer, even in the driest
of years.
The Department of the Aveyron
(12)
The Department of the Aveyron (capital
Rodez) includes much of the
central areas of the valley of the Lot, which is an increasingly
popular area. It is however a very varied department, running from
the low-lying area round Villefranche de Rouergue in the west, an
area similar to the Quercy, to the moors of the Aubrac, at 1200
metres, near Laguiole in the north, the dry uplands of the Causse
du Larzac, near Millau in the east, and the rolling agricultural
countryside, with its fields and hedgerows, almost
English-looking, in a sandstone area known as the Ségala, in the
south. The valley of the Lot runs parallel to that of the
Dordogne, and generally divides the limestone causses area to the
south from the higher mountains to the north. The Lot valley is
low-lying compared to the countrside around it; the traditional
buildings in this area are roofed with local slate or shale.
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