Dordogne Getaway

Introduction
Southwest France

Accomodation

Accommodations:

A large entrance hall/study with a double sofa bed, leads onto the main living room, with open fireplace, satellite TV and two double sofa beds. A dining room that seats 14 with ease. The staircase leads from the living room to the upstairs landing. There are 4 large double bedrooms: with 4 double and 2 single beds, numerous cots and a crib and 4 en-suite bathrooms. There are three double bedrooms and a shower room and WC on the third floor. The occupants can also use another bathroom on the ground floor.

The Wing comprises a large living room with open fireplace and 2 double sofa beds. There is a double bedroom (with double bed). A second fully fitted and equipped kitchen. A bathroom and a private walled garden.

The Pigeonnier (converted dovecote) has a vaulted living room with 2 double sofa beds, an open fireplace and a fully fitted and equipped kitchen. There are 2 double bedrooms (1 double and 2 single beds), a bathroom and a private garden. There is a heated outdoor pool and tennis court.
There is a TV (both French and UK satellite) video, DVD and music centre in the living room.  Please help yourself, but be conscious of other people’s choices.  Ask for instruction to use the Satellite TV.

Washing:
Washers and dryers in both kitchens. Please help yourself and please clean up as necessary.

·         Our Dogs:
Please do not feed Ebony or Balthazar at any time.

·         Telephone:
You can use it, but please ask before using.

·         Smoking:
Please do not smoke in the bedrooms and bathrooms! Otherwise, in the communal areas please feel free to do so, but please first ask your fellow guests - especially at meal time!

Meal Times:

Breakfast @ 8h30

Lunch – picnics or at le Bourdil between 12h00 and 14h00

Apertifs/drinks - 19h30

Dinner between 20h00 and 20h30.  8 p.m approximately

Cuisine:  One of the highlights of your stay will be relaxing in the lounge with a drink after the day's exertions, discussing the day's events, before enjoying a delicious dinner based on regional cuisine such as duck, foie gras, truffles, asparagus and strawberries served with a variety of excellent local wines. All this prepared by our local cook. You will also be invited to have one meal out in a pre selected restaurant which is included in your holiday price. Vegetarians and special diets can be well catered for at the house as long as we receive sufficient prior warning, so please make sure that these are included on the booking form if this is important to you.

Note: Continental Breakfasts are served with croissants, bread, butter and  a selection of jams, muesli, yoghurts, fruit, juices and coffee and tea (Les petits déjeuners sont servis avec les croissants, pain, beurre, une sélection de confitures, muesli, yaourts, fruits, jus de fruits, café et thé)

Note: Wednesday is the non riding day when guests can go out for lunch and dinner (Le mercredi c'est le jour de repos des clients et des chevaux où vous mangez à l'exterieur).

Note: All dinners are served with the finest local Bergerac wines, red, rose and white, beer and soft drinks in unlimited quantities (Tous les dîners sont accompagnés du vin local de Bergerac rouge, rosé et blanc, bière et des boissons non alcoolisées en quantités ilimités).

Sample Menu

 

This trip includes some wine with dinner and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding

The Riding

This riding holiday is centred in and around the spectacular countryside of the Dordogne in south-western France, near the town of Bergerac. From the moment you leave the stables (on the same grounds as the beautiful manor where you will be staying) you will be riding through thousands of hectares of the region's most beautiful private estates.  We have taken great care to plan the rides - different each day - to ensure that experienced riders have the opportunity to enjoy long energetic trots and exciting canters.  Each ride allows for approximately 3 hours riding in the morning and 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon.  With between 4 and 6 hours spent in the saddle each day, riding across varied terrain, riders need to be reasonably fit and competent, and confident at walk, trot and canter in open country. We try our best to match riders of similar ability, so please be honest in filling out the application form, as less experienced riders may hold others back and not get the most from their horse or the rides.  We also regret that we cannot accept absolute beginners or any riders under 12 years old, and we normally impose a weight limit of around 96kg (210lbs or 15 stone).

The Horses

We are convinced that if the horses could talk they would agree with us that they live a charmed life. Their home is a recently converted 18th century barn. There are 11 spacious loose -boxes, with deep straw beds and open bars in between so they can see and talk to each other. They also spend a great deal of time grazing in the paddocks behind the house and paddling in the lake. Although they can't tell you, we can assure you all our horses are happy, fit, and strong. They are well motivated, well schooled and well behaved, and extremely well loved.  They are mainly a mixture of saddle horses and arab crosses, specialised in trekking, with pretty calm temperaments, very reliable and not easily spooked. We can assure you they are also definitely not 'nose-to-tail' trekking types. The saddles are specialised French trekking saddles ( Forestier, Gaston- Mercier etc) and are very comfortable.  We can select your horses from a wide range, always according to the experience and ability of the riders, which is why it is important to complete the booking questionnaire as fully and honestly as possible.  It is as important to us as it is to you that you and your horse are well suited and will get on well from the start. (On the first day we insist all riders must try out their horse in the paddock behind the house before setting off on the ride).

Hard hats: please wear one at all times when riding. 

Misc: A mounting block is available – Please ask for it. No smoking allowed in the stable yard. The fence and also the meadow behind the lake are electrified at night. Antoine is responsible for our safety and the well being of the horses. You will be given a prepared statement to read before getting on your horse.

Itinerary

Day 1  Saturday You will be met at the railway station or the airport in Bergerac and transferred to the manor house for dinner and to settle in for the week. Alternatively, people can arrive directly by car to the Bourdil around 17.00.

Day 2  After breakfast at the house, we head for the stables to meet the horses and try them in the paddock under the expert eye of your riding guide Antoine. Then set off by car at about 10.30 to visit the street market in Issigeac which is great fun and full of local color. Enjoy morning shopping in the market before returning to the house for an early lunch followed by some horseback riding. Return to the manor house in the late afternoon for drinks and dinner with your host Jane. Overnight at the manor house.

Day 3 Breakfast at the house, then mount up and set off riding. Today's route takes you through the village of Lamonzie Montastruc and across la Forêt de Liorac to the private Chateau Garraube with its formal gardens, then on to the pretty village of Saint Marcel du Perigord where you stop for a picnic lunch near a stream. After lunch we ride on to Pressignac-Vicq where the horses will stay overnight. Return to your accommodations by car and Bernadette will cook a delicious, typical local dish to be washed down with some great local wines! Dinner and overnight.

Day 4 Breakfast and drive back to Pressignac-Vicq to meet the horses. Today’s ride takes you down to the Dordogne River - a spectacular ride with wonderful views. You will stop on the bank of the river for a drink and a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, a ride back to Pressignac-Vicq by a sharply contrasting route with the opportunity for a few good canters. Car transfer back for a well earned drink before dinner and comfortable night sleep.

Day 5  Wednesday Breakfast before returning to the horses and riding them back home through the forests to the manor. Stop for a delicious picnic lunch along the way arriving at Le Bourdil in time to change and relax before enjoying another delicious dinner. Overnight.

Day 6  Set off on a morning ride through the forests and vineyards either to Chateau Tiregand (owned by the Saint-Exupéry family, one of whom wrote the well known children’s book, 'Le Petit Prince') or to Les Terres Vieilles. Both produce excellent local wines and there will be time for an informal, but informative wine tasting before riding back for lunch.
The afternoon is free for sightseeing or to relax. Jane will discuss the options and will happily arrange group visits to local sites of interest, book restaurants and organize hire cars - or you can just relax at the house, using the heated swimming pool and tennis court or perhaps trying the boat on the lake - the choice is yours. Dinner is not included today and will be eaten out, either on the way back from the places you visit or you will be driven to a local restaurant, or even at the manor house if someone wants to cook!

Day 7 After breakfast, a stroll from the dining room to the stable yard to mount up for your last day’s riding. The route takes you through the Caudeau Valley visiting the villages of Montclard, Saint Georges, St Martin des Combes and Clermont Beauregard and passing the Chateau de la Gaubertie stopping at another idyllic picnic site.  Home for dinner and your last night's sleep.

Day 8 Saturday  Departure after breakfast and transfer to the train station or airport in Bergerac.

**Subject to changes.

Rates and Dates for Dordogne Getaway

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Railway station or the airport in Bergerac
Airport: Bergerac
Transfer: Bergerac airport or train station

Climate:

The Dordogne is a region of many faces in its geographical features and climate. The temperate climate is evident throughout the Périgord with the gentle winters and moderate summer temperatures.  The position of the valleys, the rolling hills, the profile and position of the forested hillsides, the clear felled land and the lakes all create a range of particular climatic zones.  Summers are generally hot and dry.

Please Note: Bring some cash to buy things in local markets, for tips, for taxis...light meals when traveling. It is possible to do laundry if need be.