The area

Lot et Garonne is a department of gently rolling countryside, farmland, vineyards and pretty bastide villages such as Castillonnés, Villereal and Monflanquin, where weekly markets are held in the cobbled squares. There are many good restaurants within easy reach where you can try the local gastronomic delights such as foie gras and confit de canard. This is also the area for walnuts and prunes and on a warm summer evening you can smell the wonderful aroma from the prune ovens in the village.

Your holiday farmhouse - Merle - is in the heart of Aquitaine; 9-10 hours drive from Calais, 8 hours from the Normandy ports and 6½ hours or so from St. Malo. The Aquitaine comprises the departements of Gironde, Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Landes and Pyrenees Atlantique and offers some of the best of France's beaches, countryside, picturesque waterways and great gastronomic traditions.

Lot et Garonne offers many opportunities for scenic walks, cycling and horse riding. There are several golf courses within short driving distance. The Rivers Lot and Dordogne provide swimming and canoeing whilst more extensive water sports are available at nearby leisure lakes - bases loisirs. Other attractions include prehistoric sites, châteaux and many outstanding examples of bastides - ancient fortified towns dating from the 100-Years War. The cobbled squares and streets of these bastides host weekly markets at which farmers, fruit growers and artisans sell their wares - in the summer it is possible to go to a different market every day (ref. Tourist sites).

25 minutes drive south of Bergerac (ref. map) and the famous Château of Monbazillac, St. Colomb de Lauzun is ideal for touring the Dordogne valley and the vineyards of St. Emilion and Bordeaux which are only just over 1 hour's drive away.

3 kms from St. Colomb de Lauzun is the village of Lauzun which has all your basic shopping requirements such as a small supermarket, butcher, baker, pharmacy, newsagents, post-office and bank plus two good restaurants and a café. Also worth a visit is the 14th-17th Century Château. For more extensive shopping try Bergerac, Marmande, Villeneuve-sur-Lot and Bordeaux.

Every village has its own annual fête, and Lauzun has a ‘Gasconnade’ in mid-August. This consists of Vide Greniers (empty your attics), which lines the street all day, offering a wealth of interesting implements, junk and bric à brac to browse through for the much sought after bargain.

~~~~~~~La gasconnade~~~~~~~

There is wine tasting, local produce to sample such as cheese, honey, pates and cakes, and then in the afternoon, a band, dancing, and games for the children. The evening sees 400 people sitting at tables put out in the main street to eat a five-course meal prepared by a local restaurant. The wine flows, the band plays and a good time is had by all!

There is a tiny market on Saturday morning when all the local farmers with a few eggs, or strawberries to spare,

come to sell them, but more importantly, to chat.