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Places to Visit St Méard de Gurçon St Méard is our local village and just 1 mile from Les Saules. It is at a cross-roads on the road from Ste Foy la Grande to the south and Monpon to the north. From the main Ste Foy la Grande to Montpon road you see St Méard sitting on top of a small hill surrounded by fields. Off to the left, in the direction of Les Saules and Villefranche-de-Lonchat, it is heavily wooded. It is in a wine producing area which increases in concentration as you approach St Emilion, where almost every square metre supports vines. Like lots of villages, St Méard has a pretty stone church. There is a small village shop, two excellent restaurants, post office, tabac and two boulangeries with fabulous bread and gateaux. We often cycle to St Méard in the morning to buy our bagette and croissants! Local amenities
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Ste Foy la Grande The closest town to Les Saules is Ste Foy la Grande, approximately 6 miles away. This busy market town on the Dordogne is actually in the Gironde department. It straddles the river Dordogne and it has our biggest local shops and nearest main-line railway station. Ste Foy is a lovely small town, nestling on the banks of the Dordogne, below the wooded hills to the north of the plains which produce the Bergerac wines. Ste Foy was built as a "bastide", a fortified town, by the English in the 11th Century, and its notable architecture spans the ages from that time right through to the early 20th Century. Porte-Ste-Foy has several hypermarkets and supermarkets, while the old town with its relaxing walks on the banks of the river has several excellent and inexpensive restaurants. One of our favourites is Le Grand Hotel situated along the main shopping street. As well as a good selection of shops and banks, it also has a number of estate agents. One of the outstanding things about Ste Foy is its important Saturday market which fills all the streets of the town centre. Local attractions / amenities
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St Emilion St Emilion is now regarded as one of the top wine-producing districts in France. It lies outside Castillon-La-Battaille in the direction of Bordeaux, just off the road that runs from Bordeaux to Ste Foy-La-Grande and Bergerac, and is about 20 miles from Les Saules. St Emilion is a small pretty town of medieval appearance, built on a hill. Almost every square foot of soil as far as the eye can see is covered with neatly trained vines. The little town is a major tourist centre; the vast Tourist Information Office is called La Maison de Vin, and is the centre for many conducted tours of the town and the vineyards surrounding it. There is car parking both at the foot of the town, and at the top, out of sight of people on foot most of the time. Apart from the stone-built, tile-roofed appearance of the place, its attractions include a wide choice of restaurants, wine merchants (of course), art and craft galleries, and an ancient underground ("trogloditic") church built into the cliff below the very top of the town. Local attractions / amenities
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Montpon Our other local town is Montpon. Montpon grew from the twin villages of Monpon and Menesterol. Montpon is now a market town of 6000 people, and Menesterol is a village amongst pretty scenery on its north west outskirts. Montpon sits 37 miles from Bordeaux. It is now bypassed by a new autoroute, with an interchange just south of the town. Monpon's main claim to fame is as "the Organ Capital of Europe", which means that several of its pretty churches have noteable church organs. What is more likely to attract most people is its position on the edge of the Double Forest, with its long distance walks, cycle ways, canoing, and fishing, and its location on the banks of the River Isle. The Isle is one of the largest and prettiest tributaries of the Dordogne. Monpon's Chandos Leisure Park includes boating facilities. There are a number of places to eat in and around Monpon, and all are good, but we would recommend Auberge de L'Eclade in Menesterol. This has two Michellin "crossed knives and forks", and combines the best standards of French cuisine, Perigordian specialities, and innovative recipes. Montpon is not a centre of tourism, but it is a useful and attractive country town. On the edge of the square on the main road is an excellent and helpful Syndicat d'Initiative (tourist information office). Local attractions / amenities
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Bergerac Bergerac is the second largest town in the Dordogne, second only to the administrative capital, Perigueux. As the centre of a major wine-producing area, with a river port with access to the sea via Bordeaux, Bergerac was formerly the most important town in the region. Now it is a busy market town. Apart from the well-known "Bergerac" wine, the region makes a range of wines including Montravel and Montbazillac. Most of the vineyards lie on the flood plain of the River Dordogne, and on the slopes of the low rolling hills bounding the plain to the north and south. Its harbour on the great River Dordogne helps to explain Bergerac's importance. From here the "gabarres" or river barges carried the wine downstream to the seaport of Bordeaux. Today the gabarres carry tourists up and down the beautiful river. There are many galleries, restaurants and museums. The "old town" lies between the main shopping streets and the river. It is very compact, and is packed with medieval buildings. You can walk along by the river here or take a river trip. Local attractions / amenities
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kirsten@lessaules.co.uk | tel: +44 (0)1793 782603