Home description

The house is built against the old village ramparts and is only about 100metres from the village square and all its amenities - so you can walk to the bakers for the breakfast bread and croissants and return to eat them sitting on the south facing patio. The house is stone built and has been completely restored to a very high standard retaining many  of the original timbers.
 

The patio leads out of the living room and has garden furniture and a barbecue. There is also a double garage and a small public garden nearby where the game of boules is often played.

Accommodation detail

The house has modern beds and comfortable chairs, a gas cooker, refrigerator, freezer. a washing machine, modern plumbing and electric radiators in all rooms and a wood burning stove in the sitting room and as a result is suitable for out of season letting.

Accommodation comprises the following:

• Spacious living room divided from the kitchen/dining room by the original beams
• Bedroom 1 – double bed (there is also a cot)
• Bedroom 2 – three single beds
• Lavatory
• Bathroom with bath and shower unit, lavatory and washbasin

 

About the location

History, Natural History, Good Food, Wine, Armagnac

The house is built against the rampart wall of the village in a quiet street.  A lot of local traffic is agricultural especially in harvest time when the grapes are being transported around.  The area is becoming quite popular with tourists in high summer, many of whom are from other parts of France though many nationalities can be heard.  At other times of the year the village is very quiet.  The Gers is a sparsely populated area and is never crowded. The attractive, gently rolling countryside is covered with  vineyards, woods and sunflowers and dotted with chateaux, bastide villages and small market towns.

The bastides were built in the 13^th - 14^th centuries and Montreal, which was the first to be built in the Gers, being founded in 1255, is one of the finest, sitting on a hill, with an arcaded market square and 13^th century fortified church. It is a good centre for exploring this corner of rural France, with its long and turbulent history, fine architecture, traditional regional cuisine specializing in dishes with duck, foie gras and Armagnac and for natural history. 

There is a lively local community and a variety of local fetes, festivals, concerts etc., to attend especially in July and August. The area has many excellent restaurants and very drinkable wines (Cotes de Gascogne, Buzet, Cotes de Saint Mont and Madiran) can be bought at the local vineyards or co-operatives for significantly less than in UK, with a generous tasting first.   The epicerie in the village has an excellent selection of local wines making it easy to try at home first if you wish.  The wild flowers in late Spring, including orchids, are especially attractive and red squirrels (which can be seen in the trees at the back of the house), woodpeckers and buzzards are also to be seen.

The Village

The village, which has a population of about 1,200 is served by a grocer, butcher and a baker. There is also a post office, bank, chemist, newsagent, two medical practices, dentist and a small tourist information office.  A small Friday morning market brings some good stalls to the village (fish, cheese and vegetables).

The  restaurant 'Chez Simone' is only three minutes walk from the house while in the square there is another restaurant, L'Escale, where you can sit under the arcades. There is also a cafe in the square where you can sit and  watch the world go by.

The Gallo-Roman villa of Seviac is 2 km away. This has 4^th century polychrome mosaics, thermal baths and tiles and is still being excavated. There is a dig each year during August. Relics and mosaics from Seviac have been housed in the museum in the village square.

Nearby Towns

The nearest local towns are Condom and Eauze (both 15 km), both centres for the Armagnac trade. Condom is an attractive and lively market town, dominated by its ex-cathedral, which dates from the 16^th century and has fine cloisters. There is also an Armagnac museum and visits can be made to the cellars of some of the merchants. There is an excellent pizzeria and a good market on Wednesday mornings. Eauze is an important local town with good shops, another ex-cathedral and an outstanding Thursday market.

Auch, the administrative centre for the Gers, is further away (50 km) but well worth a visit. The cathedral is a masterpiece with especially fine woodcarvings in the choir and stained glass. There are also many fine buildings and old streets. The musketeers are every where in Auch, D'Artagnan was born nearby, his statue occupies a prominent place in the town centre and Coupe D'Artagnan (prune ice cream and Armagnac) is on many menus. Thursdays and Saturdays are market days.

Other interesting towns within easy driving range are Agen, famous for its prunes and Pau in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

How to get here

The nearest port is St. Malo,  420 miles by road (8 hrs approximately including stops) and Caen (10 hrs ). If driving from Calais you should allow 14 hours.  There are regular flights to Bordeaux and Toulouse (each under 2 hours drive) and Ryanair flies to Pau (also under 2 hours).

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.

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Facilities

Facility	Details
Type	Village House (Self-catering)
Bedrooms	1 double, 1 triple
Baby cots	1
Bathrooms	1 bathroom(s)
Separate toilets	1
Capacity	5
Suitability	Suitable for children, Unsuitable for wheelchair access
Linen	You need only take sheets, pillowcases and towels, as all other bedding and anything else you are likely to need is provided. The beds have blankets so you will not need a duvet cover.
Changeover day	Saturday

Facility	Details
Internal facilities	CD player, Central heating (electric), Fans in rooms, Hairdryer, Owner not on site, Radio
Kitchen facilities	Cooker, Freezer, Fridge, Ironing facilities, Washing machine
External features on site	Barbecue, Scenic views

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Additional price information

Bookings are from Saturday to Saturday and you may arrive from 4 pm and should leave by 10 am on your day of departure. 

Prices include the costs of electricity, water and gas.

A deposit of £100 is requested when you make a firm booking with the balance payable at least four weeks before you reach Montreal. Cheques should be made payable to  Lesley Rayner. If you have to cancel your booking please let us know as soon as possible. We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee on the following scale:

Notice given      Cancellation fee Over 30 days      £100 deposit 10-30 days         50% of rent Under 10 days    100% of rent

We would like to remind you that you can insure against the possible cancellation of your holiday.

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