Farmhouse in Dordogne, France

The Cottage details

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The Cottage

The garden

The pool

Home description

Overlooking woods and fields, this comfortable two-bedroom restored cottage in the Dordogne is set in a well-kept walled garden surrounded by fruit and walnut trees. It is in the quiet hamlet of Chauzanaud between the villages of Savignac-les-Églises and Sarliac, 14 km north of Périgueux. Prehistoric caves, Romanesque churches, markets, fishing, horseriding, and swimming, summer music festivals and mime festivals are all in easy reach.

The Cottage is part of the home of an Anglo-American family of artists and academics who have enjoyed the Dorgogne and its many amenities for more than twenty years. The cottage has a separate entrance and a well-kept garden on the south-east side of the house which overlooks neighbouring woods and fields.
 

La Remise is a converted cart-shed with a separate entrance, which offers more compact accommodation for two-three people.  It comprises a kitchen-living area with large patio door looking over the garden, and a full bathroom on the ground floor. The sleeping loft has a double and a single bed.

Accommodation detail

Cottage Living-Room

Ground floor has original beams and tiled floors. Fully equipped kitchen and dining area with microwave, gas stove, electric kettle, toaster. Two outside terraces have tables and chairs for eating outside, and a barbecue.  Comfortable living room, central heating available in winter, and a Norwegian wood-burning stove.

Upstairs has sloping roofs and original beams (mind your head !), and fitted carpet throughout. Small bedroom has twin beds, larger bedroom a double bed. An additional single bed in the corridor allows for a fifth guest if required. Bathroom has a WC, shower, wash-bowl and bidet.

About the location

Chauzanaud is a charming hamlet of 10 or so 16th c. houses up on the hill between Savignac-les-Églises and Sarliac-sur-l'Isle, about 1 km distant from each village, and about 14 km from Périgueux one way and Excideuil the other.  Another nearby village is Sorges, truffle capital of France, and charming country roads through the woods lead from Chauzanaud to Sorges via the hamlet of Bujadelle. On the way to Périgueux is Trélissac where there are large well-stocked supermarkets though the villages all have shops and Savignac has a small open-air market (fruit, cheese, flowers) on Wednesdays; large open and covered markets are in Périgueux on Wednesdays and Saturdays and at Exideuil on Thursdays.

Périgueux has two notable museums with collections ranging from prehistory to modern art at the Musée du Périgord and Roman art and archaeology at the new Musée Vesonne built by Jean Nouvel.  The Musée de la Préhistoire at Les Eyzies, also recently rebuilt, is famous nationally for its prehistoric collections. Chauzanaud is in the middle of cave country: Vilars (20 minutes) to the north has stalactites and stalagmites as well as paintings, while to the south (40 minutes) are Rouffignac with its engraved mammoths, Fond-de-Gaume and Combarelles at Les Eyzies with their memorable paintings, and of course at Montignac (40 minutes) Lascaux II, the excellent copy of the most famous cave of all.

The region also noted for its Roman sites, especially at Périgueux, the Roman city of Vesone and new museum mentioned above; and for its domed churches, built in the late 11th and early 12th c.  Although the biggest and most splendid are Saint-Étienne and Saint-Front in Périgueux, most of the surrounding villages also have smaller versions Ligueux, Agonac, Lempzour, Saint-Jean-de-Cole, Ajat, Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère and more. Castles abound, at Puyguilhem near Villars, Hautefort, and on the Dordogne at Beynac and many others.  Périgueux has pedestrian streets with beautifully restored Renaissance town houses.   

The fine wines of Bergerac and Saint-Émilion and the gastronomic specialities of truffles, foie gras, and confit are available in nearby shops and can be enjoyed in local restaurants.

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

Activities near by

Bird Watching, Boating, Canoeing, Caving, Cycling, Fishing, Flying, Gourmet dining, Hiking, Horse riding, Kayaking, Rambling, Riverside activities, Shopping, Sightseeing, Swimming, Tennis, Walking, Wine tasting, Wine touring

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

Chauzanaud is marked on the large-scale Michelin map of the region, on the hill between Savignac and Sarliac.  Follow the signs from N21 at Sarliac heading north (second turning on the right) or from Savignac heading towards Sorges, first on the left and left again. 

Closest train station is Thiviers (20 minute drive), about 4 hours from Paris-Austerlitz with a change at Limoges; closest airports are Limoges and Bergerac, driving time about 1 hour 15 mins. to each.  Bordeaux is an hour and a half drive.

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