Description
The house is part of the Château du Pas de Raysse estate set in 8 hectares of
park and gardens with exceptional views across the countryside, in one of the
loveliest areas of Southwest France. It is close to many of the medieval towns
and villages of the Périgord and Quercy as well as the famous caves of Lascaux
and Eyzies and their extraordinary prehistoric cave paintings. Domme for
instance, perched high above the Dordogne Valley, is a 13th century bastide
village with honey coloured houses leading to the market place and a terrace
overlooking the Dordogne river far below and over towards waves of hills
receding into the Auvergne.
The house is 3 km from the little village of Cazoules and there is a restaurant
within walking distance. Souillac, a ten minute drive away, has lots of charming
shops; Sarlat is 20 km from here.
There are secluded spots in the gardens and some lovely walks through the woods.
We also have two deer and their three babies, two bossy donkeys, Vanille and
Chocolat and two goats, Esmeralda and Quasimodo, which are great favourites with
children.
Accommodation
La Maison is extremely comfortable with 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Four
en-suite bedrooms have direct access to a private garden and opening onto
another terrace, is a large reception room.
There is a professionally fitted kitchen equipped with everything necessary, if
you want to test your culinary skills and for warm evenings, there is a south
facing summer kitchen leading into the garden. The private swimming pool (13.5 x
7.5 metres) is safely screened for children.
Activities
The Dordogne is a lush countryside of wooded hills and hidden valleys,
vineyards, walnut groves and orchards, fields of maize and sunflowers, farms
producing foie gras, towering châteaux and ancient villages and towns, which
scatter a landscape steeped in history. There is a quality of life here, old
values still exist together with the benefits of modern living and the people
are open and welcoming. Almost everywhere you go are restaurants ranging from
family run country ones to gastronomic, all at reasonable prices.
There are riding stables nearby, that cater for riders of every level of
expertise, where you can hire horses for an hour or two or for the day, golf
courses at Souillac and Vitrac and you can hire canoes on the Dordogne river.
Sarlat's Saturday morning market is famous, full of chatter and colour, the
stalls spreading into the narrow streets around the market square. The town is
full of medieval, Gothic and 17th century facades and a pleasant place to wander
through, particularly in the early and later part of the year when it is quiet.
The square in front of the Cathedral is a good spot to stop and sit on a cafe
terrace and watch the world go by and there are several restaurants to choose
from. It also has an active and varied program of musical and theatrical events
through the summer months.
If you take the riverside road towards Beynac (20 minutes), you will see a
remarkable feudal castle crowning the cliff ahead of you. The village below was
originally troglodyte, built on shelves in the cliff and finishing in a group of
humble houses around the skirts of the castle. There can be few places left,
which still creates a feeling of stepping into a medieval past.
An hour's drive will bring you to Bergerac and the vineyards that surround it.
Apart from the Bergerac wines, Pécharmant just to the north of the town is a
tiny area that makes an excellent red wine and Monbazillac to the south,
produces a sweet, white wine that is good with foie gras and pastries or just by
itself.
Travel
Airports:
Toulouse and Bordeaux - 150 km
Bergerac - 1 hour
Road:
Souillac - 3 km
Paris - 500 km
Channel ports:
8/9 hours
Rail:
Souillac
Click
here to view a map of the area
