Nestled
in the rolling vineyards, sunflower fields and woodlands to the
north of the Dordogne valley is a small, unspoilt, sleepy French
village centred around its 12th century church: St.
Méard de Gurçon.
In and around our village are a number of traditional properties,
offering you a wide range of holiday accommodation.
This
website is your guide - to find a place to stay and to discover
our area. Whether you want to explore the vineyards that surround
us, check out the wonderful weekly street markets, idle down the
Dordogne on a canoe or gabare, or simply have a restful holiday
lounging by the pool in the sun...
Each
property owner has contributed their own pages to this site, and
each can be contacted directly to book your holiday. We have all
chosen to come and live here, and between us we hope to make your
stay with us an enjoyable one!
The
village is ideally situated in the western Dordogne, the area the
French call the Perigord Pourpre or Purple Perigord, after
the excellent red wines produced here. St. Méard is also
in the heart of Montravel - a tiny wine appellation, with dry and
sweet whites and a new red style made only here and in a handful
of surrounding villages. And we're just 6 miles north of the delightful
town of Ste. Foy la Grande on the banks of the beautiful River Dordogne,
the land of castles and kings.
The
area is also a major centre for gastronomy, with locally produced
duck and goose providing the ingredients for fine foie gras, paté
and confits. Fresh fish and seafood comes to us from the Atlantic,
just an hour away, and oysters from the great beds at Arcachon.
A wide range of ripe local fruit and fresh vegetables are widely
available direct from the producers at our fabulous markets, and
you can even sample genuine caviare from the sturgeon fishery at
Montpon!
The
village is just 30 minutes from Bergerac Airport, with regular flights
from London Stansted, Bristol, Southampton, Birmingham and East
Midlands airport. Bordeaux Airport is less than an hour's drive
away and boasts a wide range of international flights and connections.
Road connections are excellent too - we're just 6 miles south of
the A89 autoroute junction at Montpon - though once you're here
you'll find a wealth of empty country lanes to potter around through
vineyards and woodland.
...
yet off the beaten track...
We're
a little off the tourist trail - you won't be crowded out here -
and yet you're ideally situated to visit the great wine-producing
Chateaux of St. Emilion and Bordeaux, take in the prehistoric caves
and medieval castles of the Dordogne Valley, have a day on the beach
at the Lac de Gurson, or explore the beautiful countryside around
the area. Summers are long and sunny, the hot days mellowing into
warm evenings, with the occasional break for a spectaular summer
thunderstorm to keep the grass green!
If you
fancy a day out why not try Bordeaux, one of France's most beautiful
cities, built on the wine trade with England. Or visit a small family-run
vineyard and sample more local delights - we can introduce you to
the best English-speaking wine producers in the area!
DordorgneBreak.com
is owned collectively by the holiday home owners represented here
and is a genuine DIY site. We wanted to put together a showcase
for our holiday homes and help put something back into our local
economy and community. None of the French businesses represented
here have been asked to pay for promotion, and nobody's being paid
to make this website. We thought this was a better way of doing
things for the 21st century!
