Welcome to Le Gatinaud Cottage, a stylish French holiday gite - perfect for escaping the stresses and cares of a busy life or to use as your base for house-hunting in the beautiful Dordogne and Southern Charente.
Don't hesitate to call or email to enquire about availability or anything else we can help you with.
Contact by email
Tel:+44 (0)1225 859402
Click here to read some
Visitors' Comments
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Time to relax
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Time to unwind
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Things to do
From here, you are ideally situated to explore all the attractions of the Dordogne region (e.g. Perigueux 45 mins, St Emilion 50 minutes) or just take in the many local markets at St Aulaye (5 mins) or the amazing Friday marché at Ribérac (20 mins).
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Miles of beaches
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Or if you fancy some sea air and a dip in the Atlantic why not head West for the many beautiful beaches and coastal villages of the Charente Maritime (1hr 15 mins).
For some wonderful shopping visit Bordeaux (1 hr 15 mins by car or 1 hr by train) or Angouleme (40 mins). Further afield Paris is just 2hr 15mins on the TGV from Angouleme.
The famous wine growing regions of the Medoc are within an hour so why not fit in a day of wine-tasting while you're here.
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.jpg) "We had a wonderful, relaxing holiday in idyllic surroundings. Great holiday destination."
A.G., Manchester
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We're right down in the South-West of France where the sun is much higher in the sky all year round. We get lots of sunshine throughout the year and just enough rain to keep it green and pleasant. Spring comes early and temperatures can be in the 20's from March onwards. Summer is warm, with highs in the 30's, but as we are perched up on a hill we often get a breeze to keep things fresh. Autumn can stay warm in the day, but with cooler nights. Even in winter when the sun is out it's possible to sit outside in the middle of the day and enjoy a glass of St Emilion.
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This is a popular area not just for holiday homes but as more and more people consider a permanent move to France. Stay at the cottage and we can point you in the right direction of a a friendly, local English-speaking estate agent who will take you on a tour of local properties for sale.
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Dordogne S.Charente - holiday gite with charm
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Bright, airy living/dining room with French windows to South-facing terrace
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Le Gatinaud Cottage is a 2- bedroomed converted coach-house sitting in it's own private grounds just 5 minutes away from the popular and historic village of Aubeterre-sur-Dronne. It's a perfect retreat from the cares of everyday life or an ideal base for house-hunting in this sunny part of South West France.
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Front of cottage
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View towards Bonnes
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Accommodation at Le Gatinaud Cottage
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Main bedroom
| The cottage has two bedrooms, a double and a single. There is an en-suite bathroom and WC to the main bedroom and an en-suite shower room and WC to the single bedroom. There is a spacious double height open-plan living room & dining room with kichen area. The kitchen has a gas cooker, large fridge-freezer, dish-washer, microwave and washing machine. There is electric heating throughout.
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South-facing terrace
| The cottage is decorated and furnished to provide all the home comforts but with a classic French country look and feel. It has terracotta floors throughout, pretty "faience" tiles in the bathroom and kitchen and upgraded shower, kitchen and bathroom fittings. A South-facing terrace is the perfect place to enjoy the views and a cool glass of rosé on warm evenings.
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Refurbished bathroom
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Outside is a large private garden with views across the Dronne valley, a private parking area, patio and garden furniture and a barbecue. For evenings-in we have provided a CD/Cassette/Radio, a DVD player with a selection of classic films plus a wide range of books for those quiet moments. A welcome pack is included in the rental cost and we can provide any other provisions on request.
Getting here
By air: The nearest airports are Bergerac and Bordeaux, both of which are approx. 1hr 15mins drive and have numerous flights from the UK. Airlines are Ryanair, Flybe, British Airways and Air France. Flights come from Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham and Southampton.
By car: We are approximately 6 hours drive from St. Malo, served by Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries.
Prices, booking and availability 2012
Jan-March 2012 .............£245
April & May 2012 ............£275
June 2012 ........................£295
July & August 2012 ........£375
September 2012 .............£295
Oct 2012 ...........................£265
Nov & Dec 2012 ...............£245
All prices are per week Saturday to Saturday arriving at 4pm and departing at 10am. Prices include bed linen & gas and electricity (usage over a set amount will be charged). We speak English and French.
No Smoking. No Pets allowed.
NB.
To check current availability please email gatinaudcottage@frenchentree.com
or call +44 (0) 1225 859402
Latest Stories
Enjoy the Spring sunshine in South West France
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Spring in St. Aulaye
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| The weather can be mild or even warm here anytime from March onwards. Last year we were in shorts on the beach one weekend in March. From April the colour is returning to the countryside and the first Easter festivals and brocantes (flea-markets) are being held. It's a great time to enjoy the fresh air, the countryside walks - a chance to leave the winter behind.
Wildflower Meadow
 Every year we experiment with a wildflower meadow just in front of the cottage. It is always a little bit hit and miss as to when to cut it back and when to let it grow, but the results are usually a lovely surprise, often with many varieties of yellow and purple flowers. Click the pic to enlarge.
Days of summer sunflowers
Anyone staying at the cottage in July and August will see plenty of the above! The local farmers tend to rotate the crops from maize, wheat, grass for grazing, barley and sunflowers. Near the cottage, there are some large fields of sunflowers, always a spectacular site with their heads held up to follow the sun.
September & October holidays
 September and October are some of our favourite months in this area. The days are still warm, there's plenty to see and do but without the hustle and bustle of the traditional family holiday period. It's the ideal time for a peaceful break. The brocante season continues right into the autumn...find out more
Christmas Frost
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Frosty Elm
| We've only seen snow here once but winter 2006 brought spectacular frosts, the kind you see on Christmas cards. A combination of cold overnight temperatures and morning mists have turned the landscape into all shades of white. The hoar frost appears like a sugar-icing coating, up to an inch thick, covering every leaf and frond right up to the tops of the tallest trees. As the sun appears the powdery flakes fall quickly and within half an hour the trees are green again. An amazing sight. Click the pics to enlarge (large files).
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Five minutes drive from the cottage is the hilltop village of Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, one of "Les plus beaux villages de France", with it's wealth of history and quaint old streets to explore, plus a great choice of restaurants, river-swimming, canoeing, pony-trekking, tennis and golf nearby.
The lovely river Dronne acts as a focal point for this area, providing a serene backdrop to the sights of Brantome,
a picturesque picnic place under the walls of the chateaux at Bourdeilles and on through our local villages offering excellent river-swimming and canoeing.
A short walk will take you down to our local village, Bonnes, with a good family restaurant, a post-office and depot-de-pain. There are some lovely walks along the river and a lovely riding school nearby. Or just sit at the café and enjoy the comings and goings and the display of summer flowers - quintessential French village life.
The Cadogan Guide to the Dordogne describes this area: "Some of the prettiest Dronne valley scenery is in these parts: along the D17 from Aubeterre to St-Aulaye". An early warm Spring sees the rolling hills reveal their striking white soil while lilacs, iris and cherry blossom are everywhere.
Summer brings lush countryside for the Aquitaine Blonde cattle to enjoy, interspersed with spectacular fields of sunflowers and swathes of poppies in the golden cornfields. Autumn brings the colour to the trees and a warm glow to the evening light and remains warm even into November and December.
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May and June are lovely months in this part of France. Locally there are some quiet tracks where you can walk and enjoy the fabulous displays of wildflowers along the hedgerows. This is a popular area for walkers. more...
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September and October are some of our favourite months in this area. The days are still warm, there's plenty to see and do but without the hustle and bustle of the traditional family holiday period. It's the ideal time for a peaceful break more...
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