Introduction

NB. This window can be scrolled..

The house, called Terrefort, is situated at the edge of a tiny village in the countryside only 5 miles from the local town, Tonneins, which has many restaurants, take-aways and even a swimming pool. The house is in the heart of the grape and tobacco region. It has three bedrooms and can sleep a maximum of eight (nine if you use the Z-bed, ten if you count the baby cot!). The house stands in its own grounds with its own drive and is completely unoverlooked. The garden is large with many mature oak trees. The terrace looks out over beautiful countryside (see picture left of 'Terrefort') and is a great spot for sitting and watching the world go by. There is virtually no traffic. There is night storage central heating which is newly installed. The house is very well insulated making it a cool haven in the summer and easily heated in the winter. This is a fantastic place for chilling, but when you do want to go out and about there is so much to see really close by, from the ageless charm of the bastides to the futuristic trams of Bordeaux.

Accommodation

There are double beds in two of the bedrooms and twin bunks in the third. The living room has a double fold-out bed. This is the upstairs bedroom which has a fitted wardrobe and chest of drawers. There's a cot, highchair, babyseat, steriliser and other baby equipment.

In the garden there is a swing, a paddling pool and a slide.

The second double bedroom is downstairs. This has a wardrobe and a large desk for those needing to do some work!

The third bedroom is on the upper floor and contains the twin bunkbeds. There is also a clothes stand and chest of drawers.

The living room has a large modular sofa (with fold-out metal framed double bed). There is a widescreen TV which receives French stations and a video player. There is a bookcase with a wide collection of reading matter and videos. There's also a stereo radio and CD player.

The kitchen includes a large gas stove, fridge-freezer, a microwave and toaster and a large collection of crockery and cooking utensils.

The bathroom has double wash-hand basins, a corner bath, a shower and a large heated towel rail. Additionally there is a toilet with wash-hand basin on the upper floor.

Robert enjoying his breakfast

Downstairs there's a game room with dartboard and table-football. There's also an automatic washing machine.

Downstairs adjoined to the games room is a lounge area with french windows leading onto a large south facing patio with garden furniture and a barbeque.

Location and Amenities

This is the local fete in Vares held at the end of July.

Vares is 3 or 4 miles from the town of Tonneins in the Lot et Garonne department which is in the Aquitaine region. Vares is about 50 miles south east of Bordeaux and about 40 miles south of Bergerac. Vares is a very small village about 1 km from the house in the heart of a wine and tobacco growing region. Vares has a sports hall, a general stores, a restaurant, a bar and a Marie. There is a bus stop just a few metres from the end of the drive. This provides an on-demand service (you 'phone for a bus) which is common throughout the area. For shopping and most other things Tonneins is very convenient. The sister village to Vares is Verteuil d'Argenais which is just a few miles away. This has a chateau and a restaurant with cabaret at the weekend. The nearest golf course is at Tombeoef, Golf de Barthe, about 10 miles away, which has a British PGA coach and daily rates. There's microlight flying at Montpezat d'Argenais. There is a railway station in Tonneins which is on the mainline between Toulouse and Bordeaux and is ideal for visiting either of these cities.

Waiting for the train at Tonneins

Sam takes the train to Bordeaux.

This is the public swimming pool just a few miles from the house as you approach Tonneins from Vares.

Robert has his first dip and is not impressed.

Tonneins is an ancient town which derives its importance from its location on the river Garonne. There's a spectacular walk along the river.

This is one of Tonneins' restaurants with spectacular views from high over the river. Eating here is not expensive either.

There's an extensive beach at the Lac de Clarens at Casteljalloux (20-30 minutes drive):

This has various facilities including water slides and pedaloes:

The train from Bordeaux takes about 1 hour. Cheap flights are available to Bordeaux and Bergerac. The delightful town of Marmande is about 10 miles away with many large stores and amenities. The house is in the middle of a grape region, in particular many vinyards can be found around Duras which also has a chateau.

There are many Bastide (fortified) towns in the immediate area such as Monflanquin. This is Penn, just a few miles away which has got to be one of the most spectacular of the bastide towns:

The medieval town of Bergerac offers many flights from the UK and is about 40 miles North of Vares:

Bordeaux is an hours train from Tonneins and is spectacular with larger than life architecture contrasting with the ultra-modern newly build tram system. It's possible to take a tram all the way from the airport to St Jean railway station 3km South of the city centre which connects through to Tonneins. Bordeaux has beautiful parks with old-fashioned style merry-go-rounds. The shopping centre is extensive and closed to traffic.

The Pyrenees are just a few hours away. You can visit the Pic du Midi Astronomical Observatory by taking the cable car through the clouds!

What our occupants say

"My husband and I and our two English springer spaniels, stayed at Terrefort from April to October 2008, and simply had our best summer for many years. The bright airy house is easily managed and in a peaceful location but still being near to Tonneins and Marmande for shopping and all your needs. The house is also well placed for exploring the area, with wonderful visits such as Toulouse and Bordeaux within reach. The night markets during the summer are not to be missed especially La Parade and Eymet, where plenty of English voices can be heard and the local expats are very welcoming. Take a walk along the tree lined Canal du Garonne at Villeton, 4 km from Tonneins, a great place to walk dogs and watch the boats passing through the locks. We have some wonderful memories of our stay and the warm evenings spent quietly on the veranda with a long cool drink, rank highly amongst them. The garden is great for sunbathing having sun from dawn till dusk but with cool shady places too for when you need to cool off. Our thanks to Rob for all his help and his friendly, laid back approach and his house, Terrefort, is a great place to chill out and enjoy a taste of rural French life." Susan Taylor May-October 2008

Prices and Booking

Prices depend on the time of year as indicated in the following table which gives the price per week in sterling (UKL). For terms and conditions please see the footer.

For stays of 3 months or more the costs are given below in sterling (UKL). For terms and conditions please see the footer.

Large reductions are available for longterm rental (three months or more). Please contact us for a quote.

Email us athouse@keylinkcomputers.co.uk with your requirements and telephone number and we will contact you.

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