Some personal notes by the owners of this house .....

WHY COME TO FRANCE?? WHY COME TO THE LOT??

The LOT is Department no 46, situated at the northern end of the region of Midi-Pyrenees. Montcuq is in the SW corner where the LOT has its border with the TARN et GARRONNE (82) and LOT et GARRONNE (47). An older name for the whole area is the QUERCY BLANC and it is so named because it consists geographically of a large limestone plateau running away from the Massif Central. The plateau has for ages past been gouged by ice and water to form numerous fertile valleys between the high plains .There are many small hamlets to be found where “le source” provides a natural water supply from the cavernous hills. Lebreil is one such hamlet and dates back to the troglodytic age. The vegetation of the region reflects its topography with high “causes” supporting little growth apart from the hardy oak trees and the vines, whereas the valleys support any type of crop from corn to sunflowers; tobacco to lavender and much fruit including the delicious melons.

This is an agricultural area, with little industry, and thus there is space. Lots of space. At the last count the population of this area was equated with the population of the UK in the fourteenth century! Some of the small farms of the “paysan” might still be back in those times!!The traffic is light, even in the height of summer and it is a pleasure to drive around, to cycle or better even, to walk. One can walk more or less anywhere on the numerous tracks, lanes and footpaths, it is only asked that you respect the fields of crops and don’t spread litter. It is quiet and one can hear the sounds of nature. The lack of light pollution enables the universe to be studied at night, although in Lebreil we now have street lights (moving into the 20 th century, what!!) which can spoil this a bit. Here there is the relaxed life of the French where everything stops for lunch at noon and doesn’t start again until 3 pm. After 7 pm nothing moves and the shops are shut Sunday afternoon and Monday. Here is the France where eating, drinking, the family unit and friends have an equal, or maybe more important, part in life than the desire to make money.

Here the climate is continental, with no great influence of the sea. In summer it is hot during the day and warm at night. The winters bring cold frosty nights and warm sunny days. The spring and autumn equinoxes are a balance of the two with cool evenings and warm days and in these periods the rain, that necessity of life, is also experienced, mainly November and February. And it can rain in the summer with the fantastic light shows that are the electrical storms rolling in from the coast or the mountains. And boy does it rain; warm rain but equally as wet. Snow is not a common occurrence in winter but the heavy frosts do give the countryside a picture postcard whiteness of great beauty.

Here there is history tracing the evolution from when local communities built villages long before France became a nation; through the times when they were fortified by the English against the French (confused? this is also part of Aquitaine which came under the English throne in the days of HenryII. Mind you, he was a French chappy who married a wealthy French girl by the name of Eleanor. Best go read your history books); then the French built castles to keep the English out. All very confusing but it has left a wealth of beautiful old buildings and towns and most of these have survived the onslaught of religious wars, the French revolution and time. Many have been restored in sympathetic fashion. There are many awesome and magnificent cathedrals, churches and abbeys bearing witness to the country’s Catholic (or sometimes Protestant) background. And of course the castles.

So WHY come here?

So, if you do not wish to just relax, where is there to go; what to see;

• There are the medieval hill towns of Lauzerte; Montcuq; Tournon d’Agenais; Penne d ‘Agenais; Montflanquin; Domme and probably many more
• There are the medieval towns clinging to the cliffs at Rocamadour; St Cirq la Poppie (allegedly the oldest in France); and Bruniquel
• There are “les chateaux “of Biron; Bonaguil; Castelnau; Bruniquel; Genevieres; to mention only those I can think of.
• There are the prehistoric caves at Peche-Merle, and probably others.
• There are the old towns and cities of Cahors, with its Pont Valentre , the oldest fortified bridge in Europe; Agen on the Canal du Midi and of course wonderful shops; Toulouse with even more shops but also the wonderful architecture of buildings made from the rose-red brick .
• There are the old places of worship, Moissac with it’s famous abbey and cloisters; Albi and it’s magnificent Cathedral; the cathedrals of Cahors and Toulouse; and so many fascinating little churches in every town and village hereabouts, including Lebreil where the church dates back to the 12 th Century .
• The wonderful gorges that have been carved out of the limestone by the rivers Lot, Aveyron and Tarn.

The street markets occur every day somewhere or another. From Lebreil we will direct you to Caussade on Monday; Valence on Tuesday and thence on successive days to Luzech, Libos, Praysac; Cahors; and back to Montcuq on the Sunday. Here in deepest France we eat with the seasons and , apart from the basics , we look forward to April for the fresh asparagus; May for the artichokes and first strawberries ; June for the cherries and the green beans ; July for the peaches and apricots , broad beans and spinach; August for the plums and apples; September for the figs and grapes ; then it is back to basics except for the meat when October is the time for Oysters , Duck, Foie Gras and Cepes; November is the time for the “black gold” , Truffles and close to Lebreil is Lalbenque , the centre of the trade. A most unlikely place, but there it is.

And there is the wine. At Lebreil we are on the SW edge of the AOC Cahors; that world famous (what do you mean you’ve never heard of it?) dark wine made from the auxerois grape. This was the original Claret before Bordeaux wines were discovered and the river Lot was made navigable so as to export it to the British nobility in years gone by. The locks on the river have sadly fallen into disrepair but the wine is just as good, certainly even better. A tour of the vineyards is easily arranged but if your taste is not for Cahors wine then we are not far from the regions of Bergerac ;Buzet; Monbazillac; Duras; Marmandaise; Madiran; Fronton. It is only 2/3 hrs drive to the more famous vineyards of St Emillion or Entre Deux Mers. Not to mention the wonderful digestif, Armagnac; this is made just down the road away. Here they make Eau de Vie. You have to try it!!

If you are not already exhausted then you could try a few activities like Horse Riding for which there are facilities nearby; Bicycle hire is available in Montcuq; there is quad biking near Touffailles or Canoeing on any of the rivers Lot, Dordogne, Aveyron or Tarn. Take your pick. For the really daring you can go parachute jumping at Bouloc, where used to be the army parachute centre. Now it is a private school.

That should be enough to keep you busy for three weeks, but if you only have a week to spare and want to relax then we have plenty of books on the shelves.

So, now you are coming, how do you get here? For driving then the ports of Roscoff, St Malo, Cherbourg and Caen are just over 500 miles. The channel ports of Le Havre to Calais are just under or over 600 miles. The roads are generally good to excellent so driving time can be quicker than going around the M25 but we would recommend an overnight stop if you have the time. It is quicker and sometimes cheaper by air and we are served by the airports at Toulouse (1hr20); Carcasonne (2hr15); Bergerac (1hr); and Rodez (2hrs). Car hire is available at each of these. Bon Voyage.

Look forward to seeing you all and sharing our little piece of paradise with you.