It is a great pleasure cycling from Chateau de Chateau around the vineyards of St Emilion. Bicycles can be hired from Les Bicyclettes de Saint-Emilion

There are several walks from the house and locally. Details are available in the house manual and there are copies of the excellent local series blue maps.

held in the region throughout the summer. Details are included in The House Manual and are also available in the tourist office in Saint-Emilion

There are open air markets in numerous local towns and villages, taking place on different days of the week. Details can be found in The House Manual.

(25 minutes/12 miles) is recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage cultural landscape. Two thousand years of history between men and vines have evolved here. Meander through the cobbled streets of this lovely small town and admire the architecture. Drop in to one of the many caves and enjoy a wine tasting or a chilled glass of award winning sparkling wine while sitting in the 14th century cloisters.

(1 hr/37 miles) the great port city of the Garonne estuary and centre of the famed wine-growing region. It’s known for its Gothic Cathédrale St-André, as well as its many fine and contemporary art museums and 18th and 19th century mansions. Public gardens line the curving river quays, and the grand Place de la Bourse opens to the water, with the Three Graces fountain at its centre

(56 minutes/34 miles), located on the Dordogne. Historically, like Bordeaux, it grew on trade. Flat-bottomed barges (gabares) took the wine on to Bordeaux for shipping to England, for centuries the biggest market. There is a mix of very old half-timbered (colombage) houses set in the narrow streets and a more modern shopping centre around the beautiful Notre Dame cathedral. The old town is mostly traffic free.

(1hr/40 miles east along the Dordogne river) is a pretty medieval ecclesiastical town in the centre of the Pays des Bastides. It was built in concentric circles according to the same pattern as the “Bouyricou”, the traditional Périgord basket which you can still buy in the local markets. The church of Saint Félicien (16C) overlooks the central square with its octagonal bell tower in the late gothic style. On the other side of the square is the Bishops’ Palace (17C). It now hosts the Tourist Office and its rooms are used for exhibitions. Enjoy a glass of something cool in one of the little bars or restaurants. The regular Sunday market is a feast for the eyes and in the summer the night markets here are not to be missed.

(1¼ hr/46 miles east) was the first English bastide, founded in 1267 by Henry III Plantagenet. It suffered serious damage during the Hundred Years War but there are still some medieval half-timbered buildings to admire. Lalinde is on the river Dordogne but as this section was difficult to navigate a canal was built over 150 years ago between Mauzac and Tulieres, the views from locks at Mouleydier are magnificent and the canal is a great place for walking and fishing. The Chateau de Lanquais at Saint Capraise de Lalinde is unusual as half of it is Medieval and half is Renaissance so here you can admire both architectural styles.

(1¼ hr/58 miles North East) is the ‘capital’ of the Dordogne department but is actually on the river Isle rather than the Dordogne. In existence since neolithic times, and from Roman times you can still see the Vesone Tower and the remains of the amphitheatre. Chateau Barrière dates from the early middle-ages. Périgueux also contains an interesting medieval and renaissance centre, with attractive boulevards concentrated around the cathedral Saint Front, built in the Byzantine style with its cluster of domes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site it was the model for the Sacré Coeur church in Montmartre, Paris. There are regular markets in the covered marketplace and some lovely places to sit with a coffee or meal and watch the world go by.

there is a tourist office in Castillon-la-Bataille

Farms in the area produce high quality and delicious goose and duck meat, pâté and of course the ultimate foie gras. You will get to taste some of these products during your stay or perhaps at the local Auberge, Bistro or Restaurants.

Along the Dordogne river plain you will see a multitude of soft fruit orchards growing peaches, nectarines, apricots & kiwi. In the area further south, around Duras and Monségur you will come across field after field of sunflowers, these are at their best during July (depending on the sunshine of course) there are also acres of plum orchards, some of which go to produce the famous Agen prunes.

From late September the grape harvest (vendage) begins. The autumn months also see the nuts beginning to appear, walnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts, then of course the mushrooms and infamous truffles

Chateau Feely is 15 mins west of Bergerac and offers award winning visits and organic biodynamic, natural and no sulfite added white, red and rose wines. Day, or half day wines school, a wine and food pairing experience created in collaboration with a Michelin starred chef or a family friendly visit with a cheese platter. Best of Wine Tourism Gold trophy winner in the greater Bordeaux and Bergerac region in 2013 and 2017. www.chateaufeely.com for details

(50 minutes/31 miles south west) synonymous with the French sweet wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section of Bordeaux is also well worth a visit

The choice is vast. The owners make some suggestions of their own in The House Information Folder

can be hired at various points on the magnificent Dordogne River to paddle serenely past Chateaux and negotiate some gentle rapids http://www.lesmerles.com

There are numerous examples well worth visiting. Chateau Yquem and the next door Chateau Guiraud are super. The latter has a restaurant which makes the visit all the more enjoyable!

There is a golf course at Golf de Rochebois at Vitrac (9 hole). Also The Grand Saint-Emilion Golf Club (18 hole), Golf de la Forge (9 holes) at Siorac-en-Perigord, and the 18 hole Golf la Croix de Mortemart near Le Bugue to name a selection.