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Property Summary

Fabulously spacious and renovated farmhouse, presently divided into two parts, one a gite. Delightful gardens and large salt-water pool. Very quiet location.

Property Description

Surrounded by vineyards, this lovely house lies on the edge of a tiny hamlet, a few kilometres from the market town of Duras, with its lovely chateau. Each part of the house has three bedrooms, charming bathroom, kitchen and living room. A door separates the two living areas, so it can easily be used as a large family home. It has stunning views over rolling hills, meadows and woodland. A rustic blend of oak beams, terracotta tiles and bright, warm colours are the background for spacious living areas and recently renovted bathrooms and kitchens. On the ground floor (gite) - country kitchen/dining room 25m2, living room 22m2 with doors to the terrace, bedroom 1 30m2, bedroom 2 27m2, bedroom 3 19m2, bathroom 6m2. There is access to an attic that could provide additional accommodation. Ground floor (main house) - lovely country kitchen/dining room with access to a patio, living room 43m2 with oak beams, terracotta tiles and log burner, bedroom 1 17m2, bedroom 2 17m2 and On the first floor bedroom 3 27m2 and bathroom 11m2. An attic room is adjacent ready to convert into additional space. Outside there is a barn that houses the gas boiler (new) and water tank plus two smaller buildings (former piggery) The gardens surround three sides of the house and include a tiled salt water pool that is fenced. There are 3 solar panels that provide hot water during the summer to the main house which has double glazing. New roof, electrics and central heating system. Much of the work has been undertaken using eco-friendly materials such as lambswool insulation.

Location in France

The Lot-et-Garonne has been called the Tuscany of France because of its yellow fields of sunflowers, vineyards, cypress trees and red roofed buildings.

In the south-west corner of France, midway between Toulouse and Bordeaux. 2 hours to the Atlantic coast and the Pyrenees, 3 hours to the Mediterranean. This department of the Aquitaine is a must when searching for a house for sale in France. Excellent motorway and rail links and an airport at Bergerac with Flybe and Ryanair flying to destinations across England and Scotland.

An area full of unspoilt villages and bastide towns with maisons de maître, barns and village houses for sale, rivers and the canal latéral de la Garonne (part of the canal du Midi), up which the few remaining working barges still sail.

The views are expansive and comprise rolling hills and valleys of agricultural land. Much of the produce grown is well known in France - prunes of Agen, tomatoes and strawberries of Marmande, Armagnac brandy, apples, pears, kiwis and cherries. It is also a prolific wine growing area with Duras and Buzet being the most well known.

On the foody front, the most recognisable of the region is duck in its many forms such as foie gras, magret and gésiers. You can't help passing duck farms as you travel around that sell these products directly. Quite likely next to a vineyard selling their wine. Converted farmhouses are amongst many of Leggetts' properties for sale in the Lot-et-Garonne.

There are many chateaux in the Lot-et-Garonne including Biron, Lauzun, Lamothe, Scandaillac and Nerac, to name but a few. Medieval towns many of them bastides (of which there are 20) are to be found including Castillones, Monflanquin and Villereal. Top end properties such as manoirs are for sale in the department.

It is an exhilarating area for walking with much of the department marked out for ramblers and cyclists along paths where you'll meet hardly a soul. As most villages are part of these routes, it's quite likely to find one within walking distance of your French house.

All year round are morning markets in many towns and villages. The perfect place to meet friends and family over a coffee or something stronger. This really is life unchanged for centuries. During the summer months, many of these towns hold lunchtime and evening producers' markets, where food and drink is consumed in a convivial environment.

You would expect life in the Lot-et-Garonne to be unhurried. Well, it is in the winter, when, in front of the fire, we put up our feet with a glass of wine, but the summer is quite different.

The château at Duras, for example, plays host to opera, classical concerts and the occasional rock concert. There are the producers' markets, wine fairs, antique fairs, village fetes and the "vide greniers" – France's wonderful alternative to the car boot sale - a must for any collector. You could furnish your house in France!