Jeremy, Michele and family welcome and invite you to stay in one of the three holiday homes at 'Chantegrel', close to Sarlat.

Nestling in rolling slopes, meadows and woods, Chantegrel (‘singing crickets’ in the local dialect) is situated just to the north of Sarlat in the ‘Périgord Noir’ at the end of the Combe de Lafon.

Chantegrel is situated amongst 13 acres of fields, meadows and woods which include oak, chestnut, hazelnut, fig and walnut. Each of the homes has been carefully renovated and restored by a French mason. The homes were originally an old 'corps de ferme' with all the stone and timber coming from Chantegrel itself. All of the renovation work was completed, once again, using material from Chantegrel.

The homes share a unique 'scallop' shaped swimming pool of around 100 sq. m. that has a large fully enclosed pool surround. Apart from swimming, the pool is a great place to watch the buzzards riding the thermals during the day or to watch the stars late in the evening. Just behind the pool is a terrace where we regularly have an 'Asterix the Gaul' style barbeque, minus the wild boar of course. We rarely have a sad evening!

Although the old ruined house at Chantegrel (reputedly once owned by the local ‘wise woman’) is no more, we still have two old bread ovens on the property. The forest surrounding Chantegrel are also full of wildlife. We regularly see deer, owls, numerous 'buzzards' and the occasional wild boar. One of our guests identified 23 different types of birds without moving from the patio.

Chantegrel is well situated for those who want a quiet holiday or for those who wish to take advantage of the local activities and attractions. You might well feel that, at Chantegrel, you are in the middle of nowhere, whereas, in fact, you are only 4kms from the medieval town of Sarlat. Outside of the children enjoying themselves in the pool, the noisiest time of the day is either the hooting of owls, the dawn chorus, or the crickets in the late afternoon and early evening.

Chantegrel is within easy reach of many of the region’s major towns including Périgueux, Domme and Les Eyzies. Sarlat itself with a superb twice weekly market is less than five minutes away and draws its own history from a 9th Century Benedictine monastery. Chantegrel is also exceptionally placed for the major attractions in the Périgord ‘Noir’ including many of the prehistoric sights, medieval Chateaux (Luc Besson’s film Joan of Arc was shot close by), not forgetting the majestic rivers of the Dordogne and Vézère which flow through to Bordeaux. A canoe trip, lazily meandering down the river, with a stopover for lunch is highly recommended.

The Homes

The three homes at Chantegrel owe their individuality to the original design as a farmhouse and barns. All of the homes overlook fields, meadows and woods and have their own separate terrace. Although they have been recently renovated some of the original features still remain. All of the cottages are steep roofed (Périgordienne style) and stone built using a 'semi-dry stone' method, the walls being some 70cms thick. High in the original vaulted roof of Le Cantou, hidden very carefully behind one of the chimney beams, a Christian fish symbol is carved into one of the beams.

Le Cantou (sleeps 4), named after its fireplace. Sleeping arrangements are a double bed and a smaller room with a set of bunk-beds. Le Cantou was the original farmhouse and still has the old stone wash basin, upstairs, the roof beams are the original rough hewn oak beams, jointed with wooden pegs and as hard as iron.

La Grange (sleeps 6), once the old barn. Sleeping arrangements are a double bed and a smaller room with a set of bunk-beds and a single bed. The patio of La Grange overlooks the small valley called the 'Combe de Lafon', a very peaceful outlook.

Le Buis (sleeps 2), named after the two trees outside the front door. 'Buis' in English is known as Boxwood, a very slow growing tree. We think these two trees are over two hundred years old. Sleeping arrangements are a double bedroom upstairs. The patio enjoys the sunshine all day long.

Please note that although the properties sleep four, six and two respectively we can alter the sleeping arrangements to some degree. In some instances we can accommodate additional children, please contact us for details.

All of the homes have BBQs, hobs and combination microwave ovens, coffee machines, showers, tea towels, bedding and other essential domestic items such as kettle, corkscrew, cutlery, cups, glasses and crockery. Each home has heating should you wish to visit outside of the main season. A washing machine is situated in the pool house for your use along with an iron and ironing board.

For those travelling with children, we have a selection of items which can be used by arrangement and may help to lessen the load in the car, including: travel cots, prams, highchairs, baby pen and a selection of toys suitable for pre-school children.