Family fun in French countryside with charming small Lot towns nearby - From £950 - £1445 per Week

Sous Les Étoiles – quality gîte for 6 with heated pool and family friendly features

Sous Les Étoiles (Under the stars) is set on the edge of a sleepy hamlet about 4km from the busy Lot town of Montcuq.  Featuring 3 bedrooms for 6 people, there is a range of activities and facilities for families of all ages to enjoy a break in the countryside.  There is about 2ha (5 acres) of bio managed meadow with activity areas allowed for.

Family Accommodation at Sous Les Étoiles

With single storey accommodation and minimal steps the gîte and surrounding area is suitable for anyone with mild mobility issues. Air conditioning, Central Heating and a Woodburning stove also mean that Sous Les Étoiles is comfortable for stays all the year round.

Entering the gite you will be in the spacious open plan living area with comfortable sofas, TV, music centre beside the dining table seating 6.
The well equipped kitchen adjoins, featuring gas hob with electric over, dishwasher, washing machine, fridge/freezer, microwave and a good selection of other utensils.

The three bedrooms are:

– Master Double with ensuite shower room
– Twin bedroom with full size single beds
– Twin bedroom with full size single beds

All bed linen is supplied, and for stays of over a week a linen change is offered.
Bathroom towels are supplied as are towels for use at the poolside

Audio visual facilities include – Satellite TV (UK and French free to air channels) with DVD Player, stereo system and a CD/cassette player. There is a selection of classic board games plus playing cards and dominoes.  A selection of toys and books for small children and a library of novels should ensure that all the family are well occupied.
There is Wifi internet available.

A Welcome Pack will be found on arrival: This includes milk, bread, jam, cheese, coffee, tea, wine, beers and fruit – and on request the Owners will purchase items for your first evening meal and breakfast, meaning there is no hurry to shop en route.
There will also be a basic stock of essential cleaning and household management items including condiments, clingfilm and foil.

Family holiday activities at Sous Les Étoiles

As the name implies, Sous Les Étoiles is an outdoor place, and an active family will always find plenty to do!  Approx 1ha (2 acres) of organically managed garden provides a wealth of nature with flowers insect and birdlife to be found in profusion.

Set against this glorious backdrop is the 11 x 7m solar heated pool with integral steps for easy access. Depths are from 1.2 to 1.6m. The pool is protected by a fence and alarm, and is serviced daily by the Owners.  The Owners may use the pool when Guests are away from the property, and there are no other Guests on site.   Plenty of poolside furniture including sun loungers and parasols are supplied.

There are also gazebos around the garden to make the most of the glorious setting.

A good selection of games equipment including table tennis, football, croquet, badminton and frizbee are supplied for guests to use.  For the younger members of the family there are swings and a slide, and a trampoline with guard net is also available

 Astronomy and Office Space at Sous Les Étoiles

Also available by arrangement is an on site observatory used by the Owners for astrophotography.
For anyone needing to work whilst away, an office area is available.

Around the Lot countryside

The area around Sous Les Étoiles is very rural and quiet – narrow winding roads lead either to Montcuq (5km) or Lauzerte (12km), both medieval fortified towns.  The countryside is a veritable cornucopia of food production with soft fruit orchard, nut trees and groves, vegetables, melons all being grown beside the general arable crops and livestock.

Lauzerte sits high on a hill, and is well known for its square with the turned up paving stone sculpture in the corner.  Montcuq has a strong English expatriate population, and the Sunday market is a great gathering place to shop and have coffee after. However the French flavour of Montcuq is well preserved with locals meeting to play boules, cards and more in the shade of the avenue of trees along the main boulevard.

Those who enjoy walking can walk to either town along the world famous GR65 St Jacques de Compostela pilgrim route which passes within a few metres of Sous Les Étoiles – it is about 6km (4 miles) to Montcuq and 11km (8 miles) to Lauzerte along well marked and signed paths.

Weekly  markets are held in most villages and towns in the area, and you are able to go shopping there for the freshest and best produce direct from the producers on any day of the week.

For a larger town head north about half an hour to Cahors. This ancient town sits on the River Lot, with the famous Pont Valente across the river a must see attraction.  To the south Montauban sits at the meeting of the Tarn and Garonne rivers, and the rose brick buildings give the town a charming character.  A little nearer Sous Les Étoiles is Moissac, a historic town and home to the Abbé and Cloisters which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a must see if you are at all interested in history.

The area is gently undulating, and good for exploring on foot, two wheels or four wheels: Bikes can be hired locally