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An enchanting rural retreat,
perfect for a dozen people – two families, two or three generations, or a group of friends –
set in an acre of leafy gardens, in a valley close to the River Lot.
ABOUT THE PROPERTY
A
Seventeenth century mill house and converted barn, both modernised to the
highest specification, provide a comfortable holiday home with an 11 metre
swimming pool. Le Moulin – the old mill house – has three double bedrooms and
two modern bathrooms (one en suite) plus separate WC. La Grange – the newly converted barn,
offers three double bedrooms and two modern bathrooms. The two buildings
share a pretty courtyard, and each has plenty of space so that a group of a
dozen can dine or sit in comfort in either building . The property is characterised by
the gentle murmur of the mill stream, the doves from the nearby church and
the evening tolling of the Angelus bell at 7pm (some say this is the signal for
an aperitif…).
As you
enter the property through traditional iron gates, you see the 17th century
mill house ahead of you, the old mill wheel now a garden table, the windows
facing over a sunken rose garden by the mill stream. The rose garden and
parterre take advantage of the south east aspect, framed by willow, fig and
apple tree and lying along an old curving brick wall.
 Le Moulin and La Grange are linked by a pretty little
courtyard behind the house itself, planted with scented herbs, geraniums and
clematis, with old stone out-buildings, richly creeper clad and gloriously
golden and scarlet in autumn. In front of you are the double doors to La Grange, an old stone barn of lovely
proportions which lies right beside the mill stream.
French doors within La Grange
lead through to the terrasse, a lovely wooden balcony with wrought
iron balustrade and pergolas, lying along the south east side of La Grange,
right over the stream, a spot where many a meal has been enjoyed, a view
across fields to the oak covered hills at the foot of the Causse.
 The garden at the back of the barn
is shady, with mature trees framing the open grass beyond, leading to the 11
metre swimming pool, and views of the walnut orchard and the valley beyond.
The two gardens, formal and informal, –different but linked by the life of
the mill stream – offer sun, shade, tranquil sitting areas for reading or
drawing, tables for eating and drinking, and, right by the orchard, the
lovely lavender framed pool.
 Le Moulin and the Grange may be
rented as a single unit sleeping up to 12. Alternatively you may rent the
Grange alone, sleeping up to 6. Le Moulin is not normally available to rent
on its own.
More pictures of the house
exterior and interior
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FACILITIES
These are
listed separately for the two properties: La
Grange and Le Moulin
La Grange
Honey coloured former
stone barn with traditional shutters. It has been converted to provide a
clean, stylish modern interior, taking advantage of the original windows, the
honey coloured stone walls and the original oak roof timbers set off by
beautiful modern Italian tiled floor. As you enter La Grange, you find a long elegant room,
the full 10m (30ft) of the barn, with French doors opening on your left onto
the terrasse.
 The upstairs of La Grange is reached by a polished wood
staircase leading to a landing decorated with an eclectic mix of Africa masks and wall hangings and
delicate etchings and water colours. The landing leads into three double
bedrooms and two bathrooms. One looks out over the terrasse and stream; one
over the little courtyard to the front of La Grange; and the windows of the
master bedroom open to show the curving green length of the garden, the pool,
and the valley – ‘une vista formidable’.
Ground floor
Kitchen
/ living / dining room - large through living room (13x4m),
with modern kitchen, antique oak refectory table and lounge area, and a
beautiful tiled floor with underfloor heating
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First floor
Two
double bedrooms
Twin bedroom
Two bath/shower rooms.
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Internal facilities
Board Games, Electric heaters, Exclusive rental, Fans in rooms,
Hairdryer, Internet Access (Wi-fi), MP3 Player.
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Kitchen facilities
Dishwasher, Electric hob, Electric oven,
Fridge-Freezer, Gas hob, Ironing facilities, Microwave, Tumble dryer,
Washing machine
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Outside
French doors open onto
the terrace (which is built over the mill stream, providing lovely
background rippling sounds), the rear garden (le pre) and the pool. The Pre
is a shady garden with space for badminton or football, towards the pool.
The terrace is beside the mill stream and has a
sitting area with a large table and chairs, comfortably seating 12 people
for meals. There is also a Weber barbecue.
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Suitability
Pets
considered, Suitable for children over 6 only, Suitable for the elderly
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Prices
The Grange can be rented
alone, with exclusive use of the pool, or together with Le Moulin. See pricing
structure.
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Le Moulin
The Moulin is newly
restored to a very high standard, taking advantage of the traditional
proportions of local architecture: built over cellars (with remnants of the
old mill workings), with high ceilings, tall windows with wooden shutters,
and the large stone chimney breast. The owners have created two bedrooms and
a bathroom in the tall characteristically curved Quercy roof.
  The ground floor is spacious and
airy with a south facing day room, a kitchen/sitting room with wood burning
stove, and a large double bedroom with en suite shower and WC. The
chimney breast frames a range cooker in a modern kitchen and provides a
lovely focus for the dining end of the room.
Access to the ground
floor is by 5 shallow steps, making the ground floor suitable for
people with limited mobility (one of the owners spent 3 comfortable
weeks there on crutches with a broken leg!) Le Moulin has central heating and
a wood burning stove.
Ground floor
Day room - large sunny room
Cloakroom - and WC
Kitchen / sitting room - large
through room with wood burning stove and polished wood floors.
Double bedroom - with ensuite shower room/WC with polished wood
floors.
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First floor
Twin bedroom
Double bedroom -in
roofspace with exposed timbers
Bathroom - with shower and WC
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Internal facilities
Board Games, Central
heating (oil), Fans in rooms, Hairdryer, Internet Access (Wi-fi), Weekly maid service, Wood burning fire or
stove
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Kitchen facilities
Electric oven, Freezer,
Fridge, Gas hob, Ironing facilities, Tumble dryer, Washing machine
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Outside
Large windows give views over the rose garden
and mill stream, a petanque area, and the lush tree clad valley. There is a
large table and benches for outside eating.
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Suitability
Non-smoking, Pets considered, Suitable for
children over 6 only, Suitable for the elderly.
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Prices
Le Moulin is not normally
available to rent on its own. It is rented with The
Grange, which can be rented alone, with exclusive use of the pool, or
together with Le Moulin. See pricing structure.
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ACTIVITIES
Activities at the property
3 bicycles provided at
the property, table tennis (under cover), dart board, petanque and badminton,
and of course swimming in the pool
Nearby activities
Activities nearby include:
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Boules
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Canoeing,
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Cycling
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Fishing,
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Golf
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Table tennis
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Swimming (in the Lot)
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Rock climbing
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Walking/hiking/rambling,
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Riverside activities
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Gourmet dining
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Wine tasting/wine touring
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Sightseeing.
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Latour is in the heart of the Cahors vignobles, and within 10
kilometres there are a dozen châteaux and vineyards, Chateau de Chambord, La
Berengerie, Château de Cazerac,
Chateau la Coustarelle  and many others. Most offer wine
tasting and a great opportunity to discover the Black wines of Cahors.
There are
excellent markets at Puy l’Eveque
(7 km away, Tuesday), Prayssac
(our local market, Friday), Cahors
(Saturday) and Montcuq, 10 km away
(Sunday). There are two restaurants ranging from traditional provincial
French cooking to haute cuisine in easy walking distance, and others in Prayssac, Albas, Sauzet; a dozen
restaurants within 10 km.
Arts
flourish in the region: in the first two weeks of August Belaye (5 km. on top of the Causse
overlooking the great expanse of the Lot valley) hosts its famous cello
festival; also in August, Cahors
is a centre for blues and jazz. Each village around holds its own festival
during the summer. Each summer an English theatre company puts on Shakespeare
plays in the central squares of several local Bastide towns.
The area
is rich in history: the Bastide towns,
built to encourage people to return to the land after decades of fighting in
the 15th century; castles, the astonishing early cave paintings of
Pech Merle deep in the Quercy hills, Rocamadour, spectacularly built into the chalk hills and with
falconry exhibitions and a monkey park where you can feed monkeys by hand.
There is
swimming in the river Lot itself, canoeing within walking distance of the property
and wonderful way-marked walking (from 5 to 30 km) and bird watching through
the hills and vineyards of the region.
Other
local places of interest include:
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Grotte de Pech Merle
(34.98 km)
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St Cirq Lapopie (36.62 km)
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Château de Beynac (42.02 km) (no
website information available)
More pictures from
nearby.
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LOCATION AND TRAVEL
Location
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Address
Le Moulin et La Grange,
Latour,
Between
Belaye and Cahors
France
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Travel details
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Latour can be reached by road being
about 40 km off both the A62 peage via Bordeaux and the A20 via Limoges.
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The nearest train station is Cahors
(30 minutes drive) and the TGV comes to Agen,
an hour's drive away.
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The nearest airports are Bergerac,
Toulouse and Rodez (see below).
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There is also a bus service from Cahors station which goes to
Prayssac, where you can get a taxi to Latour for a few euros.
Closest Airports
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Bergerac Airport (67.74 km)
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Toulouse Airport (93.97 km)
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Rodez airport (101.46 km)
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PICTURES
Pictures of the property (exterior and interior)
Pictures from the neighbourhood
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PRICES
Le Moulin and La Grange may be rented as a single unit
sleeping up to 12. Alternatively you may rent La Grange alone, sleeping up to 6. Le
Moulin is not normally available to rent on its own.
The prices below are for
the Grange alone with exclusive use of the pool, per week
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31/5/08 - 4/7/08
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€570
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£407
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$838
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5/7/08 - 22/8/08
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€1,080
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£771
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$1,589
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23/8/08 - 26/9/08
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€780
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£557
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$1,147
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27/9/08
- 31/10/08
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€360
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£257
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$529
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The
prices below are for the two properties together sharing exclusive use of the
pool, per week.
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31/5/08 - 4/7/08
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€1,140
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£814
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$1,677
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5/7/08 - 22/8/08
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€2,160
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£1,542
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$3,178
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23/8/08 - 26/9/08
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€1,560
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£1,114
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$2,295
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27/9/08
- 31/10/08
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€720
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£514
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$1,059
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Prices are fixed in Euros, but payment in sterling or dollars
is accepted using a conversion rate operating at the time of booking. The
above sterling and dollar rates are only examples, current at the time of
writing). The booking site (see below) has current sterling and dollar
prices.
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QUERIES AND BOOKINGS
For
all queries about the property please contact:
Hilary
Sunman (owner)
Telephone: + 44 (0)207
254 2557
Telephone(2): + 44 (0)7785 300862
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Contact
owner via email
For
bookings please use the forms provided on the following website (click on the
link).
FrenchConnections.co.uk (Le Moulin et La
Grange)
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