Hello Hive!
Previously, I have shared three beautiful villages in Dordogne River Valley in France: Brantôme, Bourdeilles, and Périgueux. As the final part of this series, I will be sharing a lovely day out to remote and privately owned French Gîtes in the beautiful Dordogne region.
What is a Gîte?
A gîte is a rural accommodation better defined as a rustic cottage that serves as an inexpensive holiday home in the French countryside. The gîtes are composed of several restored or renovated old farm buildings that cater to tourists who'd like to experience authentic countryside living serenely lost in nature, in the company of animals that freely graze the valley.
In France, the most common inexpensive accommodation is a Chambre d'hote which means guest bedroom. Its international equivalent is that of a Bed and Breakfast. It's usually a fully furnished bedroom in someone's home with available linens and an ensuite bathroom inclusive of breakfast, that is charged per night stay.
A gîte on the other hand is a fully furnished self-catering cottage or house with multiple leisure activities. It could be set in a rural area like the one we visited or along the main highways or thoroughfare for short-stay travelers.
Before the pandemic, we were motivated to expand our then small business and one of the reasons we went to Europe apart from visiting family was to attend an aviation exhibition in Friedrichshafen in Germany. In this exhibition, we met several gyrocopter manufacturers and one of them invited us to attend a private fly-in event that will be held several weeks later in a French Gîte in Dordogne which was owned and organized by their french distributor in France.
The fly-in event was a gathering of recreational pilots staying overnight or for several days at the gîtes immersed in aerial activities while enjoying a holiday vibe in the company of fellow pilots. We booked to join them only for lunch since we were driving to Périgueux that same day.
Les Gîtes de Tartou
We arrived earlier than expected one cold mid-morning in the spring of 2019. The owners, Patrick and Annick who were perfect hosts greeted us as soon as we parked. I made the mistake of dressing lightly and Annick was kind enough to lend me a thick coat.
Les Gites de Tartou is located in Bussière-Badil close to Périgord Limousin Nature Park. The entire set of tiled roofs that looked like a full village is the property which they renovated in 2000, but constant improvements were being made to these traditional cottages.
One by one the guests arrived in their own vehicles while some landed with their own gyrocopters.
The first part of the morning was spent flying with the machines while those who decided to stay on the ground went around for a tour around the property.
The group gathered together afterward within this outdoor dining space shown in the above photo where aperitifs were served. Most of them were staying here for the night.
I kept myself towards the side next to my parents-in-law, listening mostly to french conversations. I replied to some questions directed at me by the friendly hosts.
I enjoyed watching this community of pilots that knew each other for a long time. There was this feeling of friendship and familial bond shared between each guest connected by their passion for flying. All I remember was feeling good around their company.
Later, we were guided towards a long hall with a long solid timber table for lunch. There were probably around twenty people.
Excellently cooked pasta was served along with salad and freshly baked baguettes. Bread baskets were passed around. There were wine glasses and conversations and laughter that filled the room.
Activities and Things to Do Here
- Hiking Trails
There are marked hiking trails from the hamlet of Tartou. Available for all levels, from 4 to 16 km in the hilly setting of the Périgord Limousin Regional Natural Park. Les Gorges du Chambon is only 4 km from the hamlet of Tartou, with a hiking trail that runs under the shade along the river.
- Fishing
There's a pond nearby that's great for fishing trouts, carps, and tenches.
- Outdoor Pool and Other Activities
They have an outdoor swimming pool, a game room equipped with "baby-foot" or foosball table, a ping-pong table, and a pétanque court.
- Spend time with the Farm Animals
- Scenic Flights
They offer gyrocopter trial flights to admire the scenic bird's eye views of the beautiful landscape of Dordogne.
- Visit Castles
There are many castles to visit nearby such as La Rochefoucauld, Puycharnaud, Varaignes, Marthon, Bourdeilles, Puyguilhem, Mareuil, Jumilhac, Le Grand, Châlus, Montbrun, Massignac, Villebois Lavalette, Ballerand, and Château Rocher.
I remember being stuffed and grateful to have had the opportunity of experiencing this place and meeting these lovely people. I find this traditional cottage charming so I'm sharing it here before I end this post.
Have you stayed in a traditional gîte or a traditional cottage in France? How was it? Would you ever consider staying here or in a similar type of accommodation?
Thank you for reading and wishing you all a lovely weekend!
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Hey @discoveringarni, what a wonderful experience you had there. Sitting with friends and family of all those pilots would have felt too good and elite. I have never been to any gîte or cottage yet but would love to after reading this excellent publication. The activities , large green land and the traditional structures makes it more lucrative to visit.
Happy weekend:)
Hi Sahiba, I closed my eyes now and I could still hear the sounds and the memory of having them on that long table. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. That particular brand which is a family business sets them apart from the other manufacturers because they're customer service focused and they treat every member of their team as well as their clients as part of the family.
I would enjoy that country side kind of area. The wide fields, beautiful cottages, lovely hospitality and group of amazing pilots. That would be icing on the top though.
That was indeed a great experience, Keep flourishing!
Hello Praditya, thank you for reading and for your thoughtful comment. Everything there was so soothing and calm, it's a great rustic getaway destination.
How cool is it to arrive in your own gyrocopter!! And I bet those who didn't own one yet would be tempted to buy one after being taken on a ride looking down at the beautiful landscape. It seems like a lovely place to spend a weekend, and I guess it wouldn't feel like someone was trying to sell you something.
Hello Pauline, it was like their version of the red carpet..haha, us who drove there stood along the sidelines of the airstrip and watched pilots land one by one 😄 The views from up there must be stunning, flying above castles and the national park. You're absolutely right, it didn't feel like anyone was selling anything. They were all focused on the aerial excursion and animated conversations on the flight to get there, the day went by beautifully.
The traditional cottage looks great! I think i have to travel to france as soon as possible :)
Reminiscing about France and uncovering all of the photos in my folders bring back nostalgia especially with the summer coming soon so I can imagine :)
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Thank you @LivingUKTaiwan and @pinmapple team. Thank you very much! It's always an honor to be a part of the Daily Travel Digest 😀
Hello Arni. Through your post, I got to know some of the humble beginnings of your previous gyrocopter business. I agree, it's certainly an ecstatic feeling to meet fellow aviators in a hospitable setting as warm and cozy as the surrounding natural landscapes. Now I'm aware of what a Gîte means...hehe.
Hi Erne, those were the days of travel. Quite nostalgic to think about our past adventures with the gyro and moving forward with a dream that we once had. Hehe hopefully next time you visit France you can try visiting or staying in a gite.
I love the hilly countryside of Dordogne and the cliffs. We passed through on a recent drive down south. Looks like an amazing place to hike. Farm animals are always a plus as well.
The farm animals who were freely walking around were delightful to watch. Looking forward to reading about your travels in the Dordogne region.
Yeah, I really like seeing Donkey's, cows and sheep freely roaming the countryside. I have never heard of a Gite but it seems like a great form of accommodation.
We haven't done a full Dordogne trip yet because we just opened up for travel and the weather has been crap here lately. We only did a quick stop this weekend at one town on the way through the area so I don't have much to show unfortunately. But I am definitely looking forward to checking it out further. Apparently the region is broken up into four areas - Perigord black, white, green and purple. Each represents a different feature of the landscape - forests, cliffs, hilly landscape, and grapes (wine). I'm not sure but I think your previous posts were in the white region and I think my trip is planned for the black. I could be wrong on both accounts but nonetheless its nice seeing the other locations of the area in your posts. Will there be more to come?
Yes you're right, it's so huge, they're broken up into four areas. I'm afraid that's about it. It was only a weekend trip which was too short for sightseeing in Dordogne.
Okay, I see. Did you write about the areas in one of your previous posts and I just forgot where I read it? I hate when that happens lol
Sorry for my late reply, been swamped at work with deadlines. I only wrote about Brantôme, Bourdeilles, and Périgueux. The rest of Dordogne, I have only seen them on posters on the wall of one restaurant here in our village in the Philippines lol. I'd love to return. Hope to read about them on your blog.
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Thanks so much @hivebuzz, yay, I almost forgot about it if it weren't for your reminder.
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