Day 25 – Hautefort farmhouse, Perigord



Our car and accommodation at Hautefort

Alan is very stressed as we drive the hire car, with Sue now on board, out of Bordeaux airport and around and around a few toute directions until we finally get heading in the right direction. We can't chat much about the news from home because Alan needs us all concentrating on navigating …
We relax though when we hit the country roads and pull in at St Emilion about an hour later. The picturesque stone town seems devoted to selling the local wine, which we taste and it's wonderful. We have lunch in the square below the church tower and toast the three of us finally being here in south west France – a dream we've had for 13 plus years.

After lunch and a spot of shopping we head towards our farmhouse. We get lost a few times, which adds to the anticipation. When we finally get here, Les gites fleuris is everything and more than we had imagined it would be.


Our building is a couple of hundred years old and has a big open fireplace in the lounge room. There are rickety steps going up to the bedrooms on the top floor where you have to dip your head at the top.


The gardens and view are lovely – overgrown flower gardens, vegie gardens, barns, pool, jacuzzi. Our hosts Renata and Larry are a fabulous and very hospitable couple originally from America. They bring us over some of their home-made walnut wine to have before dinner. That plus a bottle of excellent Bordeaux claret, some foie de canard, cheese and bread, plus a meal we cobble together from the local supermarchet, then a nightcap of limonchello sees us all sleeping soundly be 9.30pm.

Our lunch spot at St Emilion

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