Locality

There is also a small hotel and bar, and the largest outdoor manmade swimming lake in France. This area is great for families, with slides, inflatable's, table tennis, tennis courts, children's play area, and plenty of grassed area for sunbathing and picnics. Gondrin has a small Sunday market selling local fresh produce.

A 2 minute drive, or short cycle ride in the other direction brings us to the tiny hamlet of Lauraet. We hold a key to the immaculate, yet barely used tennis court, which is overlooked by the pretty village church.

Plenty of small villages are within easy reach, and many offer restaurants and bars for you to discover during your stay. Our favourite is the auberge in the lovely village of Fources, a tiny medieval village built in the round, with gorgeous flowers at every window. The plat du jour is 13 Euros and includes 3 courses, wine and coffee. This village also hosts a flower festival and regular antique markets.

Another local village is Montreal. It has a lovely square, with bars and restaurants, and hosts a medieval fayre in the Summer. It also has a small bull-fighting arena, where during the summer festival there is a bull-jumping contest. Not really our thing, but we were happy to see that the bulls were not hurt.

The larger market town of Vic-Fezensac has a large bull-fighting stadium, where I think it is more serious. Vic-Fezensac also hosts a huge Latino Salsa Festival over one week in the Summer, and a weekly market.

Most of the local villages host their own festivals throughout the summer, and these can be great fun with live music, eating and drinking, sporting contests, and firework displays. We have found the people to be very welcoming and there is a great sense of community.

We are also only a few kilometres away from the tiny medieval fortified village of Larressingle. It is a really pretty spot, with a small cafe/restaurant, and a working museum of medieval weaponry. The pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela comes through this area if that is your interest, and the peaceful Abbaye de Flaran is close by.

The larger towns of Eauze and Condom are 10-15 minutes drive away, and these both offer larger supermarkets, and a greater choice of restaurants and cafes. The river Baise runs through Condom, and river cruises are available.   Our region is famous for Armagnac and Foie Gras. There are many vineyards within easy reach where you can drop in for a tasting, and most of the restaurants have local specialities on the menu.

Other activities within an hours drive include: High Ropes courses, canoe trips, Wallabi World theme park, a great Go-Karting course, a Water Park, paint-balling, and horse riding. The Thermal Spa town of Castera Verduzan, and the Roman Villa at Seviac with its mosaic floors are both close by. Also there are numerous swimming lakes and pools with beaches and slides and play areas.

If golf is your thing, there is an 18 hole championship course, Golf de Guinlet , at Eauze, Golf d'Albret at Barbaste, and Golf d'Auch-Embats near Auch. There are other courses in the region but if you are a keen golfer I would recommend that you do your own research so you know exactly what you are getting.

We are approx. 2 hours from the Atlantic coast and The Pyrenees, and approx.3.5 hours from the Mediterranean. Lourdes is within striking distance, as is Marciac and its famous Jazz festival.