A month in the Dordogne was just the tonic I needed to step away from my life for a minute and reboot. To be honest, it was more fill my boots than reboot – with rosè, coffee, figs, cheese, croissants, chocolatines, baguettes, tomatoes, tapenade and the rest.
We did a little road trip down to the South Of France from the Dordogne, stopping of in Carcassonne to spend the night. The Cité de Carcassonne in France is an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town and well worth a visit. Despite perhaps relying a little too heavily on tourism these days – the old area is very busy and commercial, if you have any children with a penchant for waving a wooden sword about and donning a tabard, then this is the place for you.
Issigeac Market, Aquitaine in the Dordogne region of France is one of the most frequented of the Sunday markets and people come from far and wide. It really is one of the most quintessentially French markets you could hope to find and made even more spectacular by being hosted in one of the prettiest towns in the area, with a spectacular church in the main square.
The little rural cottage where I’m staying in the Dordogne is perfect and time has slowed down significantly. I can see why this sort of country farmland living is so appealing for busy lives in London. Pockets of the house seem to sum up the state of my being; “still […]
I’m in the Dordogne, the romantic backwater in rural Aquitaine. Much less busy than the South of France, unless it’s market day. The view from the little rural cottage where I am based for a month is of lush vegetation with a lake in the distance. C’est parfait. I am […]
I think I might have previously mentioned that I started learning French two years ago with a friend, mainly in protest at my mother’s referendum vote. The problem is that it’s taking more time than I anticipated to be able to pack my bags and live confidently amongst the Parisians, […]
Sussex Modern is a new collaboration of carefully curated galleries, artist houses, wineries and performance venues all designed to celebrate the county’s contribution to modern culture and to showcase the county’s natural landscape. Thirty six extraordinary spaces explore historic and contemporary stories of ‘making’ that reflect the essence of modern […]
We all know that Brighton, just an hour or so from London, is supremely cool with lots of eclectic gems to offer. But it’s the surrounding areas of Sussex that remain a little more undiscovered that I want to share with you now. You only have to dive a little […]
I have just spent a few days away in France, staying near a little town called Eymet, in the South West Dordogne region and not far from Bergerac. Eymet is a beautiful, typical Bastide town layout which includes an open central square, featuring a large fountain, with roads lined with […]
I hate this stupid ongoing trend for Gap Year Travel. I wasn’t bloody allowed to have one – probably because they weren’t invented when I was their age, but honestly, it’s so traumatic for the parents, I think they should be banned – at least until their frontal lobes are […]
Pretty happy that my alcoholic alcohol loving family Christmas can be sorted in one fell swoop this year. They’re even offering cocktail masterclasses in January! Woohoo! I’m going to book us all in for a stay at Rathfinny Estate who are offering something for everyone at their award-winning Winery in […]
OK, so I might be a little biased, but I would say that Rathfinny Estate in East Sussex most definitely offers the best grape picking in the UK these days and it’s only going to get better. My 18 year old son and his girlfriend have just spent two weeks […]
