French property in Aquitaine - Lot et Garonne - A LIFESTYLE & A BUSINESS ~ Classic 18th century stone house and working bio-diversity vineyard

Jane and Liz Vernon and Gardiner Independent Agent, says :

A LIFESTYLE & A BUSINESS ~ Classic 18th century stone house and working bio-diversity vineyard

BIO-DIVERSITY VINEYARD WITH 11 HECTARES ~~ This beautiful, 18th century stone property, perched on a hill and commanding wonderful views of the vineyard and countryside beyond, is good order throughout, and, in addition to the three-bedroomed, chic living accommodation, houses 2 separate barns, stable, and boasts a tennis court, summer-house and swimming pool with hard cover.

DPE

Location in France

The Lot-et-Garonne has been called the Tuscany of France because of its yellow fields of sunflowers, vineyards, cypress trees and red roofed buildings.

In the south-west corner of France, midway between Toulouse and Bordeaux. 2 hours to the Atlantic coast and the Pyrenees, 3 hours to the Mediterranean. This department of the Aquitaine is a must when searching for a house for sale in France. Excellent motorway and rail links and an airport at Bergerac with Flybe and Ryanair flying to destinations across England and Scotland.

An area full of unspoilt villages and bastide towns with maisons de maître, barns and village houses for sale, rivers and the canal latéral de la Garonne (part of the canal du Midi), up which the few remaining working barges still sail.

The views are expansive and comprise rolling hills and valleys of agricultural land. Much of the produce grown is well known in France - prunes of Agen, tomatoes and strawberries of Marmande, Armagnac brandy, apples, pears, kiwis and cherries. It is also a prolific wine growing area with Duras and Buzet being the most well known.

On the foody front, the most recognisable of the region is duck in its many forms such as foie gras, magret and gésiers. You can't help passing duck farms as you travel around that sell these products directly. Quite likely next to a vineyard selling their wine. Converted farmhouses are amongst many of Leggetts' properties for sale in the Lot-et-Garonne.

There are many chateaux in the Lot-et-Garonne including Biron, Lauzun, Lamothe, Scandaillac and Nerac, to name but a few. Medieval towns many of them bastides (of which there are 20) are to be found including Castillones, Monflanquin and Villereal. Top end properties such as manoirs are for sale in the department.

It is an exhilarating area for walking with much of the department marked out for ramblers and cyclists along paths where you'll meet hardly a soul. As most villages are part of these routes, it's quite likely to find one within walking distance of your French house.

All year round are morning markets in many towns and villages. The perfect place to meet friends and family over a coffee or something stronger. This really is life unchanged for centuries. During the summer months, many of these towns hold lunchtime and evening producers' markets, where food and drink is consumed in a convivial environment.

You would expect life in the Lot-et-Garonne to be unhurried. Well, it is in the winter, when, in front of the fire, we put up our feet with a glass of wine, but the summer is quite different.

The château at Duras, for example, plays host to opera, classical concerts and the occasional rock concert. There are the producers' markets, wine fairs, antique fairs, village fetes and the "vide greniers" – France's wonderful alternative to the car boot sale - a must for any collector. You could furnish your house in France!