Tussilago

What Nancy thinks... 

In the words of many previous guests who have stayed at Tussilago, this really is a haven for families to escape the rat race...

It is a beautiful, typical 18th Century stone farmhouse and stables in South West France; built before the French Revolution, with 19th century additions and renovations, this old property has a fantastic spacious, modern, 'clutter free' feel.

The resident owners, Roger & Ulla, are on hand to ensure that all goes well and offer a warm welcome to their visitors. Friendly yet discreet, they live on site at one end of the building in the Farmhouse, the gîte (originally the stables), is at the other end.  

This extremely beautiful building has a huge arched window to one side, housing a double ceiling height atelier room (once a master gilder's workshop); mirrored by a smaller arched window in the centre of the building (the gîte's master bedroom window) this architectural design creates a stunning holiday venue for you and your family. 

Set on the crest of a hill and in the middle of a hectare of land (around two and a half acres), the panoramic views of the rolling countryside all around give you a sense of genuine peace and relaxation.

The local village is only a kilometre away and has bakeries, two supermarkets, two restaurants, and much more.  You might even fancy a stroll up the hill with the pushchair to its weekly market, with stalls selling vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, cheese, bread, etc. 

Growing around the house are cherries, pears, plums, figs, grapes, apples and quinces, as well as organically grown vegetables, all of which guests are welcome to pick; Roger, your host, has some delicious local recipes you can try.  

Then again, if you are out and about all day you might like to choose something delicious from the local and organic Tussilago menu instead . Roger also likes to offer his guests traditional dishes from the region.  A favourite cookbook is Recettes paysannes du Tarn. Why not completely immerse yourselves in this fabulous region by experiencing scrumptious dishes like Saucisse de Toulouse au gaillac blanc, Aillade de Lautrec, Tomates blanches, Soupe à l'ail rose de Lautrec, Tarte au roquefort et aux noix, and Salade d'aubergines to name but a few.  An extensive menu is available for download once you make your booking.  

Another fantastic 'hassle free' service is their Picnic & BBQ packs (enquire for prices); leave these to the hosts to organise and benefit from their local knowledge of the best regional products, so you have the time to take things easy.  Just pre-warn them which days you plan to have your picnic or BBQ then collect your pack and go.

At Tussilago you can be safe in the knowledge that you are partaking in environmentally friendly travel.  This is a rare quality in self-catering gîtes; Tussilago are leading the way, that's for sure!  The owners work with ‘ClimateCare' to help reduce the environmental effect of guests coming to stay at the property by donating 7 Euros per guest to offset their carbon footprint.  They will also provide a FREE pick up service for those guests wishing to reduce their carbon footprint by using the train.  

All the windows and doors are double-glazed and the water at the property comes from the nearby ‘Montagne Noire' and tastes lovely; so much nicer than bottled water.  The salt water pool is much more environmentally friendly with the added benefit of being better for your little one's skin, and re-cycling and composting is encouraged.

Once inside the double French doors from the front terrace and garden (conveniently close to the swimming pool), one enters a fabulous light and airy, open-plan ground floor.  This property has been sensitively restored with emphasis on decor that is simple and cool...perfect as it enjoys over 2100 hours of sunshine a year! 

Although open-plan, the ground floor consists of four areas - a sofa and armchairs (near the television and DVD player), another reading area with an antique day bed, a children's table and chair set (there's even a cute mini wicker chair for little ones!) and a book shelf packed with books and toys for the children. 

The centre of the room houses a large wooden table which seats 8, and is positioned next to a log burning stove (safely guarded in the winter for your peace of mind).

Finally, at the furthest end of this vast room is the smart modern kitchen. Fully equipped with dishwasher, microwave, two fridges, washing machine, etc. It consists of a long thin layout, with a window looking out to the views of the back garden; a handy 'bar' like division between the kitchen and the dining area makes preparing food whilst still keeping an eye on what your little ones are getting up to much easier! 

The property's shower room is on the ground floor next to the staircase. It is a huge room with a walk in shower, loo, sink and changing table. A baby bath is available as there is no full sized bath.

Upstairs there is a big square landing leading to 3 bedrooms. The twin room and second double room are on the right and of equal size. Both are big rooms with plenty of space for a cot or even a junior bed (with built-in bed guards), should you need them, and stunning views over the back garden and beyond.  If you would prefer to have two twin rooms, this can easily be arranged.

There is also a new shower room with WC installed upstairs located on the landing and accessible by all three bedrooms.

The master room is on the opposite side of the landing to the other two rooms.  It is incredibly large (8 x 4m) so there is plenty of room to add two cots or even three junior beds, leaving plenty of room to spare.  It is this room that is lucky enough to have an attractive arched window/door, which you will feel inclined to throw open, safe in the knowledge that there is a banister across the exterior of the window.

The master bedroom has a rolldown blind, the other 2 bedrooms have shutters on their windows, giving you as much help as possible to try and grab some precious lie-ins or encourage daytime naps!

Parent point:

• The kitchen area is not gated from the rest of the open plan ground floor, and although all the cupboards have security locks on them, the oven (at the furthest end of the corridor like space) is a low level oven, which parents will have to be vigilant of when in use.
• The house has electric heaters in every room with the dials accessible on most of them.

With its open flat lawn, abundant flower beds, wooded slopes and vegetable patch, all split between both front and rear garden areas, this is just the type of garden children love - plenty of nooks and crannies to play hide and seek in!  There are also numerous types of outdoor equipment for all ages to play with.

The front of the house (the side with the pool) has the main drive running down its centre, flanked either side by the lawns, the abundant organic veggie patch, and a variety of trees (many of which are fruit) creating great shady spots to relax in.  Imagine 'kicking back' and relaxing in the hammock under the cherry tree whilst the children either play in the pool (only 5 metres away) or pretend to be 'adventurers' as they play in the bamboo corridor by the two weeping willows and the alfresco dining area beneath them (housing a big table seating up to 14 people).

The swimming pool is totally enclosed and has Roman steps.  There are 9 loungers, a solar powered shower and numerous pool toys.  A lovely size at 12 x 5 metres, it uses environment and skin friendly salt rather than chlorine and boasts magnificent views over the rolling countryside to the north and the local village up the hill to the south.  

To the rear of the property is a long gravelled terrace housing a big wooden table and chair set (seating 10). This raised terrace extends the full length of the gîte's back wall and looks out on to stunning panoramic views of the valley and the back garden lawns, which slope down as the house is set on a hill.  

Here you will find two small movable charcoal BBQs, which are guaranteed to get lots of use!

There is a brand new swing/slide set in the garden too.

Wifi internet is available inside and outside of the property, so if you need to keep an eye on work related issues or just get your 'fix' of Facebook, you can pull up a lounger and surf to your heart's content.

Parent point:

• The garden is not enclosed. However the size of the grounds will allow you the peace of mind that your children will not be near any roads as they play. Apart from the very quiet lane accessing the property's own driveway, the only thing surrounding the grounds are agricultural fields.
• There are certain areas in the garden immediately opposite the owners' part of the house that are not suitable for children to play near, such as a glass cold frame at ground level, by a secured well.
• There are numerous oleander plants in the garden. Although very beautiful these are dangerous if consumed. Toddlers prone to putting things in their mouth should be supervised at all times in the front garden area.

• Large enclosed swimming pool with Roman steps for easy access
• Inflatable arm bands for different ages, and toys for the pool
• Inflatable paddling pool
• Outdoor play equipment e.g. swing slide set, tree house, sand pit, buckets and spades
• Outdoor toys
• Toys, games, books, DVDs (from 2months- teenager)
• Prams
• A crib for newborns
• 2 junior beds with inbuilt side guards
• 2 cots and cot linen
• Night lights
  
• Wireless baby monitor 
• Microwave
• Stair gates
• Hand blender
• Steriliser
• Socket guards
• Cupboard locks
• Plastic plates, cups and cutlery
• High chairs
• Toddler chairs
• Bibs and weaning spoons
• Potties & child's loo seats
• Step
• Changing table & mat
• Bath toys
• Child size table and chair set
• Two car seats, 0-18kg (E2) and 0-25kg (E17)

For the children...
Sleeping arrangements are easy and worry free in this house, with both of the twin rooms (one of which can be converted into a double if two families are travelling together or if grandparents are joining you) located off of the same landing area; the children can be in close proximity to their parents at all times.

The hectare of land allows plenty of space for making camps, flying kites, climbing trees, playing cricket, etc.  There is also a tree house 1.5m off the ground for older siblings and a brand new swing/slide set including a baby swing seat and 'rocker' attachment.

English speaking babysitting is available at 8 euros per hour and delicious home cooked meals are also available (children's portions 8 Euros, no salt added).

Parent point:

• The first rung of the ladder up to the tree house (situated far from the gîte itself) has been removed to restrict its use to only bigger children who can climb it.  However, its use should be at parents discretion as it is 1.5m from the ground.

This area of SW France, in the Tarn département of the Midi-Pyrénées region, is known as "the French Tuscany".  It is rich in history and culture - the city of Albi (named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2010), the Occitan language, Cathars and the château of Saissac, the town of Sorèze, cassoulet, pays de cocagne, the local Gaillac wine - and just about every village and town around has something worth exploring or experiencing.  

For any keen golfers there is Golf des Etangs de Fiac, an 18 hole course within 15 minutes (about 20km) from Tussilago. Not a long course but very demanding, as it is set around lakes with plenty of opportunity for drop shots. The course is inhabited by a large number of beavers, which makes for an interesting round.  The restaurant offers a very good value menu for a post round meal too. 

If you fancy exploring the local countryside by bike, the roads around Tussilago offer excellent cycling for all levels with plenty of traffic-free, tree-lined roads, varied terrain, and iconic sunflower-filled views. Two mountain bikes are available to guests free of charge plus a bike seat for a little one to join the ride.  The Tour de France stage 13 actually went past the door in 2010, so the owners have even been inspired to create their own ‘Vielmur challenge'.  If you are feeling fit and up for the challenge, why not try a pre-breakfast contre-la-montre, from Tussilago to Vielmur-sur-Agout and back again - 22km of scenic, winding roads, climbing the category 4 Côte de Puylaurens each way. The current time to beat is 55 mins!

The nearest sea beach is Narbonne Plage, 1hr 50mins drive away, but just 20 minutes drive and you could be at the huge beautiful fresh water lake Bassin de Saint Ferréol. With sandy beaches, sailing boats for hire, archery, trampolining, mini golf, supervised bathing and much more it really is not to be missed.

For other activities for children near Tussilago, check out the following websites:
Le Cri de Tarzan - A wild nature park with adventures in the trees, from 3 years old, and only five minutes drive away
Aubépine Quad - quad bike and mini buggy hire, from 4 years old, five minutes drive away
Canoe Agout Evasion - canoeing and kayaking on the river at Vielmur-sur-Agout, ten minutes drive from the house; from seven years old, and must know how to swim 

There are numerous signposted circular walks from the house, walking guides are available at the Office de Tourisme, but the owners will be happy to guide you towards the closest ones from a 1 hour route to much more if you are up to it (many are pushchair friendly).

Anglers amongst you might like to have a chat with the owners about tips they have gleaned from previous guests, but to give you a taster, the banks of the river Agout can be easily reached and explored from Vielmur. Locals fish for carp, zander, catfish and pike. This holiday could be your perfect opportunity for some peace and quiet, you could relax, rod in hand, whilst the children are happily splashing about back at Tussilago in the pool with your other half. 

Before booking, please read our Terms and Conditions

Bookings are generally taken for full weeks and the calendar below shows 7 night blocks; however many Owners are happy to consider bookings for additional nights and to consider different starting and departure dates outside of the busy periods.  Please enquire by clicking on an available period in the calendar below. 

There is the added possibility of 2 additional beds to be placed downstairs (screened off from the rest of the living room) should you need them.

To keep you snug and warm during out of season weeks (October - March) there are additional heating costs. As Tussilago is heated by electric radiators, a reading is taken at the beginning of the stay and again at the end to ascertain consumption cost.  A box of logs is 6 Euros. 

If you would like to have the arrival day meal, please enquire in advance. If you would like  further meals during your stay, please tell the owners a day or two before.