La Source

What Nancy thinks...

La Source is a spacious, open plan apartment, beautifully restored and set above the old stables of an attractive 18th Century Manor house. For added flavour, the Manoir itself is flanked by two magnificent ‘pigeonnier' round towers.

The British owners of the estate live in the Manoir and have children themselves. They are fully aware of the difficulties of travelling with children and are unobtrusively on hand to make your stay as relaxing and smooth running as possible. The estate consists of nearly 2 hectares of mature gardens, set within 30 hectares of farm land, with lots of large trees providing shade and privacy as well as plenty of space for exploring. All the water used here - including the apartment, ponds and swimming pool - comes directly from its very own private spring or 'source'.

The house and grounds are set in the Valley of the Gers and are surrounded by idyllic Gascon countryside. You will find yourself surrounded by fields of swaying corn or bright sunflowers, melons and garlic.

The shaded terraced area leads to the main entrance of the gite and lies in the shadow of one of the pigeonnier towers (see photograph). A useful utility area (with washing machine, large washing sink and loo) is tucked away down here. The wooden staircase leads up to the apartment which is surprisingly large and spacious.

This lovely room has exposed beams, vaulted ceilings and stone walls and is light, airy and homely. The kitchen, with built in cupboards and child locks, consists of a fridge-freezer, double sink, dishwasher, microwave, toaster and a freestanding gas hob/cooker with a safety top that can be lowered when the burner rings are not in use. A Baby Dan gate is available should you want to completely close the kitchen off. A kitchen bar separates the kitchen and dining room and allows you to keep an eye on the children whilst you make dinner. The nearby dining table seats 6 to 8 people.

Opposite this is the sitting area with its two large, comfy sofas (one of which is a sofa bed) and a large TV (UK channels available), plus a combined DVD and video player. A generous selection of books, videos and boardgames are available for the quieter moments of the day.

Three of the four full length windows provide a view over the manor house, its courtyard and towards the pool whilst the fourth is used as French doors down to the apartment's private courtyard outside.

Gated stairs at the far end of the main living room lead down to a large bathroom, where you'll find a lovely, big bath and separate oversized shower, as well as hand basin, bidet and loo. Within the bathroom is a huge cupboard with hanging rails which can be used as a walk in wardrobe, and there's also plenty of other storage space in the bathroom for towels, toiletries or nappies.

A wooden staircase leads up from the bathroom to the galleried mezzanine family bedroom. This is simply, yet attractively decorated and has a large double bed and two single beds. (A full size wooden drop side cot is available on request and also a portable travel cot to be used as a cot or playpen).

There is a wooden wardrobe for hanging space and a huge chest of drawers. All furniture is matching solid wood and bed linen is crisp and clean. The floor is carpeted and privacy from downstairs is created using curtains across the wide mezzanine opening. There is also a double fully sprung sofa bed downstairs in the main living room.

Parent points: Furniture should be kept away from the wall surrounding the mezzanine as it could be used by little 'climbers' to try and peek over the top. To prevent the possibility of accidents on the stairs at night, a sturdy teddy bear potty chair (with removable potty and lid) is available.

Arriving at La Source is like taking a step into a dream move to France! The Manoir itself and the courtyard set the scene for your holiday and once there we think that you will have to wrench yourself away!

Once you arrive at La Source you'll find you have your own private parking area opposite the apartment entrance. Situated next to the front door is a rustic, undercover terrace area with table and chairs to seat 6 with a large stone charcoal BBQ nearby.

You will have complete use of the main property grounds (except the main house courtyard which is gated). This includes a play area consisting of a 13 foot enclosed trampoline and a wooden climbing set with 2 swings, a rocker a slide and a turtle sandpit.

Further down the garden, down a grassy slope is the swimming pool area. The salt-water pool (10mx5m) with Roman steps, is partially enclosed by hedging and walls, it is solar heated, and has a rigid safety cover which is locked into position whenever the pool is not in use. The pool area is well kitted out with sun loungers, parasols, and upright chairs with small tables for your drinks & books.

All of this looks out onto a valley of open fields and a lake approximately 30m away at the base of the valley. Pool towels are available at a nominal cost, and for that extra peace of mind, ‘lifesaver' swimming jackets are also available free of charge. These come in three sizes, baby, 2-3yrs and 4-6yrs, as well as a selection of armbands, rubber rings and pool floats.

The Vauclusian spring that provides water for the Manoir is believed to predate the Roman times. The water starts its journey as snow melt from the Pyrénées and then travels underground. It bubbles up and is filtered through the limestone rocks and appears above ground in a floodlit grotto in the first of three terraced gardens near the swimming pool.

Parent points: There is a big step up to the undercover terrace of about 50cm which extends along the length of the terrace. A Baby Dan is provided should you want to block off this step whilst you make use of this cool and shady area for eating. Children must be supervised at all times when in the vicinity of the pool as it is not enclosed (although the cover should always be replaced when not in use) and children could also access the unenclosed lake 30 meters further down the hill and the terraced gardens with the unenclosed spring pond and numerous stone steps up above it.

Finally the apartment has a small, private, and totally enclosed courtyard area which is an ideal place for children to play on ride on toys and for you to relax. The courtyard is accessed either from the front courtyard and car park or from the apartment itself via one of the French windows and down some beautiful old stone steps (gated at the top and with a BabyDan at the bottom).

The courtyard is gravelled and furnished with a wooden picnic table and two reclining chairs. There are also plenty of ride-on toys and games available. This makes a very private and safe, enclosed play area away from the pool and the rest of the estate.

• Cots - full size and travel cot/playpen
• Highchairs
• Bed guards
• Booster seat
• Steriliser
• Baby monitor
• Plastic plates, bowls, cups and cutlery
• Plastic steps
• Changing mat
• Stair gates
• Socket guards
• Non slip bath mat
• BabyDan
• Children's books, toys and videos
• Bath toys
• Sandpit
• Large 13ft Trampoline with saftey net
• Wooden climbing set
• Swings/slide
• Salt water pool
• Small bouncy castle available - please enquire
• Babysitting service (15€/ hr)

The salt water in the pool is so much kinder on children's eyes and skin and is better for children with ezcema. The solar heating also means that this is a great opportunity to spend many happy hours splashing around.

Things to do with the children:

There is an excellent childrens play area in Lectoure which families can walk to via the pilgrims way in under 15 minutes (1 mile from the gite). There's also a great play area at Fleurance - 10 minutes drive.  There's a lovely family theme park 30 minutes away in Agen (Parc Walibi - includes rides for all ages, even for toddlers). Also worth mentioning is the leisure base at St Clar (10 mins drive) which is a huge swimming lake with sandy beaches and water slides plus a massive outdoor wooden adventure play area with onsite family restaurant. There's also local Go Karting and Bowling within 30 minutes plus a few local pony clubs. 

This property is in an ideal location if you enjoy walking. An all terrain buggy is available for either the 20 minute walk along the countryside to the local village or for longer walks around the area.  The well trodden Pilgrims' Way is also on the doorstep and is suitable for any type of pram.

The local town of Lectoure has a play and picnic area with swings, sand pit and ride-on see-saw toys all of which are enclosed within a large grassy park perfect for running around.  This is a great place to gather your breath before taking on the 200kms of marked footpaths or to simply stop for a coffee and a bite to eat.

Apart from the many shops, restaurants and bars in town (a few minutes drive away) there is also a traditional Friday street market selling local crafts, regional delicacies and fresh produce.  You can find a local market in a nearby town or village every day of the week. Lectoure is a famous spa town and offers thermal bathing, hydrotherapy pools with their hot mineral-rich waters, treatment cures, saunas and massage.

Nearby St Clar boasts a superb swimming lake with water slides and a sandy beach to build your own little sand chateaux. The long shallow paddling area is perfect for even the smallest  toddlers and with plenty of shade, a big safe outdoor adventure playground with swings and slides, and a child friendly restaurant overlooking the lake, it's all the fun of the seaside but with free parking and no crowds...The lake is open from late June to the end of August and there's a small entrance fee - €2 for children, €3 for adults - but you can buy a card for 10 entries for €16 for children and €24 for adults. On site parking is free all day.

Fleurance is a short drive away from the gite and boasts a lovely fishing lake next to another fantastic outdoor play area with swings, slide, climbing frames and fireman's poles. There are twenty eight inland swimming or fishing lakes, most with sandy beaches and all within a reasonable driving distance of the gite. You'll also find a few sky parks with fantastic 'high wire' tree climbing and the famous Walibi theme park with water rides, roller coasters and special attractions to suit all ages, with some rides only for the very smallest guests. How about taking a picnic and canoeing through the Averyon gorges, or a boat trip on the river Baise? You'll find plenty of useful information leaflets at the gite together with suggestions for tried and tested family days out.

Also just a short drive from the gite is the medieval market town of Condom, with its magnificent cathedral, shops, cafes and restaurants. Children will love the park and feeding the ducks along the riverbank.  Also within easy reach are the larger historical towns of Agen, with excellent shops, famous for its prunes, and the lovely riverside Nerac, where you can hire a boat or take a barge trip. Only two hours away you'll find the Pyrenees, for skiing, walking, rafting and hiking.

The region of Le Gers and the surrounding regions have plenty of culture and history to be discovered. There's the Abbaye de Flaran, the Roman villa of Seviac at Montreal, the circular bastide village of Fources and the medieval town of Larressingle.  Auch, the capital of the Gers, is only 30 minutes away.  Once one of the chief towns of Roman Gaul, it is an ancient town on a steep hill, topped by a flamboyant 15th century Gothic cathedral.  The many local Armagnac and wine tasting tours are also well worth a visit, children are welcome, and the gite owners can organise this for you with a little notice.

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