Cycling holiday in France

Happy days cycling near Barrusclet with Stourbug in September 2011. The views are just fabulous, and the lack of roadside hedging means you can see for mile and miles and miles.......... :-) We are on route to the Abbaye de Flaran and we are near Mouchan.Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

A cycling holiday in South West France at Barrusclet

GOOD MORNING ~ BREAKFAST TIME 

We need to build up our stamina with a hearty breakfast. The sun is up, so the terrace is a great place to start the day and enjoy our french baguette and jam, fresh from Gondrin this morning. There are croissants, choclatines and fruit and yogurt. We have fresh eggs from our neighbour and lots of aromatic coffee. This could take a long time.

 Barrusclet is looking gorgeous  in the sunshine. Time to get out on our bikes. We have about 15 bikes at Barrusclet to suit adults and children. Bike hire in France is expensive. We have bikes you can borrow for free. I have searched for cycle hire in Condom and Eauze, our nearest two towns, and have come up blank. Lot's of gites claim you can hire bikes locally, but it might not be as easy as that. The joy of cycling through the french countryside is wonderful. The views are far reaching and on the country lanes the cars are few and far between.

 You can cycle for miles without even seeing a car. The fields are full of sunflowers in early Summer, and vines throughout the Summer and then in to Autumn when their leaves turn. The ever changing scenery makes the Gers region of France interesting all year round.

Arriving at Eauze Market about 15km away, we park up our bikes at the Thursday  morning market ready for a browse. The array of fresh produce is fantastic. We should have bought our panniers with us today.  As well as local produce you will find flowers, clothes, shoes, handbags, berets, and even hammocks. Sometimes even the odd piglet or puppy.                                                         

 The Abbaye at Flaran provides a bit of culture. It houses a small but interesting gallery, and of course the architecture is beautiful. It has a very calm atmosphere and offers some welcome shade from the sun.

Lunch at the beautiful medieval village of  Fources is always a favourite. The Auberge de Fources is so picturesque. We got there more quickly than we got home. But after a three course meal with wine and coffee included for 13 euros it was always going to be a long lunch and a wobble .......... home.

 Once back at Barrusclet the table is set for dinner ......If you think that all we do is eat then in our defence I can only say that we are in France, and  on holiday so food is important!

Just to burn off a few more calories I suggest a game of  keepy -uppy in the 12m x 6m heated swimming pool, and then a well earned power nap in the hammock, before a cold beer in the field .

Is it that time of day already?  We are exhasuted. Perhaps a midnight swim before heading for bed? Sweet dreams are made of this.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Bike hire in France, cycling holidays in France, cycle routes in the Midi-Pyrenees, bike hire in Condom, bike hire in Eauze, bike hire in Gondrin, gites with cycles, cycling near Toulouse, cycling near Bordeaux. Holiday rental with heated swimming pool and bikes and a tennis court nearby.

Renovating a house in France

Before and After

The Salon at Barrusclet

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Would you believe me if I told you these two rooms were one and the same? When we bought Barrusclet in 2007 and started renovating we were in for a few surprises. Some were good and some were bad. This was a great discovery, and is one of my favourite details of the house. I had an inkling that there was a blocked up window behind that plastered recess, but I was really thrilled when we uncovered a beautiful arched window. (Always my favourite on Playschool). Also lurking behind all that mouldy paper and plaster was gorgeous stone wall, and a huge beam which had been plastered over was revealed in all it's glory. this is now the Salon at Barruslcet. Previously it had been used as a bedroom. There were no bedrooms upstairs when we started, in fact there weren't even any stairs.

Nerac in France

Mum and Dad are in situe at Barrusclet now until Mid October. Lucky them. They are staying in Lavender Cottage and doing pool maintenance and generally having a relaxing time. The house is for rent as  usual as Lavender Cottage is out the way at the back of Barrusclet. 

They are heading off to Nerac, about half an hours drive to get more salt and chemicals for the pool. We use Nerac Piscine for our supplies, and Giles is a really good man to deal with. He supplied us with the pool and lots of advice in the first place. 

Mum and dad are going to be tempted to lunch by the river Baise. I can't say I blame them, as it is a lovely spot.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

A Place In The Sun

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Beautiful Barrusclet in the afternoon sunshine. Summer 2012, and a great season is underway. The weather in France has been a bit all over the place this year. More rain than usual early on, but a heatwave over the last few weeks. Always plenty to do though whatever the weather.

Bike Hire in The Midi-Pyrenees region of France

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Bike Hire in France. Bike hire in Gascony. Bike Hire in the Gers. Bike Hire in Condom. Bike Hire in Eauze. Bike Hire in Gondrin. Bike hire in Montreal du Gers. Cycle Shop Condom. Cycle Shop Eauze. Cycle hire in Gascony. Cycling holiday in France. Cycling in the Midi-Pyrenees.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees
AT BARRUSCLET WE HAVE BIKES YOU CAN BORROW FOR FREE.
Bike hire in The Gers region of France seems quite rare. I notice that lots of gites say you can get local bike hire, but trust me, it is not easy to find ...... I haven't found any yet that is convenient to our area. But don't worry, when you holiday at Barrusclet we have in the region of 15 bikes that you can borrow for free. There are bikes to suit adults and children.  We don't provide helmets .... bring those yourself, but we do have maps, map carriers, puncture repair kits, spare inner tubes and tool kits. The bikes are a mixed bunch, not brand new or top of the range, but they will happily take you 20, 30, 40 km through very beautiful countryside. If you prefer to bring your own bike then we have plenty of storage in the barn.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

I need to blog more often. Otherwise I forget what I am doing, and can't find my way round this blogging site again! Errrrr!