Region

The house, Maison Delbousquet, is situated in the middle of a village called Sos, which is in the south of département 47, Lot-et-Garonne. Geographically it’s situated in the old historical part of France called Gascony, although this distinction now only lingers in the heads of older residents. Today Lot-et-Garonne is part of Aquitaine.

A ninety minute drive to the west will take you to Bordeaux, the beaches, surfing and St Jean de Luz. A similar drive south will take you to the Spanish border, the Basque Country, the Pyrenees mountains (great skiing in winter) and Pau. Drive east and Toulouse is just over an hour away, with Carcasonne and the Mediterranean beyond.

Sos is conveniently situated in the south of the Lot-et-Garonne, close to the departments of Le Landes and Gers. The area is well served by the airports of Pau Pyrénées, Bergerac, Bordeaux and Toulouse with daily budget airline flights from a number of UK and European airports. You will find a car essential and rentals are easily obtainable at any of these airports.

Local vineyards offer wine and Armagnac tasting. Dine at the many great restaurants with choices from the traditional French brasserie (from €11per head for a lunch of three courses, wine included!) to fine haute cuisine. There are three open air public swimming pools close by at Nérac, Mezin and Gaberret. For golfers there is a choice of excellent courses at Barbaste, Bon-Encontre and Guinlet (Eauze).

Canoeing is available on the river La Gelise at Mezin (8 kms away) and canal boats can be hired at Nérac. For those wishing a truly relaxing experience a visit to Barbotan-les-Thermes hot springs is a must. Kids will enjoy Parc Walabi near Agen, less than one hour away. For motor sport enthusiasts, the Nogaro circuit is 23km away offering a full calendar of motor sport for both bikes and cars.

There is an abundance of museums dedicated to the obscure (corks in Mezin) to the quite exotic (condoms in Condom) as well as the French national collection of water lilies and other luscious gardens. For those that love visiting chateaux and other historical buildings, the area has many to offer. King Henry IV, grandfather to both Louis XIV and England & Charles II, had his court in Nérac and the chateau is well worth a visit.

Lastly, a word on the weather. It is usually at least 5° C warmer than the UK, and the summer temperatures can be very high. Those of 35° C plus are not unusual and the summer of 2005 saw many days in the low 40°Cs.