Beautiful Perigord Noir holiday homes local news

Here you can follow the changing seasons and find out what we’re up to at Domaine de Pessel, as we discover and learn more and more about our French home and its hidden delights.

October 2015

Autumn – perhaps my favourite season, reminding me of trampling through crunchy fallen leaves, mellow colours and beauty of the trees, bonfires and wood smoke, curling into the evening sky – the promise of warmth, home-made treacle toffee and very likely a glass of local red to enhance the entire experience.
Our first Autumn here at Pessel has been so beautiful – unexpected treats, visual, sensual, inspiring.

Brilliant blue skies and richly coloured foliage

Changing colours

Feast for the birds

Ripening Walnuts

Urval Festival August 2015

I just found this short video clip I recorded back in August – thought I would share it as it’s such a good example of the simple fun and friendliness that is to be had at French summer festivals and night markets. There is an abundance of them taking place throughout the summer in our area, and you can find more information on our ‘See and Do’ pages.

It may have rained, but nothing stopped the fun, and how the wine flowed … we had a great experience at our very first Urval Village Festival. The bread from the ‘four banal’ was excellent, as was all the food, and the atmosphere was really buzzing.

The Urval festival takes place annually on the second weekend in August, with music, dancing, games and entertainment for both children and adults of all ages.

Here are a few more photos of the evening.

Delicious Soup

Superb Bread from Urval’s ‘Four Banal’

Monsieur le Maire Welcomes Everyone

Dancing to traditional French music

Fun for all the family at Urval Festival

The new Salle de Fetes was full as was the covered outdoor terrace

The new Salle des Fetes was full as was the covered outdoor terrace

Click Image for Booking Details

Sarah Hodge Petit Pessel June 2019

HomeAway

Charming gite in peaceful countryside

The owners, Alan and Christine, were very welcoming on arrival setting the tone for our stay. The property was spotlessly clean, and thoughtful details included such as wine, milk, butter, bread and orange juice, tea and coffee, and olive oil, garlic and herbs for cooking. Pessel is very peaceful and is surrounded by beautiful woodland, so perfect for relaxing and enjoying nature. We didn’t need to venture far from the gite to see pine martins, deer, hoopoe, black kites, fire crests, short toed eagles and too many species of butterfly to list.
Alan and Christine were very helpful and charming and I wouldn’t hestitate to recommend Pessel to any nature lovers wanting to get away from it all.

Daphne van Sluijters Grand Pessel July/August 2019

Mooi authentieke cottage op een fine locatie

Wij hebben een heerlijke vakantie gehad in Grand Pessel. De ontvangst door Alan en Christine is heel hartelijk. Het zijn zeer fijne gastheer en gastvrouw. Ze zijn goed bereikbaar tijdens het verblijf. Het huisje ziet er prachtig uit en is compleet ingericht. De muren zijn heel dik waardoor de temperatuur binnen lekker koel blijft. Er was bij aankomst zelfs een "welkomstpakket" aanwezig met eerste benodigdheden (melk, brood, eieren, wijn, ...). De heel moderne inloop-douche is heerlijk en de bedden slapen prima. Slaapkamers zijn boven en bereikbaar met een trap met houten treden. Trap is prima te doen als je goed ter been bent (beter niet op sokken lopen) maar kan lastig zijn voor jongere kinderen die nog niet zo vast op de benen staan. De ligging van Domaine de Pessel is heerlijk rustig en er is veel ruimte om de cottage. De herten lopen soms zelfs in de tuin. Het zwembad is lekker groot en onze jongens hebben er veel plezier van gehad. In de directe omgeving zijn heel veel leuke dorpjes. Wij hebben eigenlijk nooit langer dan 45 minuten gereden om iets te bezichtigen. Dit werd vooral door de jongens (13 en 15) erg gewaardeerd. Op ong. 15 minuten rijden zijn 2 mooie abdijen die onder Unesco Werelderfgoed vallen. Deze zijn zeker de moeite waard. De dorpjes zijn alle gezellig met leuke terrasjes en restaurantjes. Veel dorpjes stammen uit de middeleeuwen met leuke kastelen en mooie uitzichten op de Dordogne. Kanoën op de rivier kan heel dichtbij en het aquarium in Le Bugue is zeker met kinderen een leuke attractie. Wij waren in Pessel vlak voordat de Perseiden zwerm het dichtst bij de aarde was. Omdat het gebied weinig lichtvervuiling heeft hebben wij regelmatig genoten van de ligbedden in de tuin om in de avond/nacht naar (vallende) sterren te kijken.

Beautiful authentic cottage in a fine location
We had a wonderful holiday in Grand Pessel. The welcome by Alan and Christine is very warm. They are very nice hosts. They are easily accessible during the stay.

The cottage looks beautiful and is fully furnished. The walls are very thick, which keeps the temperature nice and cool inside. There was even a “welcome pack” on arrival with basic necessities (milk, bread, eggs, wine, …). The very modern walk-in shower is wonderful and the beds sleep well. Bedrooms are upstairs and reached by a staircase with wooden steps. Stairs are fine if you have good mobility (better not walk in socks) but can be difficult for younger children who are not yet so firm on their feet.

The location of Domaine de Pessel is wonderfully quiet and there is plenty of space around the cottage. The deer sometimes even walk in the garden.

There are many nice villages in the immediate vicinity. We have never actually driven more than 45 minutes to see anything. This was especially appreciated by the boys (13 and 15). At about 15 minutes drive are 2 beautiful abbeys that fall under Unesco World Heritage. These are definitely worth it. The villages are all cozy with nice terraces and restaurants. Many villages date from the Middle Ages with nice castles and beautiful views of the Dordogne.

Canoeing on the river is very close by and the aquarium in Le Bugue is a fun attraction, especially with children. We were in Pessel just before the Perseids swarm was closest to Earth. Because the area has little light pollution, we regularly enjoyed the sunbeds in the garden to watch (shooting) stars in the evening / night.

Helen Wells Grand Pessel July 2019

Tranquility ...
A lovely property, lovely area and lovely hosts.

Laurent Meille August 2018

Très bien
Le chalet est de rénovation récente et remarquablement équipé, tout en gardant le cachet d’une ancienne maison périgourdine.
Le site est très plaisant, en pleine nature, avec des chevreuils jusque devant la maison.
Last but not least, les propriétaires anglais sont très sympathiques, et Mr Miller fait tout à fait honneur a l’humour britannique !!!
Je recommande vivement +++ Laurent Meille

RUSSELL MAPP Petit Pessel Sat, Aug 04 – Sat, Aug 18, 2018

Owners Direct

A very nice, quiet retreat.

The property is in a fairly remote location relative to the nearest village of Urval, but if you’re looking for peace and quiet you definitely get that. There are other buildings around, the owners house and one other rental property but they are distant enough not to intrude on your privacy. The property was clean and tidy and well presented upon our arrival and was reasonably well equipped. However some of the items listed by home away, such as wi-if, tv, dvd, radio are actually only available upon direct request to the owners. This was not a major issue to us as we decided to do without them, with the exception of the wi-fi, but we think it should be more clearly explained on the home away website. One other point to mention is that the oven is actually only a worktop oven about the size of a small microwave. The owners were very friendly and helpful and very understanding when we got delayed on the day of our arrival. Our fault for travelling on the first Saturday of August. They were quite knowledgable about the local area and suggested several places to visit and also the best times to visit. We enjoy walking and there were numerous waymarked walks in the area for which maps and guides were available from the local tourist information offices. Overall we had a very pleasant and relaxing stay.

Ali Robertson Sat, Jul 21 – Sat, Jul 28, 2018

Pleasant Stay

Beautiful and tranquil location. Cottage was idyllic and very well equipped. The owners had thought of everything to make it a pleasant stay. The patio area was lovely as were the surroundings. Cottage was exceptionally clean and very comfortable.
There is so such to do in the region and Urval is a great base for exploring the Dordogne.

ELISABETH ROBERT Petit Pessel July 2018

Un endroit charmant

Nous avons passé un excellent séjour de 15 jours dans cette maison typique. Sa situation au calme est en même temps idéal pour découvrir le Perigord noir. La maison a plein de charme, elle est bien équipée. Le rez de chaussée a aussi l'avantage de rester frais :cela a été très appréciable. L'extérieur est un cadre enchanteur. Mr Johnson et Mme Miller ont été des hôtes très accueillants. Nous conseillons vraiment ce gîte pour ceux qui recherchent le calme, la nature tout en étant bien situé dans cette belle région.

Stephane Rouil August 2016 Grand Pessel

Un pied à terre reposant au coeur du Périgord Noir
Séjour agréable dans une vaste propriété au milieu des bois. La position permet de visiter le Périgord Noir. Les premiers commerces sont à 10 min en voiture. Tres bon accueil et propriétaires sympathiques.

Andreas Hasenclever Grand Pessel August 2016

"Enchanted and magical ...
We and our 12-year-old daughter stayed for a wonderful week with Christine and Alan, and we felt very comfortable. The house is wonderful, on a wooded hill. The owners live very close, and they are both extremely friendly and helpful hosts. On the manicured grounds, there is also another little holiday cottage. The location of the estate is ideal for exploring the Périgord; castles and prehistoric caves are easily accessible. Cadouin, with three nice restaurants is located ten minutes away by car. But in the beautiful, large garden you can also easily spend the day relaxing without major activities. The restful environment is most beneficial. Our house was very well equipped and cosy. Nothing was missing and the comfortable chairs and sofa in the living room invite you to read the evening - unless you're in the garden watching the wonderful stars. We are recommending Domaine de Pessel highly to all our friends and will love to return there."

"Verwunschen und zauberhaft
Wir haben mit unserer 12 jährigen Tochter eine wunderbare Woche bei Christine und Alan verbracht und uns sehr wohl gefühlt. Das Haus liegt wunderbar auf einer bewaldeten Anhöhe. Ganz in der Nähe leben die beiden überaus freundlichen und hilfsbereiten Gastgeber. Auf dem gepflegten Gelände befindet sich außerdem noch ein weiteres kleines Feriencottage. Die Lage der Anlage ist optimal, um das Perigord zu erkunden. Schlösser, Burgen und frühzeitliche Höhlen sind gut erreichbar. Cadouin mit drei netten Restaurants liegt mit dem Auto zehn Minuten entfernt. Aber in dem schönen und großen Garten lässt sich auch leicht ein Tag ohne größere Aktivitäten verbummeln. Die Ruhe ist wohltuend. Unser Ferienhaus ist sehr gut ausgestattet und gemütlich. Es fehlt an nichts und die bequemen Sessel im Wohnzimmer laden abends zum Lesen ein - wenn man nicht gerade vom Garten aus den Sternen zusieht. Wir werden Domaine Pessel auf alle Fälle unseren Freunden weiterempfehlen und kommen sehr gerne wieder."

Roy & Marlies van der Zee August 2015

Reviewer

During the summer 2015 we had a very pleasant stay in Petit Pessel, the little cottage of new owners Christine and Alan.

The cottage was lovely and Christine and Alan, although just a few days owners of the cottages, went really out of their way to make our stay as pleasant as possible.
Well that didn’t take much more than a good glass of wine and some jokes between the lot of us! We experienced it as a very friendly and relaxing time.

The cottage had all we needed, and we can`t think of any improvements at the moment … we just loved and enjoyed the stay.

The smaller cottage with its little tower and the castle-like windows……you just feel like you are in some part of the Lord of Rings books in the Shire…..you expect a Hobbit to show up on your doorstep any moment.

Since you are out in the woods and greenery, you can find a place in the surroundings of the cottage either to be in the sun or in the shade….so you are never too hot or too cold.

Around the cottage itself you can find quietness, all kind of small and bigger animals, so there is something to see every day. We have seen deer and lots of birds.

By car you can drive easily to one of the little villages to have a nice meal, a drink on the terrace or visit one of the “brocante” to see if you can find any nice antiques. So if you would like to meet the locals, or some English speaking holiday guests…it’s just a drive around the corner.

All in all the week we stayed was too short to really explore all the things you normally would like to explore…and even to get to know Christine and Alan some more. After a week of getting the rest we needed we had to go, but we still are in contact with Christine and Alan, and who knows…..maybe we will find ourselves out on the terrace of their lovely home some day, enjoying a nice glass of wine.

Did you book your holiday with Christine and Alan? Make sure you say hi to them from us, thanks in advance!

The above still does not describe our lovely stay accurately ….. how can you put a feeling in words….we had a great time.
Marlies and Roy van der Zee, Netherlands