Welcome To Le Petit Paradis
Jill
& Keith would like to welcome you to Le Petit Paradis, at Rechignac, the
reason for the name? Well, Jill’s grand
daughter is called Amber, & when she saw the pictures of the place in France
that nanny was moving to, she decided that when she comes over, she would stay
in the little Gite, as it’s just the right size for her.
Welcome to the
site guide,
we have tried to include here all the little bits of useful information that
you may need during your stay with us, if you think there are any bits missing,
please feel free to ask us to put it in, & more importantly, answer your
questions.
Airports
The nearest airport is
Limoges,
approximately 30 Km north of us, about 10 km from the centre of the town,
Follow the N21 north until
you reach Aixe sur Vienne then take the left hand turn for
Bellegarde,
which is the local name of the airport.
Going South the nearest
airport is Bergerac, it is about 70 Km from us, follow the N21 south until you
get to Perigueux then follow the N21 to Bergerac,
when you get to the town follow signs for the Roumaniere, which again is the local
name for the airport.
Antiques
The nearest local antique
shop is in La Coquille, on the left hand side just as you get into the village.
Barbecues
We have provided a barbecue
for all our guests, please feel free to use it at any time, we have barbecue
charcoal & lighter fluid for sale at the house, please ask if you need it.
Buses
The local bus service is very
patchy, the stop itself is XXX , we understand that it
runs XXX times a day at YYY north towards Limoges,
& ZZZ south towards Perigeuex.
To be sure please check with
the XXX on YYYYYYY
Cash point Machines
The nearest cash point
machine is at the Credit Agricole Bank in La Coquille (2 Km) on the left hand
side by the large car park, before you get to the traffic lights.
Chateaux
The nearest Chateaux is at Mavaleix, about 2 Km South of us. Go south until you
come to a crossroads for St Paul La Roche on the left, turn left and at the
bottom of the road you will see a gate with a line of trees behind it, this is
the entrance to the Chateaux, it’s a 13th Century building that is being
lovingly restored, it has a lovely restaurant, & bar, as well as fishing
& tennis in its 170 acres of grounds.
Give our regards to Gwillum, the Dutch owner, if you visit it.
Chemin Rural
The track/road from the main
road is a local Chemin rural, the equivalent of the English “Rights of way” it
goes behind Rechignac and you can follow it all the way up to the local
village, La Coquille.
Church
The Local
Church, (Catholic) is in the Centre
of the village of La
Coquille, 2 Km, on the
right hand side about 50 Metres after the Traffic lights.
Cycling
The chemin rural is used
occasionally by cyclists, as it is a safe way of getting around the country
side, please feel free to follow the example of the locals if you feel
energetic.
If the demand is there we are
hoping to have a number of bicycles for hire to allow people to follow this
very healthy pastime, See Jill or Keith for
more information.
Dentist
The local Dentist is Messiure XXXX at yYYYY. Telephone
number, 111111111111
Remember that unless you are
covered by insurance, any visits to Doctors, & Dentist etc, may have to be
paid for, you may be able to reclaim this when you return home.
Doctors
The local Doctor is Messiure XXXX at yYYYY. Telephone
number, 111111111111
Remember that unless you are
covered by insurance, any visits to Doctors &
Dentist etc, may have to be paid for, you may be able to reclaim this when you
return home.
Emergency Telephone Numbers
Fire 18
Police 17
Ambulance 15
All
services (English language) 112
Estate Agents
See – Immobilier
Fishing
There are a number of
opportunities for fishing locally, & also within a short drive, the nearest
is at the Chateaux de Mavaleix, 2 Km south, & within a half an hours drive
North at Pageas there is both Carp & Trout fishing, at Domaine de la Ribiere
See Jill
for fishing tips, she is the expert, several 20 lb + carp to her name.
Tight lines!
Fresh Produce for sale
Depending upon the time of
year we hope to have fresh produce from our garden on sale at the house, please
look at the board outside to see the specials for the week.
We do keep a stock of
essentials such as bathroom bits & pieces in case you have forgotten
something, soap, razors, shampoo etc. please see Jill
or Keith if you need something.
Garages
There are a couple of garages
locally, a Peugeot garage on the left in the centre of La Coquille, and a
Citroen garage 3 Km on the left, going south towards Thivier on the N 21
Horse Riding
There are a number of
opportunities for Horse riding locally, & also within a short drive, the
nearest is at the Chateaux de Mavaleix, 2 Km south, & within a half an
hours drive at XXXX
Hospital
The nearest Large Hospital is at
Limoges 40 Km
north of us on the N21
Immobilier's
The nearest Immobilier's is in La Coquille (2 Km) on the left hand side
just as you reach the outskirts of the village (Opposite the Shopi supermarket)
it is called Grandechamps Imobillier,
and the office is run by a lady called Djillian, she is very helpful, and has a
good command of English. The office is well organised & has a wide range of
properties for sale.
La Troc
This is a phenomenon unique
to the French, literally it means “to Barter” but actually what it is, is a
second hand store with vengeance. You can get anything, from ashtrays to a complete
kitchen or bedroom suite, all at knock down prices. Go to one, they are in all
the big towns, and really good fun to go around.
Local Coffee Bars
There are a number of bars in
La Coquille, all serve coffee as well as alcoholic drinks, in no order of
preference they are,
The Sports bar
Le Bar La Poste
The corner bar on the square
XXXXXX
Local Farms
Nearly all of the local land
around Rechignac is farmed in one form or another either for crops or raising
cattle (Limousin).
Please consider this if you
go walking in the area. Thank you.
Local History
The local history books tend
to refer to the area of Chalaix, which is actually the area or commune which
Rechignac belongs to.
Local Markets
La Coquille market is held on
a Thursday, in the square outside the church, there are a range of stalls
serving all sorts of things, from shoes through plants & flowers to organic
vegetables and fresh fish.
Go early to get the best
deals, and remember, from 12 till 2 it quietens down dramatically.
Thivier hold their markets on
a Saturday, it’s really worthwhile taking the time to go and see it, they run
it through all the streets in the town, not just a market square.
Again go early to see it at
its best; it starts to close down after 2 pm.
Local wildlife
Dependent on the time of
year, there are a wide variety of animals around the area, Buzzards, falcons,
(we have some nesting in the end of the gite block) pied wagtails, herons,
Deer, foxes, as well as dozens of frogs & toads in the stream.
Main Road
(N21)
The main road at the end of
the drive is the Route Nationale N21, go left to go
South towards Thivier & Perigueux, or right to go
North towards La Coquille & Limoges.
Please take care when leaving
Rechignac & pulling out onto this road, there is a brow of a hill about 100
metres to the left as you pull out and heavy traffic can come down the road at
quite some speed.
Petangue
XXXXXXX
Petrol
The nearest petrol or Diesel,
is on the right hand side at the Shopi supermarket in La Coquille, 2 Km north,
however it is an automated card machine which uses “Chip & Pin” debit
cards.
Further on through the
village, on the left hand side of the road, 100 Metres past the traffic lights
is a Peugeot garage that serves Petrol & Diesel, but remember, it’s only
open at normal shop hours.
Pharmacy
There are 2 pharmacies in La
Coquille, one on the right hand side, opposite the Bank, & the other on the
left hand side at the traffic lights in the centre of the village.
Post office
The nearest post office (La
Poste) is in La Coquille, on the left hand side of the road at the traffic
lights in the centre of the village.
If you just require stamps,
these can be purchased at the Tabac (tobacconist & newsagents) a little
further on past the Post office.
Restaurants
There are a number of local
restaurants within 5-6 Km, in no particular order, they are,
Chateaux Mavaleix 2Km South on
the left from the N21
Le Voyager Hotel, 2 Km North
on the right in La Coquille
Le Maison Rouge 4 Km
South on the right hand side of the N21
Shops
La Coquille (2 Km North) is
the nearest shopping centre, there are a wide range of shops including,
Supermarket
Pharmacies
Boulangeries
Spar Mini Market
Pizza take
away
Flower Shops
Butchers
Tabac’s & Newsagents
Patisseries
Hairdressers
Antique shop
Insurance office
Post office
Stream
The field next to the row of
Christmas trees belongs to us, at the bottom is a small stream, where in the
evenings you may hear the frogs croaking, please feel free to wander down to
the stream at any time, we are planning on setting up a couple of pathways for
visitors to follow, & maybe a picnic area, for the future.
Please do not allow young
children to wander down to the stream unsupervised.
Supermarkets
The nearest small supermarket
is Shopi, on the right hand side as you reach La Coquille, (2Km north).
Larger supermarkets can be
found at Thivier (12 Km south), they are Champion & Casino, both on the
left hand side as you get to Thivier, and Atac, on the right hand side as you
get to the market square in the centre of the town.
They are all very well
stocked with high quality food at sensible prices.
If you like the very large
hyper market stores they are a little further a field, there are L’eclerc and
Carrefour, in Perigueux (40 Km south) & Limoges (35
Km north).
Swimming pools
The nearest swimming pool is
at the open air pool in Thiviers
Tennis
There are a number of
opportunities for playing tennis locally, & also within a short drive, the
nearest is at the Chateaux de Mavaleix, 2 Km south, & within a half an
hours drive at XXXX
Tourist information
The nearest tourist
information office is at the other end of La Coquille, it is open at strange
times so we suggest you check the opening hours first, there is a wide range of
information available as well as internet access for those looking for that
little bit more.
Tourist Sites
There are a number of places
all within easy driving distance of Rechignac, for example,
Limoges Famous for its porcelain
Perigueux Famous as the
administrative centre of the Dordogne, and also its
cathedral, go and see the fabulous wooden altar
Sorges The heart of the
Truffle area
Negrondes Famous as the heart of
the Pate de fois gras
region
Jumillac
le Grande Napoleonic influences at
work here with an impressive chateaux & gorge
Sarlat Famous for “The doors”
Bergerac No, not the Jersey
detective, but a lovely old city on the river Dordogne.
Beyenac If
you like river boat rides try this one, you will not be disappointed.
Trains
The Local town La Coquille is
served by the French SNCF (Fast) service which can take you from here all the
way to Paris.
The Station is down a turning
on the left, as you get to the Credit Agricole Bank, then take the next left &
it is on your left