Electric Gates
There are two ‘Telecommands’ (openers) and two sets of disable keys. You have one and Antonia Talbot the other. You only need to press the ‘wavy’ button (or button One on the white opener) and the range is quite impressive. Should the gates fail to operate then check the fuse box in the garage, left door, left side. If tripped, then reset.
Failing this then the gates can be disabled by inserting the small key into the bottom ‘arm’ of each gate. Having unlocked the arm then pull it out at right angles. This will disengage the gates from the motor and they can be opened or closed manually. Take care not to run over the centre gate stop.
Door locks
All doors have been left with their appropriate keys. There is another set in the under stairs cupboard and plenty of spare sets also. One set is held by Antonia Talbot to allow her access as needed.
Electricity supply
The left hand side of the main house (main bedroom area) has a separate fuse box. This is situated in the loo.
The rest of the house is serviced by the fuse box in the utility room. There is a smaller and newer box which is used for the swimming pool pump and the heat exchanger.
The main trip is situated at the end of the drive, near the post box (inside the property). Watch out for spiders!
Water
Near the roundabout in the drive is a slab of block paving. This secures the access to the water stop cock, the house stop cock is situated in the annexe kitchen room, in the cupboard adjacent to the sink.
Garage.
Keys are hanging up on the side of the oak column at the entrance to the kitchen area. Make sure they are kept there as the gardener may visit.
There are tools for every occasion in the garage, please return anything used to its home. There is a table tennis table and boules in there also.
Any classic cars in there need to be avoided as they are resting. It is disabled for security reasons. I doubt that you will need to use the tractor or lawnmower!
Shed
Key is marked ‘Cabane’ in the key cabinet in the understairs cupboard and it located behind the bushes to the left of the house.
It houses garden furniture, loungers and fishing tackle. Make sure that you use the landing net and don’t use a keepnet (the lake is full of small carp and catfish that have sharp fins that get damaged in a net). Always use a wet cloth to dehook and make sure that you have a disgorger (them there catfish are prone to swallowing the hooks). New hooks and general tackle can be bought at Intermarche along with bait, but I have found bread and sweetcorn very successful. I have no idea about the size of what might be in the lake but have seen some carp at above a few pounds.
Swimming Pool
The electric and conforms to the new legislation but there is gated fence for peace of mind when toddlers (or alcohol) are around. The keys for the gates should all be in their locks and it is guests’ responsibility to use the locks if appropriate for the safety of inquisitive children. On no account should the fence be climbed as it is not designed to support excess weight and damage will be charged. Please use the cover at nights to keep the pool clean and warm. If the key is not in the cover motor, it will be in the left hand side drawer of the sideboard on the terrace. If you fancy a night swim the light switch for the submerged lights is in the pump housing on the left as you open it. It shouldn’t be necessary to have the heater on but if you do please ask Antonia how it works.
There are 8 sun loungers and their covers are stored in the chest outside the master bedroom suite. Please use a towel on these for sunbathing as suntan lotion stains badly. It is also encouraged to shower before using the pool and use water resistant lotions where possible.
Utility room (off the annexe kitchen)
We recommend that you get hot water by using the immersion heater. To the right of the boiler you will see 2 switches and 2 time clocks. The immersion heater switch is the left hand one (red light shows). Override the time clock if needed.
There is a drinks fridge inside the utility room that is normally stocked with beer, water and mixers. Feel free to use them but replace when shopping.
Local Services
All the phone numbers should be found in the booklet in the chest of drawers next to the front door. These include good restaurants as well as other services.
Laundry
Antonia will change the bed linen and towels at weekends and take away anything used to the laundry. If you need to wash any apart from this there is a washing machine in the annexe adjacent the kitchen and another in the main house kitchen. There are two washing lines attached to the trees nearest the lake. The laundry service doesn’t include cot linen.
Telephone and WiFi
Orange Fr.
House phone number: 0553807329
WiFi Router is F258. Code is 61C12A5F9EE47156EFF5 and is also on the black router, upstairs on the ‘office’ desk. If it is a bit temperamental it may need rebooting if it doesn’t work. There is a range extender plugged into the socket adjacent the Kitchen-Annexe door so wifi should be throughout.
Television
There is a satellite system and Freesat Box. You need to connect your own Skybox for a full service. To access Freesat turn on the Freesat box using its remote control (Manhattan) and select HDMI on the source button on the Samsung remote. You can then choose channels or radio as you wish. This service is connected via the pink USB to the HDMI port at the rear of the TV. Behind there somewhere is also a CHROMCAST module. Disconnect the Freesat USB and replace with the Chromecast USB if you want NetFlix, BBC iplayer etc (you will need the APP on your smart phone for this).The TVs in the annexe lounge and the master bedroom are connected to DVD players. There is an extensive selection of DVDs in the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers in the lounge.
Kitchen area
The work surface is made from natural stone and doesn’t like citrus fruit or juice on it. There is cleaner and polish in the boiler room or under the sink.
The oven has a fabulous programme on it, “P”. Turn the programme switch to the left and it will self clean over a 2 hour period. Make sure dinner isn’t in there first!
Feel free to use any of the provisions (Tea, Coffee, detergents etc) but please replace when you go shopping.
Drainage
The sewage is dealt with via the Fosse Septic. All loo cleaners and bathroom cleaners should be compatible with this system, it clearly states so on the label. Loo paper should also be fosse friendly and you will find this is usually the better quality paper!
There should be a supply of toilet paper in the hallway cupboard but we ask that you replace it when you go shopping.
Please don’t flush anything other than what should be in a toilet and toilet paper. Anything else should be disposed of separately, please.
The French use smaller pipes than we use in England therefore it is advisable to run either the washing machine or the dishwasher, but not both together. Occasionally one of the u bends seems to syphon out so a bad smell can result- run a drop of water into all the sink/shower wastes to resolve (hopefully we will have a permanent solution soon). In particular, the downstairs bidet seems to be prone to this.
Outside areas
The terrace nearest the lake has lamps on the pillars. The power point for these is inside the annexe lounge, to the right of the main windows, by the desk lamp.
The BBQ patio area also has o/s lights. The power point is inside at the bottom of the stairs.
The gas BBQ is new, so please clean after use (there is a drip tray and grease collector underneath). If the gas doesn’t turn on immediately retry a few times as I think the valve sticks. Please turn the gas bottle off when finished each time. If you use the Charcoal BBQ please replace any firelighters/charcoal used.
In the drawers and cupboards you will find citronella candles plus seat cushions, binoculars and even a bird book. Julie won’t be too happy if you burn the frog candles!!
Please use the plastic glasses in the outside cupboard when drinking anywhere near the pool as broken glass is near impossible to see in the water.
Shopping
Only Intermarche supermarkets are open on Sunday Mornings (8-12). Most shops close on Sundays and all bank holidays…keep an eye on the French calendar. Shops, including DIY store also will close for lunch (12-2). St Meard Du Gurson (turn right at the crossroads toward St Foy le Grand) for Boulangerie and nearest Pharmacie- about a 5 minute drive.
Montpon market is on Wednesday, St Foy Le Grand is on Saturdays (well worth the experience). Remember they will all be finished by 12 noon.
Montpon has Lidl, Intermarche and Casino (drive into the town and turn left) but there is a really good fruit and vegetable stall if you turn right (just after the market square/carpark on the right). They also sell wine from the barrel at €1.65 per litre in water bottles!
Eating out
Most restaurants serve ‘le menu’ at lunchtimes. The restaurant at the end of the road does 4 courses for €13.50. If you eat ‘a la carte’ and only have 1 or 2 of the same courses it will likely cost you more. Evening eating is usually between 7 and 9 o/clock and reservations are preferred. A very good local restaurant is in the next village, Le Pressoire at St Meard Du Gurson (0553805678). Also L’un des Sens in Villefranche is worth a visit for an excellent lunch or special dinner. It is recommended that booking are made as quite often the restaurant won’t open if there are none. It is normal to reserve for between 7pm and 9 pm.
Housekeeping etc
Antonia Talbot is our contact and caretaker. Her email is [email protected].
She is English, hails from Brighton and has a good understanding of life in the Dordogne. She is always willing to source a contact and will only supply names of tradesmen who come with a personal reference. Her mobile phone number is +33 644960781 and she lives about 15 minutes away in St Martin. Antonia will take care of the laundry at weekends. At the end of your stay, it would be helpful to strip the beds and leave them in each room.
Doctors
Dr De la Iglesia is based in St Meard du Gurson (0553824706). Afternoon walk in surgery. All pharmacies have excellent knowledge, usually speak English and are your first point of call.
Waste and recycling
It is preferred to take refuse to the bins at the crossroads where there is a bottle bank, yellow and general bins- this saves us a lot of work! In this region recyclables include clean plastics and papers and these are put in the yellow sacks (sacs jaune). We put our yellow sac in the refuse drawer next to the kitchen sink and general waste in the flip top bin in a black or blue sack (under the sink). If it looks as if we are running low on either, the Sacs Jaune are available FOC at the Mairie in St Remy, black bags from any supermarket. Please replace any black bags used.
Air Conditioning
Each bedroom has an individual air conditioner. In most rooms you need to insert the hardboard panel (behind the wardrobe?) into an open window aperture, attach the exhaust tube from the air conditioner and turn it on. Please don’t use them during the day as they cost a fortune to run but they do chill the rooms down nicely if put on ½ hour before retiring to bed. If left on for too long you may find a pool of condensate water on the floor.
Markets
St Foy le Grand has its award winning market every Saturday and Montpon a smaller one on Wednesdays. They are all but finished by 12 noon but are worth the trip. Don’t expect to buy cheap at these markets but the food quality is exceptional.
If you see a night market advertised it is worth a visit as it is an excuse for the town or village to party. Community eating, drinking and cheesy music guaranteed!
Wildlife: watch out for Hoopoe, Buzzards, Red Kites, tree creepers, black redstarts, goldcrests, (to name a few of the native birds here). In the porch at the front door you may well find bats roosting in the corners (or even in the lamp) during the day and at night time it seems to be stopping off place for long eared bats. Please leave them be as they will be helping to keep biting insects under control. Other wildlife in the grounds include Coypu (known locally as ragondins) around the lake (they may look like large rats but they are very shy, totally vegetarian and are not to be feared). The noises you might hear are not ducks- it is a massive population of really randy frogs. This is one of the reasons we only suffer from a relatively small mosquito population- the abundant fish life in the lake ensures that mosquito larvae have a relatively short life expectancy, too! You will also see small bright green tree frogs on most evenings in the summer in the vines and even climbing the windows and are really nice little creatures. The lake has an abundance of crayfish and occasionally they take it upon themselves to leave the lake and go for a nocturnal walkabout.
There is a rather magnificent resident hare that you may see but the grounds seem to be sufficiently fenced to keep out the wild boar and deer population that inhabits all the local forests (be aware when travelling the lanes at night!).
There are any amount of lizards around the house and a VERY large toad normally can be found on the patio at nights (we think he lives under the hydrangeas). There are a variety of small snakes resident around the lake but you will be lucky to catch only a fleeting glimpse of them when the sun is at its highest. You may also see them swimming across the lake or trying to catch frogs in the margins. They are likely to be Western Whip Snakes and these are not venomous.
There are two ‘Telecommands’ (openers) and two sets of disable keys. You have one and Antonia Talbot the other. You only need to press the ‘wavy’ button (or button One on the white opener) and the range is quite impressive. Should the gates fail to operate then check the fuse box in the garage, left door, left side. If tripped, then reset.
Failing this then the gates can be disabled by inserting the small key into the bottom ‘arm’ of each gate. Having unlocked the arm then pull it out at right angles. This will disengage the gates from the motor and they can be opened or closed manually. Take care not to run over the centre gate stop.
Door locks
All doors have been left with their appropriate keys. There is another set in the under stairs cupboard and plenty of spare sets also. One set is held by Antonia Talbot to allow her access as needed.
Electricity supply
The left hand side of the main house (main bedroom area) has a separate fuse box. This is situated in the loo.
The rest of the house is serviced by the fuse box in the utility room. There is a smaller and newer box which is used for the swimming pool pump and the heat exchanger.
The main trip is situated at the end of the drive, near the post box (inside the property). Watch out for spiders!
Water
Near the roundabout in the drive is a slab of block paving. This secures the access to the water stop cock, the house stop cock is situated in the annexe kitchen room, in the cupboard adjacent to the sink.
Garage.
Keys are hanging up on the side of the oak column at the entrance to the kitchen area. Make sure they are kept there as the gardener may visit.
There are tools for every occasion in the garage, please return anything used to its home. There is a table tennis table and boules in there also.
Any classic cars in there need to be avoided as they are resting. It is disabled for security reasons. I doubt that you will need to use the tractor or lawnmower!
Shed
Key is marked ‘Cabane’ in the key cabinet in the understairs cupboard and it located behind the bushes to the left of the house.
It houses garden furniture, loungers and fishing tackle. Make sure that you use the landing net and don’t use a keepnet (the lake is full of small carp and catfish that have sharp fins that get damaged in a net). Always use a wet cloth to dehook and make sure that you have a disgorger (them there catfish are prone to swallowing the hooks). New hooks and general tackle can be bought at Intermarche along with bait, but I have found bread and sweetcorn very successful. I have no idea about the size of what might be in the lake but have seen some carp at above a few pounds.
Swimming Pool
The electric and conforms to the new legislation but there is gated fence for peace of mind when toddlers (or alcohol) are around. The keys for the gates should all be in their locks and it is guests’ responsibility to use the locks if appropriate for the safety of inquisitive children. On no account should the fence be climbed as it is not designed to support excess weight and damage will be charged. Please use the cover at nights to keep the pool clean and warm. If the key is not in the cover motor, it will be in the left hand side drawer of the sideboard on the terrace. If you fancy a night swim the light switch for the submerged lights is in the pump housing on the left as you open it. It shouldn’t be necessary to have the heater on but if you do please ask Antonia how it works.
There are 8 sun loungers and their covers are stored in the chest outside the master bedroom suite. Please use a towel on these for sunbathing as suntan lotion stains badly. It is also encouraged to shower before using the pool and use water resistant lotions where possible.
Utility room (off the annexe kitchen)
We recommend that you get hot water by using the immersion heater. To the right of the boiler you will see 2 switches and 2 time clocks. The immersion heater switch is the left hand one (red light shows). Override the time clock if needed.
There is a drinks fridge inside the utility room that is normally stocked with beer, water and mixers. Feel free to use them but replace when shopping.
Local Services
All the phone numbers should be found in the booklet in the chest of drawers next to the front door. These include good restaurants as well as other services.
Laundry
Antonia will change the bed linen and towels at weekends and take away anything used to the laundry. If you need to wash any apart from this there is a washing machine in the annexe adjacent the kitchen and another in the main house kitchen. There are two washing lines attached to the trees nearest the lake. The laundry service doesn’t include cot linen.
Telephone and WiFi
Orange Fr.
House phone number: 0553807329
WiFi Router is F258. Code is 61C12A5F9EE47156EFF5 and is also on the black router, upstairs on the ‘office’ desk. If it is a bit temperamental it may need rebooting if it doesn’t work. There is a range extender plugged into the socket adjacent the Kitchen-Annexe door so wifi should be throughout.
Television
There is a satellite system and Freesat Box. You need to connect your own Skybox for a full service. To access Freesat turn on the Freesat box using its remote control (Manhattan) and select HDMI on the source button on the Samsung remote. You can then choose channels or radio as you wish. This service is connected via the pink USB to the HDMI port at the rear of the TV. Behind there somewhere is also a CHROMCAST module. Disconnect the Freesat USB and replace with the Chromecast USB if you want NetFlix, BBC iplayer etc (you will need the APP on your smart phone for this).The TVs in the annexe lounge and the master bedroom are connected to DVD players. There is an extensive selection of DVDs in the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers in the lounge.
Kitchen area
The work surface is made from natural stone and doesn’t like citrus fruit or juice on it. There is cleaner and polish in the boiler room or under the sink.
The oven has a fabulous programme on it, “P”. Turn the programme switch to the left and it will self clean over a 2 hour period. Make sure dinner isn’t in there first!
Feel free to use any of the provisions (Tea, Coffee, detergents etc) but please replace when you go shopping.
Drainage
The sewage is dealt with via the Fosse Septic. All loo cleaners and bathroom cleaners should be compatible with this system, it clearly states so on the label. Loo paper should also be fosse friendly and you will find this is usually the better quality paper!
There should be a supply of toilet paper in the hallway cupboard but we ask that you replace it when you go shopping.
Please don’t flush anything other than what should be in a toilet and toilet paper. Anything else should be disposed of separately, please.
The French use smaller pipes than we use in England therefore it is advisable to run either the washing machine or the dishwasher, but not both together. Occasionally one of the u bends seems to syphon out so a bad smell can result- run a drop of water into all the sink/shower wastes to resolve (hopefully we will have a permanent solution soon). In particular, the downstairs bidet seems to be prone to this.
Outside areas
The terrace nearest the lake has lamps on the pillars. The power point for these is inside the annexe lounge, to the right of the main windows, by the desk lamp.
The BBQ patio area also has o/s lights. The power point is inside at the bottom of the stairs.
The gas BBQ is new, so please clean after use (there is a drip tray and grease collector underneath). If the gas doesn’t turn on immediately retry a few times as I think the valve sticks. Please turn the gas bottle off when finished each time. If you use the Charcoal BBQ please replace any firelighters/charcoal used.
In the drawers and cupboards you will find citronella candles plus seat cushions, binoculars and even a bird book. Julie won’t be too happy if you burn the frog candles!!
Please use the plastic glasses in the outside cupboard when drinking anywhere near the pool as broken glass is near impossible to see in the water.
Shopping
Only Intermarche supermarkets are open on Sunday Mornings (8-12). Most shops close on Sundays and all bank holidays…keep an eye on the French calendar. Shops, including DIY store also will close for lunch (12-2). St Meard Du Gurson (turn right at the crossroads toward St Foy le Grand) for Boulangerie and nearest Pharmacie- about a 5 minute drive.
Montpon market is on Wednesday, St Foy Le Grand is on Saturdays (well worth the experience). Remember they will all be finished by 12 noon.
Montpon has Lidl, Intermarche and Casino (drive into the town and turn left) but there is a really good fruit and vegetable stall if you turn right (just after the market square/carpark on the right). They also sell wine from the barrel at €1.65 per litre in water bottles!
Eating out
Most restaurants serve ‘le menu’ at lunchtimes. The restaurant at the end of the road does 4 courses for €13.50. If you eat ‘a la carte’ and only have 1 or 2 of the same courses it will likely cost you more. Evening eating is usually between 7 and 9 o/clock and reservations are preferred. A very good local restaurant is in the next village, Le Pressoire at St Meard Du Gurson (0553805678). Also L’un des Sens in Villefranche is worth a visit for an excellent lunch or special dinner. It is recommended that booking are made as quite often the restaurant won’t open if there are none. It is normal to reserve for between 7pm and 9 pm.
Housekeeping etc
Antonia Talbot is our contact and caretaker. Her email is [email protected].
She is English, hails from Brighton and has a good understanding of life in the Dordogne. She is always willing to source a contact and will only supply names of tradesmen who come with a personal reference. Her mobile phone number is +33 644960781 and she lives about 15 minutes away in St Martin. Antonia will take care of the laundry at weekends. At the end of your stay, it would be helpful to strip the beds and leave them in each room.
Doctors
Dr De la Iglesia is based in St Meard du Gurson (0553824706). Afternoon walk in surgery. All pharmacies have excellent knowledge, usually speak English and are your first point of call.
Waste and recycling
It is preferred to take refuse to the bins at the crossroads where there is a bottle bank, yellow and general bins- this saves us a lot of work! In this region recyclables include clean plastics and papers and these are put in the yellow sacks (sacs jaune). We put our yellow sac in the refuse drawer next to the kitchen sink and general waste in the flip top bin in a black or blue sack (under the sink). If it looks as if we are running low on either, the Sacs Jaune are available FOC at the Mairie in St Remy, black bags from any supermarket. Please replace any black bags used.
Air Conditioning
Each bedroom has an individual air conditioner. In most rooms you need to insert the hardboard panel (behind the wardrobe?) into an open window aperture, attach the exhaust tube from the air conditioner and turn it on. Please don’t use them during the day as they cost a fortune to run but they do chill the rooms down nicely if put on ½ hour before retiring to bed. If left on for too long you may find a pool of condensate water on the floor.
Markets
St Foy le Grand has its award winning market every Saturday and Montpon a smaller one on Wednesdays. They are all but finished by 12 noon but are worth the trip. Don’t expect to buy cheap at these markets but the food quality is exceptional.
If you see a night market advertised it is worth a visit as it is an excuse for the town or village to party. Community eating, drinking and cheesy music guaranteed!
Wildlife: watch out for Hoopoe, Buzzards, Red Kites, tree creepers, black redstarts, goldcrests, (to name a few of the native birds here). In the porch at the front door you may well find bats roosting in the corners (or even in the lamp) during the day and at night time it seems to be stopping off place for long eared bats. Please leave them be as they will be helping to keep biting insects under control. Other wildlife in the grounds include Coypu (known locally as ragondins) around the lake (they may look like large rats but they are very shy, totally vegetarian and are not to be feared). The noises you might hear are not ducks- it is a massive population of really randy frogs. This is one of the reasons we only suffer from a relatively small mosquito population- the abundant fish life in the lake ensures that mosquito larvae have a relatively short life expectancy, too! You will also see small bright green tree frogs on most evenings in the summer in the vines and even climbing the windows and are really nice little creatures. The lake has an abundance of crayfish and occasionally they take it upon themselves to leave the lake and go for a nocturnal walkabout.
There is a rather magnificent resident hare that you may see but the grounds seem to be sufficiently fenced to keep out the wild boar and deer population that inhabits all the local forests (be aware when travelling the lanes at night!).
There are any amount of lizards around the house and a VERY large toad normally can be found on the patio at nights (we think he lives under the hydrangeas). There are a variety of small snakes resident around the lake but you will be lucky to catch only a fleeting glimpse of them when the sun is at its highest. You may also see them swimming across the lake or trying to catch frogs in the margins. They are likely to be Western Whip Snakes and these are not venomous.