Bordeaux (33)

Our first trip to our region’s capital city was in 2011. It was love at first sight and we’ve returned many, many times since. We’ve also made multiple trips to St. Emilion.

• 2011
• 2013
• 2013 again
• 2014
• 2014 again
• and again
• 2017

Limoges (87)

Normally somewhere we only go to to use the airport, we decided we’d explore the old town when Chuck visited in 2012. As part of the same trip we had the harrowing experience of visiting nearby Oradour-sur-Glane.

Carcassonne (11)

In 2012, Will’s BFF Anna came out to France for a family reunion. They rented a place in Carcassonne, in the Aude department – and kindly invited us along too.

Lyon (69)

We first visited Lyon in 2014 with Chuck and immediately fell in love with it. We went back again in 2018 with Jan.

Corrèze (19)

Our local association Milhac Loisirs organised an outing to the commune of Pompadour in 2014 where we visited the harras (horse track). We also visited the gorgeous town of Collonges-la-Rouge on another ML trip in 2016.

Lot (46)

We went on a trip with Milhac Loisirs to the stunning town of Rocamadour back in 2016.

Le Gard (30)

2016 was a thoroughly miserable year, as as been covered at length on this blog. One shining exception was our trip to See Jean-Claude and Nadine’s new home where we house-sat for them.

Avignon (84)

While on our lovely 2016 holiday to Le Gard, we took a day-trip to Vaucluse to explore the town and famous bridge of Avignon.

Tours (37)

Another of our weekend breaks entertaining Chuck: we discovered the city of Tours on his 2016 visit.

Île d’Oléron (17)

Our friend Nathalie’s family has a home on this lovely wee island off the coast of La Rochelle. She and Paul invited us over for a very enjoyable long weekend back in 2019.

Île de Ré (17)

Our first experience of a French island, we came here with Jan on her 2012 trip. It’s pretty, but we were there in mid-June and it was freezing.

Royan (17)

Dave and Amy came out for a long weekend when Elvie was still a wee baby. As part of their trip, we spent a few days at Royan, our closest beach.

Toulouse (31)

On another weekend break with Chuck, we headed south to discover La Ville Rose back in 2012, and we enjoyed it greatly. We finally made it back in 2025 for Jan’s 2nd visit of the year.

Le Gers (32)

Our friends Marie and Christian relocated here in 2020 and invited us to theirs for the house-warming, where Mazerock played its first gig. We returned in 2024 to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Biarritz (64)

An early trip with Jan, we visited Biarritz in 2010, taking in St Jean-de-Luz and St. Sebastian while we were there.

Nice

Our first trip there together was in 2019 with Jan, for whom it was something of a nostalgia tour. After our good friend Françoise relocated there, we went to see her new place in 2021.

Besançon (25)

We had a one-night stop-over in the town of Besançon in 2022 as part of our Swiss / Italian adventure.

Arcachon (33)

Our first trip was in 2016 with Jan where we saw the city proper. We returned in 2019 to visit Marie and Christian in Gujan-Mestras. We’ve also had two seaside trips with Dave and family – one in 2023 and another in 2024.

Paris (75)

Since becoming peasants, we are less keen on larger cities. Still, this is Paris and she is magnificent. Our first trip together was in 2007, with Gerald. In 2014, we returned for a weekend when Nadine lent us her appartment.

Chamonix (74)

For our first big road trip since moving to France, we saw the Alps at Chamomix in 2010 and climbed a mountain. It was murder on the knees.

Mont Dore (63)

For Jan’s 2016 visit, we headed inland to the Auvergne region where we trekked, found the source of the Dordogne river, and tried various local specialities, all of which involved cheese and potatoes.

Bort-les-Orgues (15)

On our return journey from the Auvergne, we stopped at Bort-les-Orgues in the Cantal and enjoyed the amazing views overlooking the Massif Central.

Marseilles (13)

On our first trip to Corsica in 2023, we had an overnight stay in France’s oldest city. We managed to choose the same weekend that the rugby was on and that both the Pope and the President visited, so it was bedlam.

Sarlat/Périgord Noir (24)

Along with Bordeaux, Sarlat is one of our top destinations for entertaining guests. We have been many times, including trips to Beynac and La Roque-Gageac, two stunning towns in the area.

• 2010
• 2010 again
• and again
• 2011
• 2014

Bergerac (24)

Before moving to France, we took a trip here in 2008 so Matt could discover the area. We visited the Dordogne’s south-western region, where Will used to live as a kid.

La-Seyne-sur-Mer (83)

On the last leg of our big 2010 road trip to Italy, we stayed at La-Seyne-sur-Mer, a small beach town near Toulon, where we collected our two sweet beasts Sméagol and Louis.

Angoulême (16)

Where we go to get the TGV mainly. But we also visited it as a tourist in 2011 with our friends Lee and Richard. We’ve also been many times to Villebois-Lavalette, the lovely nearby town where they live.

Lot-et-Garonne (47)

Back in the days when we used to make an effoft with our clients, we accepted an invitation to lunch at an English couple’s house near Duras. They’re awful people but the surrounding countryside was breathtaking.