Vézère flair

Ruth Wood is impressed by a beautiful château with guest house and pool near Dordogne’s major tourist attractions

- Ruth Wood

Herons and red squirrels are regular visitors to this peaceful château in Dordogne, drawn no doubt to the stream and woodland in its 13 acres of beautiful grounds.

Only a few minutes’ drive away is the River Vézère, an epicentre of French tourism, thanks to its world-famous Lascaux Caves and other prehistoric sites. So it’s not surprising that the château also attracts a lot of human visitors.

Indeed, owners Alexandra and David Godwin can easily host 18 guests, using the four-bedroom château, the three-bedroom guesthouse and the pigeonnier across the courtyard. “But it’s not one of those gargantuan houses where you’re rattling around,” says Alexandra. “You can open it up for guests or shut it down and it still feels homely.”