Canel - les Fours
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The house
This gîte has modern furnishings in the century-old, west wing of Canel. The gîte is entirely on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible. From the private parking, via the private terrace, you have ground-level access to the gîte.
The spacious kitchen is equipped with: fridge and freezer, electric hob, extractor, filter coffee machine and Nespresso coffee machine, electric kettle, toaster and dishwasher. One of the historic bread ovens reminds you that cooking was done in this room hundreds of years ago.
The living room has a spacious seating area with TV. Bring a cable to stream from your phone. Internet via wifi is not so fast but via your 4G subscription it will be fine.
The underfloor heating makes the gîte very suitable for year-round rental. The gîte's thick walls ensure it is nice and cool even in the summer months.
The bedrooms have very comfortable beds. Both bedrooms are suitable for wheelchair users.
The bathroom has a large spacious shower, sink and toilet.
Upon arrival, the beds are made and there is one set of towels per person in the cottage. New sheets and towels are provided every week.
Canel has a shared laundry room that all visitors to Canel can use.
On the south side of Canel is the large swimming pool with nice views over the meadows. For children's safety, the pool is fenced. In the old barn is a ping-pong table. Here you can play in the shade (or if it rains nice and dry). In July and August, there is an option to join the yoga classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings in the yoga hall.
Facilities
- No smoking
- Local contact
- Accessible for wheelchair
- Historic building
- Safe for small children
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Tumble dryer
- Iron
- Cot
- High chair
- TV
- Internet
- Hair dryer
- With swimming pool
Availability of 'Canel - les Fours'
Surroundings
Click on image to open an interactive map
Canel is an oasis of calm. For people from the city, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to "hear" so much silence. The birds, crickets, the owls at night, a tractor in the distance ... 23 hectares around the house are uninhabited and organically grown. The nearest neighbours are 200m away.
The 12x6-metre pool has an additional shallow area of 3x4 built in especially for the little ones. This gives the pool 3 different levels: 0.5 m, 1.30 m and 1.70 m deep. Great for everyone to play in or even swim laps.
The cottage has its own terrace but there are many other places where it is also nice to sit and enjoy the view and silence. The house exudes immense peace and quiet without being completely remote from the outside world. Bring a few good books, find a hammock or a lounger by the pool and enjoy 'doing nothing'. Take time to recharge. In our hectic existence, we often run from place to place without taking the time or occasionally doing nothing at all. And even though there are enough things to do in the area to have a great time for one, two, three weeks, it's also nice to come to Canel just to not do so much. Keep holidays nice and simple: visit an old town, buy a delicious bottle of wine and super fresh produce at the market, relax by the pool, grill dinner on the BBQ and enjoy the fantastic starry sky before going to bed.
In Thézac, a small bar is open in the evenings during the summer months. Two nights a week, meals are sold next to the bar: on Tuesday night pizza and on Thursday night it's grilled, local meat (duck or beef) or dishes from Reunion Island. An organic bakery has also been installed in the small village of Thézac. At the time of writing, the shop's opening hours are not yet clear.
4km away from us is Tournon d'Agenais where there are several shops and restaurants. It is also very pleasant here in July and August. Tournon has been voted one of the most beautiful villages in France since 2021.
Canel is an old castle farm, whose history we have been able to trace back to the early 17th century. Activities from previous centuries include: vineyards and wine production, plum orchards and plum drying ovens, two large bread ovens to bake bread for many people, cow and calf barns, chicken barns, tobacco barn and horse stables. And what would they have kept in the cellar? The cheeses? We ourselves had chickens and sheep for a while, but we are now a farm with no animals except our two cats.
- Rural
- Hilly
- Meadows and woodland
- In or near a village
- At the farm
Reviews
Canel - les Fours has received 1 reviews in the last 4 years with a:
Richard Biemans from Helmond,
In de zomer vakantie met ons gezin op vakantie geweest bij Elsbeth en in Canel Les Fours. De locatie is helemaal geweldig. Het zwembad is heerlijk ruim opgezet. Onze kinderen hebben zich er uren in vermaakt!
De gites is zeer ruim en brandschoon. Echt alles is aanwezig. Heerlijke hangmatten, fijne bedden, tafeltennis tafel, barbeque en noem maar op. De eigenaresse helpt je graag en indien gewild dagelijks een kort praatje. Er is een soort 'mini vvv' aanwezig waar vele flyers liggen voor de activiteiten in de omgeving.Als je komt voor rust dan zit je in dit deel van Frankrijk perfect. Dit is nog een echt stuk authentiek Frankrijk. De oude wijn boerderij ligt net buiten het dorpje Thezac. In de directe omgeving veel leuke kleine dorpjes en wat verder weg wat grotere steden. Ondanks het rustige karakter van de omgeving zijn er ontzettend veel activiteiten (ook zeer geschikt voor kleine kinderen!). Voor ons was het geweldig om aan de Gourmet Gaurmands deel te nemen. Op bepaalde dagen zijn er in de dorpjes eet marktjes waar de lokale bevolking hun lekkernijen aan je presenteren. Zowel lokale bevolking en toeristen nemen hier aan deel.
Onze kinderen (en wij, Irma en Richard) vonden het zeer jammer om weer naar huis te gaan. We hebben een heerlijk fijne vakantie bij jullie gehad!
Aanrader voor iedereen!
Comment from Elsbeth Hedges
Dankjewel Irma en Richard, voor deze mooie beoordeling en dat jullie de tijd hebben genomen om dit te delen met andere eventuele verhuurders!
Renée Nijtmans from Boxmeer,
We hebben in Juni een weekje van deze gite gebruik gemaakt. Mooi appartement, ruim van opzet, leuke doorkijkjes en een leuke plek ( binnenplaats ) in de zon te ontbijten. Wij hadden geen mooi weer deze week en hebben de open haard die vermeld staat gemist. Hartelijke ontvangst door de familie, kortom we hebben een heerlijke week daar gehad.
Comment from Elsbeth Hedges
Hartelijk dank Renee, voor deze recensie. Ik zal de advertentie direct aanpassen. We wilden idd een houtkachel instaleren maar hebben dat achterwege gelaten om meer ruimte voor een eventuele rolstoel te behouden. De vloerverwarming werkt ook heel goed in de gite. Fijn dat jullie het naar jullie zin hebben gehad!
Restaurants, food & wine
Canel is 400m from the local wine cooperative "Vin du Tsar" with a large selection of delicious wines. There are two other wine producers in Thézac, domaine de Lancement (organic) and domaine de Lions. Thézac is located in the Lot-et-Garonne and therefore the local wines do not fall under the Cahors wines, but under the IGP Thézac-Pericard category. However, the same grape varieties are used for the wines and so there are certainly similarities. On the other hand, these IGP Thézac-Pericard wines do not have to comply with the same rules of Cahors, and so it does happen that these wines use a little less Malbec and a little more Merlot - making the taste a little rounder. Well, so that's something to definitely go and taste. Between Thézac and Cahors you will find hundreds of wine estates and at most of them you are always welcome and they are happy to let you taste the wines.
Under 10 euros, you can find lots of great wines, including wines that are good to keep. There are more and more organic vintners and so there is now a good choice of them too. For the wine connoisseurs, I don't really need to write anything here; you can naturally find which wines you would like to try from this region on the internet and in the books and wine magazines themselves. For others, you can also read up on the internet. On the site https://vindecahors.fr/ you can already read a bit about the Cahors wines. But the easiest way is to try the local wines at the various night markets. The prices of the wines at such an evening market are the same as in the shops and for 5-6-7 euros you can taste a bottle of rosé. And if you like it then you know where to buy a box.
What has been noticeable in recent years is that markets are increasingly offering locally brewed beer. So beer lovers can also taste something different here than at home. And on such a hot summer day, a cold beer goes down well!
The number of restaurants seems to be slowly increasing slightly with the increase in tourists. Slightly more in all categories: so from takeaway kebab/pizza/hamburgers to the "middle class" restaurants to the more upmarket restaurants. In most restaurants, one eats a 3-course menu at lunchtime for +/- €17 and a 3-course menu in the evening for €27. These are average prices and thus give a good idea. We have favourites and on Canel we have a list of many restaurants in the area.
Furthermore, the region is known for its duck products: foie gras, confit de canard, magret de canard, gésiers. Duck products are becoming increasingly expensive with bird flu, though. Production has become much smaller, the birds can no longer roam freely and there just aren't as many chicks available. Then there are Agen plums, 'pruneaux d'Agen', dried plums, and so there are many plum orchards to be seen in the area. Meanwhile, lots of farmers have also planted truffle oaks, and more and more hazelnuts are also growing, fields full of them. And farmers who think climate change will make it very hot here have even planted olive trees.
Activities
LOCAL MARKETS
Morning markets can be found almost daily in the area to buy your fresh produce. Locally grown fruit and vegetables, it doesn't get any more delicious! So for those who like good food and cooking, the markets are a must. There is also a small market in Thézac every Saturday morning.
MARCHé GOURMAND
The evening markets are also so special and cosy. In the months of July and August, there are "marchés gourmands" almost every evening. Here, local producers (farmers) offer their products, but now prepared as a meal on a plate. So you can buy delicious grilled duck breast from the duck farmer, tasty cheeses with salad from the goat farmer, fresh bread or pizza from the baker, now chilled rosé with glasses from the wine farmer, usually there are also chips and paella to be found, so there is something tasty for everyone. At these evening markets, very long tables are set up so everyone can sit down. Definitely worthwhile. A big advantage of these markets is that everyone gets to mingle and walk around a bit. The children can play and don't have to sit still at the table. Everything happens outdoors , so only when the weather is nice.
CYCLING AND WALKING
The tourist office has a nice map book with cycling routes in the area. This is a good way to get to know the smaller roads, away from the main road. 3 km from Canel there is a bike rental for both electric and regular mountain bikes/bikes. The Lot-et-Garonne has hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails mapped out. Hikers can sometimes walk here for hours without meeting anyone. A very crazy sensation for most Dutch, Belgian and English people. Welcome to the peace and quiet of the Lot-et-Garonne!
WALIBI AND AQUA PARK
Agen is home to a large Walibi amusement park, with new attractions almost every year. This is fun for most children and perhaps parents too if we don't mind being flung over the head in the "boomerang".
FISH
A somewhat quieter activity for children and adults is a commercial fishing pond. Fishing is free, only the fish caught have to be paid for. Because there are so many fish in the pond, one actually always catches something. Although I must say I didn't really find it very easy, but I managed in the end! For more information on what to do with the children, we can talk to you in detail on location. It is also possible to fish in the river Lot. To do so, you must buy a fishing card (€13), valid for the day you want to go fishing.
SWIMMING
There are two very nice lakes near Canel. One is in Montaigu de Quercy with a fine sandy beach and plenty of shade under the trees for picnics. There is also a restaurant so plenty of choice to spend a whole day there. Many French people bring their large cool boxes and spend the day by the water. A second lake is at Montcuq. There is a very nice climbing course for children in the water (€8/hour), a floating course, where you can fall off and climb back on all the time. Well worth a day and here too you can picnic or eat in the restaurant.
HORSE RIDING
10 km from Canel is a riding school where you can go horse riding for a few hours. It is also possible to do day trips. Check with the tourist office for more information.
FLYING
At 4km from Canel is a small airfield. Anyone who wants can take a flight over the Lot for 30-40 euros, or fly to the spectacular Chateau Bonaguil. Definitely worth it!
YOGA
Every Monday morning and Wednesday morning from 10:00 to 11:15 in July and August, Elsbeth holds a yoga class. The classes take place in the yoga barn and the barn is equipped with equipment. You only need to bring comfortable clothes yourself. The price per class is €10 per person.
MEDIEVAL VILLAGES
We haven't written anything about the history of the region yet. During the trips out to markets, restaurants, castles, walks, etc. you will see the history radiating from everywhere. The small streets, the old stone houses, how people used to live here so safely within the old city walls, why aren't all the city walls there anymore, destroyed by wars or collapsed by age or plundered by the villagers for renovations to their houses? The following towns are well worth visiting: Tournon d'Agenais (4km), Penne d'Agenais (20km), Pujols (30km), Montcuq (25km), Monflanquin (25km), Monsempron (10km), Puy l'Evèque (20km), Montcabrier (20km) and so on. Bordeaux and Toulouse are a 2-hour drive away. And Agen (40km), Villeneuve (30km) and Cahors (45km) are nice for a day of shopping.
COURSES
Every year it is possible to take several courses at Canel. For the year 2024 the following courses are planned: yoga (June), landscape photography (June and September) , pilates and yoga (June and September), piano master classes (August and September - full)
- Bicycle
- Near hiking trails
- Near ATB trails
- Near riding
- Near theme park
- Fishing
- Water sports
- Flying and gliding
- Painting course
- Yoga
- Other courses
Further remarks
Prices are per gite per week. Outside the high season, we also gladly rent this gite to two people for the price of our double gite. Look under 'other accommodations' for gite l'ecurie.
Prices apply:
Included:
bedding
towels
gas, water, light
Excluded:
cleaning costs obligatory €50,00
Optional:
washing machine €0/wash - please bring your own detergent.
children's travel cot €0/week
high chair €0/week
Pool towels please bring your own.
Additional price info and offers
Tourist tax is €1.20 per adult per night. This amount applies throughout the year 2024
Price includes
Towels, Bed linen
Price exclusive
- Cleaning fee (compulsory) € 75.00