Le Duc Gites are located close to the borders of the Départment (county) of Lot with the Dordogne to the west and the Corrèze to the North, incorporating the limestone Quercy district and is part of the larger region of Midi-Pyrénées in South West France.

This area of France is renowned for its lovely countryside with an abundance of wild life and historic villages. The surrounding countryside is full of animals and birds from red squirrels and pine martens to nightingales and golden orioles and steeped in tradition, with a historical legacy of large numbers of fortified medieval towns, villages and castles like Sarlat, Rocamadour and Castelnau. The beautiful and interesting towns of Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne and Martel are nearby the Gites and the region is also dotted with Romanesque churches and prehistoric sites, of which the most famous are the Caves at Lascaux and Pech Merle.

Famed for its gastronomic excellence, the regional cuisine is characterised by duck, goose, foie gras, truffles, walnuts, and walnut oil. This part of France is also famous for its wines, the majority of which are produced around the regional capital of Cahors, although there are many small local vineyards.

There are plenty of outdoor activities available in the area and at Le Duc Gites there are table tennis; a badmington net; swings for the children and of course the swimming pool. Tennis courts are within easy reach, and there are three golf courses about 25 minutes away (2 sets of Golf Clubs are available at the gites). Canoeing on the Dordogne River is available six miles away, bicycles can be rented locally to explore the by-ways, and horse trekking is available just a kilometre from the house. There are numerous walking trails close by and many more further afield. The area also has various small vineyards and wine producers, a distillery and many regional food specialists, all of whom welcome visitors to taste their produce
There are two very good value, child-friendly, restaurants within easy walking distance of the house, and another just two kilometres away in Les-Quatres-Routes.

Venez vous évader dans notre parc le temps d'une surprenante promenade parmi 130 Macaques de Barbarie qui vivent en liberté dans une forêt de 24ha.
http://www.la-foret-des-singes.com/

Le Jardin est un art, chaque jardin est un tableau , un univers dont nous sommes le visiteur privilégié. Les jardins de Cadiot se composent de 10 jardins par thème de couleur, sur deux hectares. http://www.rocherdesaigles.com/gb.html

Canoeing on the Dordogne River at Souillac approx 15 miles from Le Duc Gites

46200 SOUILLAC - Tél: 05 65 37 33 51 ou 05 65 32 72 61
http://www.copeyre.com/en/canoe_kayak

The highlight of a visit to Souillac is the Abbatiale-Sainte-Marie - the 12th century abbey church and a fine example of Roman style architecture.

http://www.francethisway.com/places/souillac.php

The CFTHQ, tourist railway of the Haut Quercy, is a non-profit association, with 5 permanent employees and about 200 members. Founded in 1991, the objective is the safeguard and the tourist operation of the railway line between Martel and Saint Denis Les Martel and the restoration of rolling material. http://www.trainduhautquercy.info/start/starte.html

Relais du Quercy is a beautiful hotel on the main street in Meyssac with a terrace overlooking the pool and a charming restaurant serving Regional Cuisine with a Menu of nuts & some exotic dishes. Taste the specialties of Perigord: foie gras, limousin beef, veal milk confit or duck cassoulet. www.relaisduquercy.com.fr/

Restaurant Delicieuse, Chauffour sur Vell, Tel: +33 (0)5 55 84 07 47
Traditional cuisine, Terrines et patisseries maison, Vente de tartes ou sucrees a emporter. Terrasse Ombragee. Parking Prive. Ouvert du mardi au dimanche

Every day there are open-air markets in one of the surrounding villages or towns offering a wonderful variety of local produce.