Poacher’s Cabin, France
Poacher's Cabin
Périgord Vert, France
- Prices from £100 p/n
- Sleeps 2 in one queen size double bed
- Pets welcome
During holiday wanderings in France, Kate Humble and her husband Ludo fell in love with the Périgord-Limousin National Park with its many lakes, rivers, forests and rolling countryside. They found a tiny, tumbledown fishing shack next to its own lake tucked away in the woods and fell in love with it. Today it is a beautiful rustic, off-grid bolt hole for two, tucked away and totally private.
The Inside
Upstairs there is a small bedroom with a queen-sized double bed, a skylight and a big window overlooking the lake and trees. There are lights that run off the solar panels, a small chest of drawers, dressing table and hanging space. There is also storage space under the eaves.
The downstairs room combines kitchen and living room. The kitchen has a gas cooker (powered by a gas bottle), under-counter fridge (run off solar panels), a good selection of pans, cooking equipment and crockery. Coffee (ground for cafetiere), a selection of teas, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper are all supplied.
There is a small kitchen table and chairs. Also a small, but fantastically efficient wood burner for colder days. Logs supplied.
The seating area has a sofa and armchair, books, jigsaws, cards, Scrabble, a guitar and a telescope for looking at the very dark and magnificent sky! There are also local walking maps and guide books, a small pair of binoculars and a Bluetooth speaker. There is no Wifi or internet and no TV. There are plugs for charging. Please bring adaptors.
Just off the main downstairs room is a shower (heated by a small gas boiler, so water is warm enough but not hot!). In a separate room is a dry compost loo and hand basin.
Please note: There is no mains water. Water to the shower and sinks is pumped by solar pump from the lake, through a series of filters and a pressure tank to the cabin. It is fine for washing, but not for drinking. We supply two 20 litres jerry cans of drinking water.
The Outside
The cabin sits in an acre of land and is reached from the neighbouring hamlet down a kilometre of rough stone track that passes between fields and into the woods. The track is navigable by car (slowly!) and there is an area to park a few metres’ walk from the cabin. The cabin is the only property at the end of the track and sits in a clearing overlooking its own large private lake. There is a raft for paddling, a jetty for swimming, hammocks for lounging and a little island (reached by bridge) with its own rustic shelter and chairs to admire the lake from a different viewpoint. The only things you share it with are the kingfishers, dragonflies, frogs, fish and pond-skaters!
Adjoining the cabin is a large deck – partly covered. There is a table and chairs, under the roof, with solar powered festoon lights. There is also space to hang coats and store outdoor shoes. There is a shopping basket for market days, and a picnic blanket. Beyond the roofed area there are two sun loungers and a large umbrella.
Behind the cabin is a woodstore.
There is a further table with benches and an umbrella beside the lake, and a small firepit.
Beyond
The nearest village (approx. 5km from the cabin) is Busserolles, where there is a bakery (not open every day), post office and a bar. In the car park next to the bar is a place you can top up your drinking water canisters, should you need to. You’ll need a €2 coin.
Piégut-Pluviers is about 10kms away from the cabin. This small town has an incredible market every Wednesday that fills the streets and where you can buy everything from cheese, bread, veg and fish to local honey, crafts, slippers….
There are a couple of good bakeries here, a chemist, butcher, greengrocer, banks, a small supermarket and petrol station, with laundry facilities in the car park. There are a couple of nice bars and eateries here too. Things open and close a bit in these rural areas, but try Kreyol and La Baleine.
Further afield there is the beautiful (& popular) town of Brantôme (approx. 45 mins), Angoulême and Limoges are both about an hour away and Périgueux about 1.5 hours away. There are lots of pretty, local villages to explore and the walking and cycling in the area are both wonderful. Most villages have notice boards in the square by the church or the Marie which show local walking routes which are marked by yellow markers, so you don’t need to buy maps.
Testimonials
Prices & Booking Your Stay
Prices are the same irrespective of what time of year you are coming to stay – we don’t believe in summer price hikes!
Changeover days are Mondays and Fridays and the minimum stay is 3 nights.
3 night stay – Friday to Monday – £120.00 per night – Total: £360
4 night stay – Monday to Friday – £115.00 per night – Total: £460
7 night stay = £110.00 per night – Total: £770
For stays longer than 1 week – £100.00 per night
- Check in: from 4pm
- Check out: before 10am
Check our availibility and book your stay online here
Pets & Extra Guests
- Please contact us if you’d like to bring pets with you. We are very happy to accommodate pets, but the land around the cabin is not fenced and there is livestock in neighbouring fields. We charge £25.00 per booking for up to two animals.
- If you would like to bring children or friends with you, please ask and we can discuss options.
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