Laroche, once a small farm on the estate of an 18th century château, is surrounded by 5 acres of garden, woodland and meadows.

Walk or cycle through a peaceful landscape of varied countryside of hill and valley, chestnut and oak woods and small farms.

Nearby Brantôme has a beautiful riverside setting and many cafés and restaurants. Villars, the next village, has interesting caves and a Renaissance château. Périgueux, the Préfecture of the Dordogne, is 30 minutes drive away and has a finely restored and lively old town.

There are tennis courts nearby and a swimming-pool in Champagnac de Belair. Enjoy lake swimming in the area and canoeing on the nearby river Dronne or further afield on the spectacular river Vézère. Nontron and Brantôme hold weekly markets and there is a village shop in Quinsac.

When our ancestors roamed over Europe 30,000 years ago they had excellent reasons for choosing to settle in the Dordogne region. Today you can visit the caves and shelters where they lived. There, your imagination will give you some idea of what it was like to be alive at that time. Périgord Vert is more peaceful than the southern areas of the Dordogne. Visit these easily on a day out and return to relax at Laroche!

We have enjoyed living at Laroche since 1989 and have restored and improved the property ourselves, including building the swimming pool. Every year it gets a little better! We like having visitors and we aim to strike the right balance between informal friendliness and letting you get on with your holiday in your own way.

Much of our time is spent working on the property, (too many "good ideas"!), tending our animals, working in the woods and gardening - we try to be as self-sufficient as possible with our organic fruit and vegetables.

We both love reading, we sing in a choir and we enjoy badminton. Alison plays the piano, plays tennis three times a week, has her craft projects.......... David does lots of woodworking, cycles, sees to his bees....... And we both cook!......