Cuckoo Lake

It’s quite possible that many a lazy day will pass just hanging around in/on/around your private lake, but if you fancy venturing out there’s plenty to keep you busy. Perhaps start with the short drive to Saint-Aulaye (10 minutes), where there’s a river beach, a swimming pool and an adventure park. Expand your lake horizons with an outing to L'Etang de Jemaye (20 minutes), where there’s a lovely sandy beach (ideal for sandcastle building), kayaks to hire for paddling to little lake islands and games of crazy golf to play. The Dordogne is also, quite rightly, famed for its peaceful paths, so days of walks or bike rides are most rewarding in this area. You may have also heard that the region’s been bestowed with some rather pretty buildings – set out to see a few fine pads at Château de Chalais (half an hour), Château de Villebois-Lavalette (45 minutes) or Château de la Mercerie (50 minutes).