Castelwood - Dordogne

The chalets have been designed and constructed in the local Perigord style. They have been built with Douglas fir and Scotch pine.
The roofs are the same colour as the local slate tiles, blending well with environment. They also play shadow games with the leaves of the trees. The outside of the chalets are the colour of patinated wood, which corresponds also to the local style.

Each chalet is roomy with more than 50m² floor space, as well as a veranda of 15m². One of the chalets is built for physically disabled people and complies with national regulations.

The interior is in the Périgord style, with the roofbeams close together and with an elevated pitch to the roof. The latter allows for a bedroom for 2 people on the mezzanine floor.
Downstairs there is an open style kitchen, a living room with a comfortable seating arrangement, a separate toilet, a bathroom with shower and washbasin and another bedroom for 2 people. The veranda has a garden table and chairs, for your meals or drinks outside.

We can, if you wish, provide you with an « Arrival Kit », i.e. some basic foodstuffs to start off your holiday. After a long and tiring journey or a late arrival you may not feel up to a shopping trip straight away. This way our Arrival Kit can tie you over till the next day. Please contact us personally for this option.

It goes without saying that your chalet is thoroughly cleaned the day of your arrival... all you have to do is to unpack and start enjoying your holiday !

WHAT TO SEE IN THE VICINITY ... AND JUST A BIT FURTHER :
The marvels of our region :
· The Dordogne and Vézère valleys, with their prehistoric sites : Les Eyzies, La Roque St Christophe...
· Limestone caverns, geological chasms with rock and crystal formations, prehistoric shelters with sculptures and rock drawings : Lascaux II, Gouffre de Padirac, Grottes de Cougnac...
· The fortified castles which are the historical witnesses of the disputes between France and England : the castles of Bonaguil, Beynac and Castelnaud. But there are also castles like « Les Milandes », once the home of Josephine Baker and her children.
· The medieval towns and the « bastides » : very old, fortified towns, built according to a standard layout. Sarlat, Monpazier, Monflanquin, Villeréal...
· The old country churches, often of Roman architecture, the cloisters and priories : some of them witnessed the passage of the Pilgrims ... the Abbey of Cadouin, Roc-Amadour.
· The vineyards of Bergerac, of Buzet, of Thézac and of Cahors.
· Gastronomy ; the abundance of « the good things in life » : foie gras, potted duck, wild mushrooms, local cheeses, fresh fruit and plenty of vegetables ... the gourmet will find her heaven on earth.
· The street markets with local farmers and their home grown products.
· The parks and gardens, but mostly landscapes worthy of a painters palet or the artistic eye of a photographer.
· Sport activities : golf, horseriding, walking, cycling, canoeing, swimming, rock climbing, cave explorations, etc. etc.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
The origins of the castle of Biron are unknown. Their masters appear in historical documents around the year 1000. The wooden buildings are replaced by thick stone walls around about the middle of the 12th Century.
During the Middle Ages, Biron straddled the border of two territories : one belonging to the « rois-ducs » (kings of England and dukes of the Aquitaine) ; the other belonging to the kings of France. The castle therefore suffered several occupations, especially during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) in which France and England fought over ownership of the region.
The Gontaut Biron family is one of the oldest families of France. The brothers Pons (1460 -1524) and Armand (1462 -1531) repaired and restored most of the damage caused by the war, and improved the castle by adding new buildings. This was a long and exacting job. They were rewarded 1598 when the title of duke and peer was bestowed on Charles de Gontaut. However, it was said that Charles later plotted against his king, Henri IV, and he was consequently decapitated during the night of the 31st of July 1602. Each year, on that night, his ghost is seen to be walking in the chapel, with his head cradled under his arm...
The Revolution left other destructions in its wake : the castle was completely stripped of its furnishings and the interior was mutilated and wrecked. It reamined a large empty shell until it was sold in 1938. In order to save it from total ruin, the Regional Council of Dordogne took over ownership in 1974. Since then, one restoration project after another has taken place under the watchful eye of the Historic Monuments Trust.