Less than 10km away from where we are staying is the very small (round) village of Fourcès, which is a typical medieval bastide – a little village where the houses are built in a circle as a defence mechanism.

This is a panoramic shot of the centre of the village, which is well protected by walls, buildings and a river.

We have to take the dog with us everywhere we go and Mick is proving himself a natural with her on the lead. They are getting pretty close, particularly as the dog has decided she must sleep with us. Last night was our first night solo with the animals, and as she normally sleeps with her owner, she thought we’d do. We had a different idea to hers at first, but we could not put up with her crying at the door. So we let her in hoping she’d sleep on the floor beside us. That was not to be, as she jumped on to the bed and curled up near our feet, and fell fast asleep and proceeded to snore on and off during the night.

We are used to sleeping in a kingsize bed, and here we have a double bed only, so it is already pretty cosy. I did bring one of her many beds into our room as well, but she was not interested. Her owner has told me to try a different one which is apparently her favourite, so I hope we all have a better night tonight.

 

It was originally built around this castle (chateau) – which now offers luxury accommodation for visitors. I’ve read that Fourcès is famous for its annual jazz festival and the outdoor secondhand markets (brocantes – very popular in France), which are held one weekend per month from May to November.

Fewer than 300 people live here now, and the day (a Sunday) we were there we actually spotted five. But there was evidence of several shops, restaurants and wine cellars that I am sure in the warmer months are very well supported by both the locals and visitors.

There are many interestingly sounding villages we want to explore during the week, all less than 50km from where we are staying. We think our time here is going to fly.