THE OLD WALNUT FARM
Chassaignes Dordogne France
Getting here
There are really only three ways of getting here -- car plus ferry;
- fly plus hire-car from the airport and ;
- train plus hire-car from the station.
The map adjacent shows the relationship between Chassaignes, the Channel ports and our regional airports.
The pros and cons of what suits your family or group are worth considering. Cost; travel time; wear and tare on both people and vehicles; and your departure point are some of the most obvious points to consider.
The second adjacent map - the locality of Chassaignes - is a 'link' to the 'viaMichelin' 'map' section of their excellent website. "Obtenir..." is a link to their 'route planner'.
The ViaMichelin site provides much more including 'stop over' suggestions, and an analysis of time, fuel costs and auto-route toll costs.
Should you wish to browse all the 'overnight stay' options on one site please click on the link below.
By Ferry or Tunnel
Traveling by car always means crossing (or going under) the Channel. There are several options available - the best one really depends on the locality of your home. We suggest you try the following web sites as there are variations in price and new companies entering the market -
www.ldline.co.uk
www.speedferries.com
www.brittanyferries.com
www.poferries.com
www.condorferries.co.uk
www.eurotunnel.com
By Air
A choice of four airports serve this region - Bergerac, Bordeaux, Limoges and Poitiers. This is a rapidly expanding sector and very competitive. Flight time-tables and costs vary considerably.
So, if you are seriously considering this option of travel, we recommend browsing the low cost carriers as early as possible. It is useful to understand these airlines ticket pricing strategy to get the best value -www.ryanair.com
www.bmibaby.com
www.flybe.com
Car hire is available at all these airports, and again prices vary considerably and a little research can save money. We advise the booking of a vehicle when purchasing your airline tickets.
Our 'change-over' day is Saturday, but don't forget our suggestion of B&B facilities if you find the best flight values are other than a Saturday arrival.
www.hertz.comwww.avis.com
Bergerac
Flights from Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter, Southampton, and Stansted airports.
Bordeaux
Flights from Bristol, Southampton, Newcastle, Manchester, Cardiff, Exeter, East Midlands, Leeds, Belfast, Dublin and all London and Scottish airports.
Limoges
Flights from Southampton, Liverpool, East Midlands and Stansted airports.
Poitiers
Flights from all London airports.
By Train
Our nearest station is at Angouleme, about 50 minutes drive away. Travel on the excellent high speed TGV service from either Paris Montparnasse/Nord or Lille Europa stations.
These, previously, are reached using the also excellent EuroStar service from Waterloo (soon to be St Pancras), with car hire available from Angouleme station.
But please note - the Paris option necessitates a change of stations and the use of the Paris metro (more exciting, but also more stress), whilst at Lille Europe only a change of platforms is required!
You can use the following link to view time tables and costs etc.
Average driving times from -
Channel PortsCalais/Boulogne - 500 miles and 8 hrs by car,
Caen (Ouistreham) - 340 m. and 6 hrs by car,
Cherbourg - 400 m. and 7 hrs by car,
Le Havre - 375 m. and 6 hrs by car.
St Malo - 350 m. and 6 hrs by car.
Airports
Bergerac (Roumaniere) - 85 km and 80 minutes by car
Bordeaux (Merignac) - 75 m. and 120 minutes by car
Limoges (Bellegarde) - 96 m. and 120 minutes by car
Poitiers (Biard) - 110 m. and 130 minutes by car