Our Postcard from Eymet

For this week’s postcard, we’re back in southwest France. We’re on the road again for an extended celebration weekend with our friend in Eymet, and then we’ll visit a few properties in Duras. We love this part of France because it has such happy memories.

Celebrating in Eymet

The first stop on our tour is Eymet, where we’ll be staying with a friend of a friend who’s having her 40th birthday. If my estimations are correct, there’ll be a great mix of English-speaking friends, French friends, and neighbours at the party, so it promises to be a great day and evening.

We’ve arrived in Eymet, and having not been here for at least 5 years, it’s comforting to see that little has changed. Eymet is a commune in the Dordogne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. A classic bastide town, it’s well known as an absolute favourite for expats.

Featured in a host of TV programmes, most notably Little England, Eymet has received mixed reactions. This is a shame because it is a lovely spot. With a population of less than 3,000, this small town has a real community feel. This, along with the rolling hills and valleys in the Dordogne, makes this a great place to choose for either a holiday home or a permanent move.

Troubled Historical Past

With a long and troubled history with the English, most notably in the Hundred Years’ War, there is a real feeling of English-ness here even today. With almost one-third of the population hailing from Blighty, you could be forgiven for worrying that being here wouldn’t seem all that French, but that’s not our experience. We believe the French are as evident here as the English-speaking community, and life here is good for everyone.

The Birthday Celebration

Our friends live in a large farmhouse on the outskirts of the town with a fair bit of land, so it’s the ideal place for the huge party that Linda has planned. We’ve decided to have coffee in town before heading there to set up the food and wine so that everyone can have aperitifs around 11.45 am. The bar in town we chose is lovely, with a handful of Frenchmen sitting at the bar, sipping coffee and the odd Ricard.

Exploring Duras

Once the party’s over and the clearing up has been done, we’re heading off to Duras in the Lot-et-Garonne, another bastide town with a really pretty centre and a bustling market. Once again, Duras is a small town that we know well, and on this visit, we won’t be calling in on the Château de Duras because we’re here to visit some properties we plan to list on our web portal. That said, Duras is a great central base if you fancy exploring this neck of the woods.

Wine and Gastronomy

A really interesting place for wine-lovers and gourmands alike, a tour around the tables of Duras will leave your waistband a tad tighter than when you left home. One of our particular favourites is Château Molhière, which boasts a great view over Château des Ducs and the whole village of Duras. Bottling its own Côtes de Duras, we are particularly fond of its dry white and rosé, although its red is pretty good too, especially with a generous portion of confit de canard!

Anyway, suffice to say that we have a special place in our hearts for this neck of the woods and would encourage anyone to consider it if they’ve got their sights on a new life in France.