Cycling tours for Francophile foodies
If you are a fan of cycling gentle scenic routes, escaping to a French country idyll and discovering all there is about the delights of gourmet French food, then look no further.
French cycling tour specialist, Lot Cycling Holidays, is offering a new tour for 2010 ideal for Francophile foodies. Guests experience the food and wine of south west France, visiting local artisans, farms and vineyards en route and discovering how the signature ingredients of the region’s gastronomy are produced.
Visits include an ancient mill pressing pungent, golden walnut oil; a traditional wood-fired bakery baking the traditional crusty Lotoise ‘Croustillot’ and an artisan making creamy fresh Rocamadour goats cheese, as well as vineyards to taste the wonderful 'black wine' of AOC Cahors, produced from the original Malbec grape.
Additional local tastes to be sampled are tender Quercy lamb, truffles, chestnuts and wild mushrooms, golden saffron, strawberries, ripe and juicy melons and bursting purple figs. All reflect the traditional regional cuisine of Quercy and Perigord and all can be savoured and enjoyed alongside easy-paced cycling around the quiet lanes and back roads of the beautiful and unspoilt Lot and Dordogne.
Accommodation is at a converted 18th century barn set in the heart of the rolling countryside of the Bouriane, midway between the rivers Lot and Dordogne. Owners Aileen and John Despard run the business, having moved to France in 2006 after finding the perfect setting at Mas de Flory and spending the next year or so renovating the farmhouse and converting the barn.
The Gastronomy Cycling tours will take place on May 9th, June 20th and September 5th. Priced from £1,375 per person, to include seven days/ six nights accommodation on a full board (apart from one lunch) basis to gourmet standard, all costs related to food and wine visits as per the itinerary (except restaurant drinks); bike hire, routes and maps and full cycling support, plus transfers to and from Gourdan rail station or Bergerac airport, as required.
For bookings or to find out more, visit: lotcyclingholidays.com