Running wild in dog-friendly gîtes
Arriving at one of our dog-friendly gîtes in France, then watching your dog explode out of the car and charge around the garden in the fresh country air is a wonderful travel moment. There are plenty to choose from, but here are five of our favourites to get you twitchy-leg dreaming of a road trip.
Gîtes de Sevenne, Lot-et-Garonne
A gorgeous place for a family escape, with fruit trees for picking, a big garden to run around, a pool, a pond with ducks, a trampoline and even a mini treehouse to hide in. It’s a non-stop adventure from the moment you arrive. The fact that it’s also dog-friendly just makes it perfect for everyone.
Inside, there’s the charming mix of space and rustic style that makes a classic gîte so welcoming and gives it that sense of timeless peace. There are games and owner Sandie’s silk painting workshops to keep you busy on site, while nearby there are water parks, horse riding trails and delicious tours of wine country.
Domaine de la Trigalière – La Dreuserie
This is more a traditional longhouse than a classic gîte, but its simple style and countryside setting perfectly capture the lazy life of the France’s iconic rural homes. It’s roomy and stylish and has everything you need for an unforgettable family holiday. Kayaking and boating on the lake, lots of garden space, a heated pool at the main house of the three-home hamlet.
Around you is the splendour of Loire Valley, where you can cruise the river past glorious châteaux, stop at hilltop vineyards for spectacular scenery and tastings, and swim wild in shallow pools of the rippling waterways. It’s a fabulous place to put you, your kids and your dog into a state of weary joy.
La Lys d’Avril, Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne, north of the Dordogne, is one France’s less-travelled areas, which makes this beautiful dog-friendly gîte all the more exciting a discovery. A soft, contemporary style blends with the traditional rough stone to create a dreamlike place where you’ll dine under the trees and navigate the gardens by strings of fairy lights.
The area might not hold the big tourist attractions of France’s other regions, but has an authentic feel of rural France, with quiet, pretty villages in the hills and nearby towns where you can wander the markets before you head home to your private countryside escape.
Kergudon Gîtes
This is everything we love about French gîtes – unfailingly generous hosts whose personality shines through even though you’re self catering, a remote feel with cottages waiting at the end of a long drive and that inimitable blend of the historic and contemporary that epitomises French rural style. There are beautiful beaches, long stretches of the Velo Vert to glide down and everything from creperies to fabulous restaurants to give you a taste of Breton cuisine. The village even has a dog-friendly pub, so you’ve all got somewhere to stretch out and relax after a day of exploring.
Château & Gites de Carsac
It’s all about food and drink here, with the old wine château flanked by two working vineyards, who both donate a bottle to the welcome hamper (alongside beer, cake, pâté, crisps and sweets), giving you the arduous task of judging between them. There are treats for the dog too, so they won’t feel left out and everyone will be well fuelled to explore the grounds and the orchards, or venture further afield, perthaps to St Emilion, Lac de Gurson for a paddle, or even into chic Bordeaux to visit foodie heaven (if you’re still not full!) at the Marché du Capucins.
Rural Gîtes – Chadenne
Despite the name, this is more like the traditional humble gîte’s sophisticated cousin, with an air of luxury in the contemporary flashes of décor and the broad sweep of the pool area. It’s also in an unusually quiet part of the Dordogne, away from the crowds but close enough to the hotspots if you want to drop in. The focus, however, is on relaxation and exploration, with local mountain bike hire allowing you to take on the hills and gentler ambling available in the Foret de La Double, which bustles with wildlife. At night, the quietness of the area means you can sit back and listen for owls as the stars put on a show.
Vive la France
This article is part of Vive la France, the home of inspiring itineraries and stories from travel writers and our team, to help you plan your next French adventure.
Written by
Chris Elmes
Chris is our copywriter, who spins enticing articles out of rough notes and travel tales. Having grown up in rural Wiltshire with only cats, he defected to Team Dog and now roams the countryside with Porth, a gorgeous spaniel named after a Welsh town in what he considers to be a joke. They love disappearing into the hills and coming back hungry for a good pub meal, although Porth has not been convinced to follow Chris into vegetarianism.
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