For potential buyers who are eager to explore the historic and recreational opportunities of the Dordogne Valley, and to do so from a charming Périgordian home with a host of modern comforts, JUST FRANCE SALES is pleased to propose Fourques, a four-bedroom house with stone walls and red shutters near the little town of Siorac-en-Périgord. The property occupies a peaceful and verdant two-hectare (five-acre) terrain with 220 m (240 yards) fronting directly on the Dordogne River, which flows serenely through this rich agricultural region until emptying into the Garonne near Bordeaux. For swimming there is the heated chlorine-free pool, or the Dordogne itself, which can be reached in less than two minutes by a forest path that descends the gentle hillside through woods to the grassy banks of the river.
Fourques is a drive of less than 25 minutes from Sarlat-la-Canéda, a picturesque and painstakingly maintained medieval town with art galleries, a variety of restaurants and many stores featuring the products for which the region is famed, chief among them foie gras and the sturdy red wines of nearby Cahors. Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, famous for its prehistoric caves and several fine restaurants, including Le Centennaire with two Michelin stars, is a similar distance to the north. Hiking opportunities abound in the region.
The two-story stone house dates to 1648, and at some point in its history was occupied by a family that operated a bac, or ferry service, across the Dordogne. (The box that housed the cable used to pull the ferry still exists on the riverbank.) The structure is typical of older houses in the Dordogne, and in the main room visitors can still see the meurtières, small windows where the ferry operators took payment and oversaw the coming and going of the bac on the river below.
The current owners acquired the property in 2000. They stripped the structure to bare walls and entirely replaced the plumbing, heating and electrical systems. Much of the original wood floors and extensive interior woodwork was retained.The result is a house of great charm where exposed stone walls, beamed ceilings and solid hardwood finishes combine to create a comfortable home with a countryside ambiance and 21st-century comforts.
Fourques is reached by a small country road that winds through fields and woods to a small hamlet of houses on the riverbank. Around the house and its stone barn are woods, groves of walnut trees, grassy slopes and a small formal garden. Along the front facade there is a stone terrace for outside dining. Near the pool, on the grass under a weeping willow tree, is another terrace where one can have lunch with a view of the river below. The natural greenery of Fourques - the soft grass, shade trees, bosky woods and the lushness of the foliage - provide the ideal setting for a country home in the Périgordian style.
The principal space on the ground floor is a large and handsomely furnished living-dining room with exposed stone walls and, along the north side, wide windows that look out onto the river. At one end of the room is a huge stone fireplace with a sitting area, and at the other, nearest the kitchen, an attractive dining area with river views. A door concealed in wood paneling opens to a guest lavatory. Beyond the main room is a cozy sitting room.
The well-equipped kitchen, brilliantly illuminated and finished with antiqued cabinets and Burgundian stone counters, is fitted with top-quality appliances (included in the sale price), among them a six-burner semi-professional gas stove with two ovens. The stove, like the two-door refrigerator with icemaker, is of stainless steel. There is a microwave oven as well. The dishwasher is concealed behind a cabinet door. Cooks will appreciate the generous counter space and many cabinets. A pretty breakfast alcove with windows overlooks the Dordogne. On the opposite side of the kitchen French doors open to a little outside terrace that overlooks the front courtyard and upper gardens.
A staircase of polished walnut leads to the upper level, where one finds a sunny reading area on the landing, two more guest bedrooms and the master bedroom suite. One guest bedroom looks onto the front courtyard, and the other is oriented north with a view of the river. The guest bedrooms share a bathroom with a shower and a separate WC.
At the end of the upstairs corridor is the spacious master bedroom suite. The suite is entered through a large and sumptuously appointed bathroom with a dressing area of closets and drawers finished in teak. There are an oversized Jacuzzi bathtub, independent WC, and an exceptionally wide stone stall shower with twin showerheads.
The master bedroom is a luminous and attractively appointed room with beamed ceilings, exposed stone walls and wall-to-wall sisal carpet. As it occupies virtually one entire side of the upper floor, guests in the master suite have complete privacy and enjoy north-south views over the courtyard and river.
The irregular-shaped swimming pool, approximately 11 m (36') long and 5 m (16.5') from one side to the opposite overflowing edge, is in a beautiful setting atop a grassy knoll about 25 meters (a meter is about a yard) from the house. The pool has a stone deck on one side and is surrounded by soft grass. From the knoll there are views over the river at the bottom of the hillside to the surrounding countryside.
Other amenities at Fourques include a basement laundry room with an American-style washing machine and separate tumble dryer (included in the sales price), window screens on the ground-floor windows, telephone outlets in all bedrooms, and a security system. The modern central heating system makes the house comfortable in all seasons.
The owners are willing to discuss sale of all or mot of the furnishings in the house.
Fourques is well located for both commerce and sightseeing in the Dordogne Valley. The little community of Siorac-en-Périgord, a five-minute drive from the property, has a variety of stores as well as an excellent supermarket, post office and a restaurant well known in the region, Le Truffle à Quatre Feuilles. Saint-Cyprien (8 km) hosts a colorful open-air market every Sunday morning. Most of the great medieval towns that lie along the Dordogne River or in the immediate area, among them Trémolat, Belvès, Biron, Monpazier and Les Milandes, have restored châteaux that are open to the public.
NOTE: A single-track commuter rail line that connects towns along the Dordogne River lies about 80 meters (a little over 85 yards) from Fourque. Five electric-powered trains pass daily, the earliest around 7:30 AM, and the latest around 9 PM. The train creates very little noise. The sound lasts only a few seconds and causes no disturbance at the house. The rail line is in a sunken roadbed and does not pose a hazard to children.
Price: 1,470,000 € | Rental potential: Excellent.
