Articles about Golden Oak

When Paul, my husband asked me if I would like to go to France with him on one of his fishing trips I was unsure. Years ago I would have 'roughed it' and slept on a bed chair in the bivvie but now I like a bit more comfort for my aching bones. I checked out the website and it looked really inviting so I agreed to go.

After a pleasant drive on the motorway we reached Paris. It was not too busy as it was early morning and in the past we have always used a simple rule to get through the city. We follow the signs for Bordeaux when going down to the south and on the way back follow the signs for Lille. The sat nav wanted to take us on a different route but we ignored it and followed the signs. It worked. We travelled through the city without a hitch and then after another couple of hours arrived at the venue which was about 40 minutes drive south of Limoges.

We were welcomed on our arrival by the owners, Jo and Dick Muntimer, and their two lovely dogs. The Gite was just as inviting as it looked on the website. It was spotlessly clean and not full of cobwebs like some places we have stayed at in the past. It is a converted barn in typical French style. It also has the added advantage of a comfortable bed, plumbing which works and an en-suite shower room. There are three bedrooms in all and each has its own en-suite shower room. In my opinion this would be an ideal place to take the family and combine fishing with a holiday. The lake is close to the Gite so you are never far away from the family if they don't want to sit fishing. There is gate between the garden and the lake area so if your children are young you have the knowledge that they will be safe. There is also a plunge pool in the garden which would be great to cool down in the hot summer weather. The property is deep in rural France far away from the sound of traffic. If you like peace and quiet and want to relax in beautiful countryside this is the place for you.

The Gite is open plan and has English TV. In the kitchen area there is a decent sized fridge, a ceramic hob and oven, and a microwave oven along with a full selection of pots, pans, dishes and cutlery to prepare your own meals. We did this some of the time but also tried Jo's cooking. I can thoroughly recommend trying her meals. A bacon and egg baguette on the bank with a flask of tea one morning was a very tasty breakfast. She also provided us with an evening meal one night which we enjoyed very much. You can tell that she enjoys cooking. She provides excellent wholesome food not haute cuisine. You can always go out to a restaurant if you want to try something fancy.

They keep horses, a donkey, a few sheep, goats and a resident goose on their land. There are also three other geese and three ducks on the lake.

The accommodation is the best I have ever experienced as a fisherman's wife and I would definitely revisit this venue. Jo and Dick could not do enough to make our stay comfortable and I was very grateful for this. All in all I can say that whilst I had initial misgivings about going I was glad that I did go and enjoyed every minute of it.

Paul enjoyed his fishing too!

Diane Cooper  paulcooper18@sky.com