Videix, A Village in S W France in Words and Pictures

Nowhere could be less important, less well-known or less ostentatious than Videix but the minute we saw our stone built farm house in this unassuming village, we fell in love with it. That was eight years ago and our farmhouse, Les Trois Chenes, is now a flourishing Bed and Breakfast and a three star self-catering holiday cottage or gîte. We run painting holidays and art breaks which are fantastic value; we're keeping 2010 prices for our painting students - great news for summer holidays 2011.

This tiny hamlet is about 10 minutes drive from any where but surrounded by what must be some of the most beautiful and interesting countryside in the world, so good that it has been designated a national park, Le Parc Naturel du Perigord-Limousin. It has been called The Lake District of France, and you can see why!

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We may be tiny, but we have our own Mairie, a sort of French equivalent of British Town Halls. It used to be the old school, but the nearest schools are now at Rochechouart and Vayres. We also have a quaint, 12th Century Church registered as an ancient monument and you can just-to-say see the remains of the ancient frescoes. The village of Videix is the administrative centre for the commune of Videix, a group of several villages, the second most prominent being Saint Gervaise.

In the not so distant past the locals had a regional language, Oc, and in Occitan the name of the village was Vidais. Many of the older inhabitants still speak this language, and even I can hear that they speak regular French with an accent that sounds to me a bit like a Spanish accent. There are efforts to preserve this language, or dialect, and you'll see the old names for towns and villages written on signs.

Our current Mayor is Monsieur Philippe CHALEIX and the telephone number of the mairie is 05 55 48 62 62. The address is the same as ours Le Bourg, 87600 Videix. The hamlet has all of 243 habitants spread out over 16 km² which gives a density of15 hab/km². If you want to get away from the madding crowd, come to Videix!

We are situated in the Région of Limousin and in the Département of the Haute-Vienne (87), and we are just on the borders of the Charente and only ten minutes away from the Dordogne, right in the old region of the Occitania.

There are so many rivers and lakes in Limousin; all that water makes this region a truly green and pleasant land. Surrounded by trees and fields and teeming with fish, they are great for wildlife and a salve for the soul.

Le Lac de Lavaud is an artificial lake created in 1990 when a barrage was constructed on the Charente just as the river arrives at the border between the Limousin and the Charente regions.

Nothing could be more calming than to sit at one of the three restaurants on the banks of Videix Lake, sipping a coffee or glass of white wine, and watch the sun setting over the still waters. Sitting and watching, though, is only half of the story; there are so many things to see and do at the lake. There are two beaches where you can relax, sunbathe and swim. In summer you can hire boats, kayaks, canoes, pedalos, huge tyres to play with, wind surfs and sailing boats. There are four restaurants / snack bars, a crazy golf course and play equipment for smaller children. Fishing is great here and a license cheap so you can spend your time pitting your wits against the fish and enjoying all that fresh air.

Fabulous and good value restaurants near us: Where to eat in France - the Lakes of the Haute Charente

There are just so many and such a variety of things to do that far from being a well-thought out article, in the end this is just a list of a few thoughts off the top of my head. Too many things I could write about and I'm bound to leave out great chunks of interesting stuff about arts and crafts, local markets, gold mining, history, super chateaux, villages, quaint towns, things like karting and sport (because I don't know much about this!) and all the other things I haven't yet discovered!

Have a look at my web site, events page and at this growing article Whats on in Limousin - A Calendar of Festivals and Events 2011 for more information.

We're on The Route of Richard the Lion Heart (or Richard coeur de Lion) which links no less than thirteen spectacular castles and fifteen impressive sites of interest. There are many more castles and chateaux to see that are not on this route. You'll also find ruined castles just littered about, fortified villages and remnants of town walls. Many of the castles are open to the public, though some are limited to the hight of the tourist season. The Chateau of Montbrun is for sale and was viewed by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt! French castles The Chateau of Montbrun, France

Here are just a few: