In the 1980's we lived in North Yorkshire where Roger was a farm animal vet in Skipton
We had three young children and after spending two consecutive summer holidays caravanning in the rain, trying to entertain three boisterous children, we decided to head to France and the sunshine for our next holiday.
The children loved it and so did we.For them the appeal was sea, sand and sun.For us it was also that, but French life seemed somehow gentler, slower and more concerned with quality than quantity.
A fourth child arrived and we began to think seriously about moving to France. Roger had always dreamt about being a farmer and Sally was very happy to be a full time Mum. After a year of searching, we came across Le Vignaud. The farm itself was semi abandoned, but the rural beauty enhanced by the three lakes and the presence of extra houses to possibly convert into gites, meant it really was a possibility.
Margaret Thatcher dispelled any lingering doubts, so in April 1991 we moved lock, stock and barrel to Le Vignaud: four children plus one on the way, two dogs, two cats and the pony. We have been here ever since, still working away, still loving it.
Sally and Roger
Robin grew up on the farm after Sally and Roger made the move to France in 1991. He has very fond memories of playing in the forests and spending summers with the friends and family who came to stay.
We met doing MAs in English Literature at Bristol and later spent some time on the farm while Leonie finished her PhD. When the pandemic began, we were living on the West Coast of Canada. A lucky tip off from a friend meant we decided to catch one of the last planes from Canada to France in March 2020 and we’ve been in France ever since.
We planted 4 hectares of apple orchard in 2017, and another 2 hectares in 2022 and hope to make cider in the future. Rest assured, those staying in the gites will be the first to know when the apples are grown and the cider is finally ready to drink!
In the meantime, we’ve taken over the running of the gites so Sally and Roger can have their summer Saturdays free from too much cleaning.
Robin and Leonie
Testimonials
Tina and Family
It's the most amazing tranquil location.
We have been here for the last 5 years. Our children, twin boys who are now 16 and our daughter who's 12 choose to go back every year. It's a huge farm with lots to do if you want. My children loved helping Rachel with the sheep.
The lake with a beach is our favourite place to be. There are kayaks a rowing boat even a wind surf which they have great fun on as well as a diving board, pontoon and an island you can reach either by bridge swim or by boat it has a rope swing which always is very entertaining to watch.
We have met loads of great friends whilst staying here and enjoy BBQ's by the lake and on the island. Roger gets everyone to participate in a game of Water rugby as well as Boule matches.
There are 5 gites we have stayed in 3 and they each have their own lovely characteristics 2 are close to the lake the other by the farmhouse. Very comfortable and spacious. Bordeaux is about an hour away and a great place to visit there are some lovely towns close by but I have to say we spend most of our holiday at the farm.
The Handley Family are all so warm and friendly I can guarantee you'll have a great holiday.
Tim
An incredible place for an incredible holiday. We had a superb stay in the most perfect of rural gites. Everything you could imagine needing was supplied and the Handley family were on hand at all times to deal with any odd requests.
The lake made for some amazing afternoon / evening fun (the equipment they have available to use being a huge bonus). A particular highlight being the smaller of the two man-made beaches.
If you like fantastic countryside, peaceful living and a slice of true French hospitality you won't be disappointed.
Many thanks to the Handleys.
Gemma
We had an amazing stay at Le Vignaud in July. As usual, The Handleys were superb hosts. The Porcherat gîte included everything we needed and it was lovely to be so close to the lake, which we swam in every day. We also took advantage of some of the watersports equipment provided by the Handleys.
You won't find a more idyllic setting than Le Vignaud and it is perfectly situated for various day trips in the local area. We enjoyed exploring the local area on foot or bike along with spending an afternoon at Saint-Émilion, which isn't far.
Thanks again for a lovely stay, and I'm sure we'll be back!