What to do there

Préchac is a small rural village; there are no hotels or gites, just a boulangerie, a few shops, a 12th century church and a couple of cafes (and 2 hairdressers!) – for more information, go to http://www.prechac.fr/. It is set in amongst a vast pine forest that covers the whole of the Landes region. It is possible to go canoeing on the river Ciron with the Centre d’Activités et de Découverte de la Trave http://www.latrave-prechac.com. The river is calm, which means that it is suitable for most people (as demonstrated by the photo of Lise on the river!). They give you a kayak and you set off down river on your own and call them to pick you up when you get to the next village, Villandraut. It is a great way to see the area, with the forest overhanging the river on both sides and old crumbling châteaux set high above on the top of the gorge. It feels a million miles from anywhere. They also organise walks and other activities that sometimes start from the château de Cazeneuve.

There is a cycle path which runs through Villandraut along the course of an abandoned railway line. It is possible to visit some old châteaux http://chateauroquetaillade.free.fr/, http://www.casteland.com/pfr/chateau/aquitaine/gironde/villandraut/villandraut.htm and do some walking in the area. To the north of Préchac are the famous wine regions (Sauternes can be reached by car in 20 min); there are some very highly regarded vineyards, such as château d’Yquem http://www.yquem.fr/. These are sweet white wines. Wine with the Sauternes name is very expensive, but there are plenty of other good sweet white wines grown in the area. There are organised tours that can be booked through the château de Cazeneuve, which is probably the best way to visit the vineyards. There are a lot of good red wines that can be bought for as little as €5 a bottle. We can recommend château de Budos (which is where we bought our red wine for the wedding!). They also have some very good sweet dessert or aperitif wines. For other local specialities, the aperitif Lillet http://www.lillet.fr/lillet.jsp?d=h&&lang=fr is produced in the nearby town of Podensac; this is a little known drink made famous by its inclusion in the latest James Bond film Casino Royale!

If you are looking to explore the region some more, we would recommend a trip to Arcachon http://www.arcachon.com. It is set in a big bay on the Atlantic coast (so big that you can see it on a map of France). It is about one and a half hours drive from Préchac and is a nice holiday town with bars, restaurants and beaches. It is especially renowned for its oysters that are farmed in the bay and other seafood. Additionally, you can visit the dune de Pilat http://www.littoral33.com/gb/dune_pilat.htm, the highest/biggest sand dune in Europe (over 100m high), which is very impressive with superb views from the top over the Bassin d’ Arcachon and the Foret de Gascogne. Further afield, the Pyrénées are about 3 hours away; it is relatively unspoilt and the Pays Basque (famous for its scenery, houses and chillies) is very beautiful. The coastal towns of Biarritz http://www.biarritz.fr/Website/site/fra_accueil.php and St Jean de Luz http://www.saint-jean-de-luz.com/
in the Basque country are well worth a visit.