Reviewed French version available.
WELCOME TO THIS WINTER 2024 EDITION
OF OUR WEBSITE
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December in Gascony has been cold and wet. January promises more of the same, with day-time temperatures from 3-10 deg C and night-time dropping to -3 deg. There will be quite a lot of rain and some snow. Some of our properties are still available for longer Winter Rentals.
Also, for the Winter and next Spring, we have properties suitable for Skiing in the Pyrenees such as Les Chenes. The St Lary ski resort is starting January with 20-60cm base depth of snow and 11 of 28 lifts open. More snow is forecast over the coming weeks. Anyone who rents one of our properties can have full support (ski-hire, guides, etc) from our Working Partner, Sarrat Sport based in Saint Lary. The Pyrenees ski season will be from early December 23 to early April 24. Over the winter we be including the weather forecast for St Lary below.
We are delighted to introduce two new Working Partners for 2024, Domaine de Herrebouc and Doo-Eat. Doo-Eat is run by Dounia Silem, who also features in our November Blog.
In this blog we looked at the cooking ideas and plans for 2024 of two excellent local cooks who are both Working Partners of Simply Gascony:
LAURA WASHBURN – https://ateliercuisinefources.com/
DOUNIA SILEM - https://www.doo-eat.fr/dounia-silem.html
Both Laura and Dounia have cooked very successfully for Simply Gascony holiday house parties in 2023 – so this could be an idea for your holiday in 2024?
JANUARY 2024
Every month we publish new information about our properties, about our 'Working Partners' and about life in Gascony. Please go to ‘New This Month’ for details.
Click on the button at the top of this page to go to our French website. Our “Summary” is available in French – click on the “Résumé” button below. You can download and share either version of the summary with friends and family when planning your Gascon holiday in 2024.
Click on any of the buttons below to take you to the relevant section in this website.
WHY GASCONY?
Gascony is ideal for families and friends who want to go on holiday to relax, unwind, and slow down. Gascony is a truly beautiful, unspoilt, and welcoming part of Southwest France.
Gascony has a great climate, proper countryside, wonderful local markets, delicious food and wine, and fascinating history and architecture. Each property (sleeping 4 to 24) in our wide selection has its own individual character and charm.
We are your best way to find a holiday home to rent in Gascony at any time of the year.
All rents quoted below are maximum High Season prices which we discount for Low Season
The Village
Sleeps 16
Up to £5750/week
(£51 pppn)
Sleeps 2-50
In up to 8 individual properties as follows
or
Sleeps 80 in the whole village of 14 houses
Sleeps 9
Up to £4300/week
(£68 pppn)
Sleeps 6
Up to £2850/week
(£68 pppn)
Property Map
Gascony is the ideal place for your holiday in 2024...
We are now receiving Spring holiday enquiries for April ’24 onwards, and Summer bookings are stronger than any year since 2019.
Travel between the UK and Gascony is easy…
Gascony is easily accessible from the UK by car. If you cross from Folkestone on the Channel Tunnel, then from Calais it will take around 10 hours’ driving on high quality ‘autoroutes’ to reach Auch, the capital of Gascony. The overnight Brittany Ferries route from Portsmouth to St Malo or Caen means less driving.
By train from Paris, you can be in Bordeaux in about 2 hours, Agen in about 3 hours and Toulouse in 4.5 hours. The quickest train journey from London to Agen takes only 7 hours. https://www.thetrainline.com/
You can reach Gascony from anywhere in the world by flying via Paris, London, or Madrid to one of our beautiful ‘gateway’ cities, Toulouse and Bordeaux. Flights are frequent and schedules now returning to something like normal, although there is the possibility of further strike action causing disruption this summer.
“Over the last 30 years, France has been the most visited country in the world…with a pre-pandemic peak of about 90 million visitors…” (source: UN)
“Around 17 million British nationals visit France every year. Most visits are trouble-free.” (source: UK Government)
“Visitor numbers from the USA were 3.7 million in 2022, almost back to pre-pandemic levels, but with total spend higher than in 2019.” (source: https://france-amerique.com/).
Please check the UK Government Travel Advice service - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france for up-to-date information. It is more important than ever to have travel insurance and check it provides sufficient cover. See the FCDO’s guidance on foreign travel insurance.
Climate & Countryside…
Gascony has a great year-round climate. With practically no pollution and low population density, Gascony is one of the healthiest destinations in Europe. The beautiful, unspoilt countryside of rolling hills and valleys offers plenty of scope for expeditions and exploring, the chance to enjoy an active holiday at your own pace. You can explore ancient villages or markets full of local produce, then dine al fresco through long summer evenings. The majestic Pyrenees Mountains offer excellent skiing in winter and hill-walking in summer with the wildflowers and eagles.
Food & Wine…
Gascony is renowned for its local delicacies such as the many recipes for duck. Flavours are generally rich and healthy, food is mainly unprocessed and sourced locally, with gently reared tender red meat, really tasty chicken, the famous Toulouse Sausage, a vast range of patés and 'charcuterie', and traditional foie-gras. Local markets are full of fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, patisserie and croissants, and a multitude of cheeses from cows, sheep, and goats. Wine lovers have always known Gascony for its wide range of authentic country wines, the intriguing aperitif 'Floc de Gascogne' and its signature brandy 'Armagnac'.
Activities…
Variety is the spice of Gascony – there is something to offer everyone and all ages - from visits to châteaux and cathedrals, to food markets and water sports, from jazz festivals to salsa events, from wine and garlic festivals to car boot sales, from antique fairs to village fêtes and night markets. If you have a sport, hobby or interest you want to follow while on holiday, let us know and we will find out where you can do it in Gascony.
Simple contract, personal service…
Our Simply Gascony 'Holiday Rental Agreement' sets out in simple terms and clear English the relationship between, and the obligations of, both Owner and Tenant. Simply Gascony ensures a fair and reasonable balance between the Owner and the Tenant. You will find a copy of this Agreement on our Rental Agreements page. Simply Gascony provides each Tenant with a personal service before, during and after their Rental. Each rental property has a local housekeeper who is the primary point of contact. Simply Gascony has a network of Working Partners. These are local Gascon businesses which help us to provide our guests with a customised personal service and a wide range of holiday opportunities and experiences.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR AUCH & SAINT LARY
January
Auch: Rain and some snow. Much cooler with daytime temps 3-10 C°, -3 C at night.
St. Lary: Mainly sunny. Daytime temps 0-5 C° and nighttime temps down to -6 C° with good prospects of snow.
°
This Simply Gascony summary forecast is based on the Accuweather monthly forecast for AUCH, the centre of our rental property area.
Weather Report:
Gascony has a generally mild climate throughout the whole year, with particularly warm and dry summer months from June to September. Average daily temperatures in July and August are in the range 25°C to 30°C, and sometimes above 35°C.
Spring and Autumn in Gascony are also very appealing, especially for activity-based holidays such as walking, riding, and cycling. In these seasons we have cooler temperatures, ranging from 15° to 25°C, but the weather is still very pleasant.
Winter in Gascony can be cold and wet, with occasional snow and frost. However, Gascony includes excellent skiing in the Pyrenees and the best months for this are January to March.
Best time of the year to visit:
The daily average high temperature (white line) peaks at the end of July/beginning of August at around 27°C, with a max/min range of 24°C to 30°C.
GASCONY 30 YEAR WEATHER REPORT
PRICING:
We have a flexible rent policy for all our properties. The rent quoted on this website for each property is the maximum Summer High Season Rent per week.
For 2024, 'High Season' will be from 29 June to 7 September.
Rents outside High Season are negotiable depending on the time of year, length of stay and number of occupants, so please contact Simply Gascony for full details. In addition, we have occasional Special Offers for existing and new properties, for last minute availability, and low season rents.
Auch, the capital city of the département of Le Gers, is located approximately in the centre of the Simply Gascony holiday rental area, and as far South as Nice on the Mediterranean Cote d'Azure. The chart above is based on 30 year average weather reports for Auch, so provides a good guide to typical weather in Gascony. From June to September, the weather is generally warm (above 24°C/75°F) r, with highs of up to 30°C/86°F in mid-Summer
Source: Based on information provided by https://weatherspark.com/y/43441/Average-Weather-in-Auch-France-Year-Round