TRAVEL TO RETREATS & EVENTS
The closest airport to Domaine de Pessel is Bergerac (EGC) which is 45 kilometres away and takes around 50 minutes by car or taxi.
There are regular year round flights from London Stansted via Ryanair. FlyBe, Jet2 and British Airways also offer flights from other UK airports, some of which operate seasonally.
Brive airport is just over an hour away, Bordeaux airport is just over 2 hours away, Toulouse airport around 2 hours 25 minutes.
We are happy to help if you would like guidance on finding flights and planning your travel.
Travel within France or from the European mainland can often be quick and convenient by train, especially with new rapid services from Paris to Bordeaux, and there are a number of airlines flying regularly from Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Scandinavian countries as well as Air France within France. (Please note Air France from the UK normally requires a stop in Paris and change of aircraft).
We can arrange airport transfers for you, these cost €50 each way from Bergerac; if there is the possibility of sharing, these costs are reduced accordingly. Taxis from Bergerac cost between €60 – €80 each way. Please ask if you would like to pre-book, or if you are coming via Bordeaux or Toulouse.
You may want to consider hiring a car for your stay in order to explore the area. Please ask if you would like advice on car hire: guests have told us that Buggs at Bergerac Airport offer good service and competitive prices, and there are concessions for Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Budget, Thrifty and other hire companies offering airport pick up for cars. Bordeaux and Toulouse also have the usual range of car hire available.
Below is information we provide for our visitors on where we are and how to find us if travelling independently; there is also more information about flights, airports and travel generally.
LOCATION
Domaine de Pessel is located in the Commune of Urval, in the Dordogne Department and the main GPS Coordinates for us are:
44.799300 N (44° 47′ 57.48″ N)
0.935640 E (0° 56′ 8.304″ E)
Convert GPS Co-ordinates: to/from Decimal ↔ Degrees,Minutes,Seconds
The elevation of the Manoir is approx. 186 metres (610 feet)above sea level and the holiday cottages are approx. 195 metres (640 feet). The stone cross near Petit Pessel is 199 metres (653 feet), and nearby the highest point of the property and Pessel is 201 metres (660 feet ).
We find that at this elevation we experience wonderful, clear early mornings as any early morning mist or fog tends to settle further down the valley towards the Dordogne River and the sun can take longer to ‘burn this off’.
Local Weather forecast for Urval: 12 Days ahead or Today
DRIVING
Domaine de Pessel and its Holiday Cottages are, by the nature of their location in the Forêt Domaniale de la Bessède, quite remote and it is essential that you either reach us in your own vehicle or hire a vehicle at your point of arrival in France. (Check with your airline as many offer flight and car hire Packages at good rates).
WARNING: Google sometimes proposes an access routes on unpaved roads, these are not suitable for normal cars.
The only paved road access is off the C5 Urval to Cadouin road (the road at the top of the first photgraph), turning onto a single track paved road to Domaine de Pessel. See the map and photo below.

Route Planning
Using Google Maps Destination is pre-entered.
Using ViaMichelin Maps and Route Planner, enter Pessel, 24480 Urval, France, into the destination Box ‘B’
Via Michelin is useful as it provides estimated total travel costs based on user variable data, such as Vehicle and Fuel type.
Fuel
Go to this French website mon-essence.fr to get up to date Fuel Prices for any area of France. (Note: Enter the local Town name, it does not recognize Post Codes)
There are also Smart Phone Apps for Apple and Google.
Use this Link Local Fuel Prices for our local area Siorac-en-Périgord.
Notes:
Supermarket Chains have become the main outlets for Fuel.
Often but not always, Fuel is a few cents cheaper in larger towns e.g. Bergerac, Sarlat.
Motorway Service Stations are always more expensive.
On main roads, filling stations operated by Total and other independent sellers, tend to be more expensive.
Driving Times To/From Pessel
For approximate driving distances and times use the Route Planners above or the table below for main destinations such as Ferry Ports and Airports and some other locations.
This data is sourced from Google Maps. It is approximate and does not take into account refreshment stops, road works, the density of traffic at various times of the day or season or the actual route chosen.
We recommend that you check Google Maps route information or other Sat. Nav. programs for best route and traffic conditions, immediately before and whilst you are in transit to ensure that you are not presented with any major delays.
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Speed Limits on French Roads:
Motorways and Péage Routes: Normally 130 kph, when raining this reduces to 110 kph. This can change so be aware of the actual speed limits which are clearly indicated.
Other roads: Generally 80 kph. 70 kph or less depending on the road configuration.
When entering a town or village this automatically drops to 50 kph as soon as you pass the town or village Name Board, sometimes there will be a speed limit sign and underneath that; ‘Rappel’ (Remember), but that’s a bonus. Also some towns and villages impose a 30 kph limit, which will be sign posted and occasionally ‘speed bumps’. ‘Speed bumps’ may or may not be sign posted, be alert.
Some villages also have introduced ‘chicanes’ on the entry and exit of the village, these often have high kerbs on both sides of the traffic lane, again be aware of your positioning to avoid possible tyre damage.
AIR TRAVEL
Cheap Flights
Check these Tips from Money Saving Expert.com for getting cheaper airline costs They may or may not save you money but are worth knowing about, the tips may not last long, however, the website page we understand is regularly updated
AIRPORTS AND AIRLINES
Bergerac-Roumanière
This is the most local commercial airport and the airlines which fly in cover Great Britain, Ireland and many other countries in Europe.
Check the Airport and Airline websites for details of Airlines which fly in and out, as these can vary over the year and holiday season.
Note: British Airways have introduced a service from London City (LCY) Airport to Bergerac, flights May to September, only on certain days each week, see their specific website for availability.
flybe.com – Flybe has ceased trading as of 28 January 2023
Other Airports
Toulouse-Blagnac
Bordeaux-Mérignac
Brive-Soulliac
Toulouse and Bordeaux offer a greater number of daily flights and international destinations, Brive has more limited flight schedules.
Get up to date arrival and departure times on your Airline website or on www.flightradar24.com on desktop computers. This is also available as an app on iPhones and possibly on Android but may require in-app payment for this feature, there other Smart Phone apps which can also provide this information.
OTHER
Aérodrome de Belvés – Saint-Pardoux (LFIB)
For those who have access to a Private Aircraft, BELVES aerodrome with a grass runway which is approximately 790 metres long. It is 11 kilometres, 19 minutes, by road from Pessel, 2.5 km ‘as the Crow Flies’.
They also hold an airshow over a few days in August – see their website for news when the 2017 show will be held.
TRAIN
The main local train Station is Le Buisson de Cadouin (¹) approx 9 km, 16 minutes driving, to the North West.
Trains run:
West to Bergerac, Taxi to the Airport and on to Bordeaux (about 2 hours), Bus and Tram or Taxi to the Airport
South to Agen to change for a train to Toulouse. Shuttle Bus directly from the Station to the Airport.
North to Périgueux and onto Limoges for Trains to Paris.
East to terminate at Sarlat le Canéda. Tourist route only, no other major Transport connection.
Note (¹): Trains run infrequently so careful planning is required if you intend to use this method of transportation.