Come away to our home nestling in a lovely corner of rural Dordogne-Perigord – la France profonde – for six days on this active, practical enjoyable French course. Both trained and experienced language teachers, David and Michèle know how to get you interacting naturally and with confidence! Groups are small (around 5 participants) and the course is designed for anyone wanting to radically improve their French! Maybe you have a GCSE or an A level from 30, 40 or more years ago, and feel you’ve forgotten a lot. Maybe not. At Le Verger we know how to bring what you once knew back in real situations. We encourage you to use the language not only during lessons, in games, while out walking, at mealtimes, or just relaxing in the garden.
Your course will contain some of the following
Reading and taking about short magazine articles Walk ‘n talk in the Périgord countryside Games in French Fluency practice (role play, mime, grammar gym) Local market visit (with a language task)
Free time to process all the above (!)
Full board and lodging (convivial meals with local wines).
There are also options to:
Join the soirée cinoche (French flix evening)
Watch les infos on TV (with guidance)
A Lunch at our local restaurant (optional. 13-15 euros)
Just sit and relax and chat ( in French) in the garden….
Your Hosts & Tutors
David and Michèle Lambert have post-grad degrees in French from Cambridge and Manchester Universities. We’re both fluent users of French each with 30+ years language teaching experience and linguistic research. David is language consultant to two of Europe’s leading schoolbook publishing houses. We’ve both taught at l'Université de Lille, le Lycée Perrier (Marseille), Cambridge Regional College, The Open University, Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), Hills Road Sixth Form College and Anglia Ruskin University. Based on our experience of mindfulness meditation, we’ll be introducing guided relaxation as a way to help you learn powerfully. In our 15th year of welcoming young A Level students to Le Verger, we’re very excited about this new course for senior students geared to help you access all the French you didn’t know you knew –– and building on it so you enjoy speaking fluently!
no dates currently available
Prices:
(includes full board, tuition, transfers in France)
£525 shared room, cabin or glamping tent
£565 *private room, cabin or glamping tent
For reservation and payment details contact: David Lambert - info@retreatfrance.co.uk
Prices do not include Stansted-Limoges flights.
Ask us about shorter one- or two-day courses for those who live locally
Accommodation
You’ll be accommodated in your own simple but comfortable room. ‘The Piggery’, a separate gite in the grounds, is suitable for two (or more) guests: it has a large open mezzanine space upstairs (4m x 6m) with further accommodation below (5m x 6m) separated by curtains. There is wifi in all the accommodation. Two Cabins (3 x 3.5m and 3 x 3 m) each provide ‘rustic’ but comfortable individual accommodation (occupant uses main house bathrooms). There’s also a glamping option – a tent ( 3m x 3m) you can stand up in, with single bed, a lamp, an armchair, hanging space, and rush flooring (occupant uses main house bathrooms).
Subject to availability, retreaters may have their own room or share accommodation in the main house with another writer or an accompanying partner.
*While we do our best to satisfy your accommodation request, in the event that this is not possible you will be offered the alternative at the advertised price.
Getting there
The retreat or course fee includes group airport or rail station transfers from/to Limoges. Travelers by train will be picked up / dropped off at Limoges-Benedictins rail station at a time which coincides within an hour or so with Limoges airport collection/drop offs.
It’s important you are all on the same outward and return Ryanair flight to Limoges to facilitate transfers to and from Le Verger. NB. We’ll let you know when you can go ahead and make travel plans.
Unscheduled or individual transfers will be charged £80 per vehicle each way ( a local taxi will charge around 120-160 euros).
In the unlikely event of flights being diverted to more distant Poitiers or Bergerac, transfer costs will be adjusted.
What to bring
As luggage space in the transfer cars is limited we recommend you travel light ( we provide a towel and a hair drier). You need to bring: - a warm jumper (at 410 m hot days can have cool evenings) -slippers (in winter) -trainers for walks. -small notepad for classes & visits. -medicines you need (hay fever, travel sickness.). We recommend you bring an effective anti-tick preparation as there have been reports of ticks in the region. Rose Geranium (pelargonium graveolens) essential oil, or anything with 30% deet is effective. -European plug adapter. -some euros (no ATMs in deepest France) On arrival we stop at a supermarket so you can buy any toiletries and personal dietary needs ( we provide vegetarian, gluten-free and soya alternatives). NB. French supermarkets cannot sell even aspirin so bring your own medication The nearest pharmacie is 7 km away, often closed, and costly.
We provide Wifi.