Booking and paying

What time can we arrive and leave?

Check-in is from 4 pm and check-out by 10 am at both properties. Arrival is Saturday at Sol du Mazel and Friday or Saturday in Kent.

How do we book?

Send us your dates through the contact page or by phone. We confirm availability, usually the same day, and email the booking form. The booking is confirmed when we have your signed form and the deposit has cleared.

How much is the deposit?

50 per cent of the rental cost for the Kent cottages, with the balance two months before arrival. For Sol du Mazel it is 35 per cent on booking, 35 per cent three months before arrival and 30 per cent two months before. A refundable security deposit of £250 in Kent or £500 at Sol du Mazel is due one month before arrival. Full details are in our booking terms.

What happens if we have to cancel?

More than three months before arrival there is no charge. Between three and two months the charge is 50 per cent, and inside two months it is 100 per cent. If we re-let the dates we refund what the new guests pay less 25 per cent. We expect every party to hold travel insurance that covers cancellation.

Is linen included?

Yes. Linen, towels, cleaning and all local taxes, including the taxe de séjour in France, are included in the price.

Can we book for a long weekend?

Ask us. Outside the school holidays we can often do short breaks in Kent. Sol du Mazel is let by the week in summer.

The cottages

Are cots and high chairs provided?

Yes. Each cottage takes up to two cots, and we have most of the equipment a baby or toddler needs: high chairs, stair gates, baby baths, potties, toys. Tell us what you need when you book.

Is there WiFi?

Yes, free fibre broadband at every cottage: fibre at Sol du Mazel and normally 80 to 200 Mb per second in Kent.

Can we bring our dog?

No. We do not take pets at either property, indoors or in the grounds, because of the farm animals in Kent and the pool at Sol du Mazel.

Can we smoke?

Not indoors and not in the pool enclosure. Outside, please take the ends with you.

Can we come in winter?

Yes. Both properties have plentiful heating, and Sol du Mazel has big wood stoves with logs supplied. The Kent cottages are lovely in the snow.

Can two families share Sol du Mazel?

Yes. Rose Barn and Hope Cottage are two separate gîtes joined by a door that is locked unless both parties want it open. Together they sleep ten and share the pool and grounds.

How many people can stay?

Each property is let for the number in its description, including infants in cots. We cannot take more, for reasons of safety and the septic systems. Day visitors are welcome if you ask us first.

The pool at Sol du Mazel

When is the pool heated?

From 1 May to the end of September, except during parts of July and all of August when the sun does the job. The pool is open air and we cannot guarantee the water temperature.

Is the pool safe for small children?

It is fenced with a self-closing gate to the French safety standard, and the shallow end has steps. Children must still be supervised by an adult at all times inside the enclosure.

Getting there

How do we get to Sol du Mazel?

Fly to Bergerac (about an hour away), Brive, Limoges, Bordeaux or Toulouse and hire a car, or drive from Calais in seven to eight hours with an overnight stop. See our getting there guide for the 2026 flight routes and the turn into the drive.

How do we get to Hamptons Farmhouse?

By car it is about 45 minutes from Gatwick and an hour from the Channel Tunnel. By train, Tonbridge station is 30 to 40 minutes from London Bridge and a fifteen-minute taxi ride from the farm.

Do UK visitors need anything new to enter France in 2026?

A passport issued within the last ten years with three months left after your return date. The EU Entry/Exit System has taken fingerprints and a photo at the border since April 2026. ETIAS is not yet in force.

While you are there

What is there to do nearby?

A great deal. Our Information pages list castles, caves, gardens, canoeing, beaches, markets and restaurants for both the Dordogne and Kent, with links to every official site.

Is there a doctor or hospital nearby?

Yes. In Kent, Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury has 24-hour accident and emergency about 22 minutes away, and Hadlow has a pharmacy. In the Dordogne, Sarlat hospital is 25 minutes away and Saint-Pompon has its own pharmacy. Our health pages have the numbers.

Do you send an information pack?

Yes. Everything on our Information pages, plus the practical details of the house, the key safe and the WiFi, comes by email once you have booked.