Sitting in a peaceful French valley, out in the countryside and about a 30 minute drive from Brive, resides the small town of Tulle.

The gentle stroll down the thousand or so steps into the town centre, from where we stayed, arriving at the bottom, next to the river, which flows gently through the town and with only a couple of foot bridges and roads spoiling the view, we were truly ‘lost’ in  rural France. Oddly enough, high on the opposite hillside to where we stayed is a cemetery and a prison next door – no idea what the Town Planner was thinking there – but I hope that a torrential rain does not unearth the graves or that a tunnel prison break does not cause the earth to collapse on the hillside cemetery.

Walking back up to our apartment is no mean feat with the same thousand or so steps ahead, with no two steps being of equal rise it makes for a great work-out before reaching the steep road towards our bed. The views are spectacular all week long from CFA 13 Vents, even during the rain and mist and on one occasion snow, our last few days being basked in warm welcoming sunshine in this memorable French countryside town.