Grounds & Pool — Sol du Mazel | 4 acres, heated pool, Dordogne

The pool

12 × 5 metres. Heated May through September.

The pool is 12 metres long by 5 metres wide, with a Roman shallow end — stepped entry with a gradual slope, safe for small children and ideal for teaching. At the deep end it reaches 1.8 metres. The heating keeps the water consistently comfortable through the season.

A full perimeter fence with a child-proof gate means young children can be watched rather than constantly restrained. Pool toys, floats and inflatables are provided. Sun loungers line the pool terrace, with a shaded pergola section hung with hammocks for those who prefer the shade.

The pool is in full sun from morning to early evening, south-facing and sheltered from the prevailing wind by the buildings. In August, you barely need the heating on.

Sol du Mazel 12×5m heated pool in afternoon sun with pool terrace

Abri dining terrace — table set for ten under the shaded pergola

Outdoor living

The abri — where most meals happen

Between the two gîtes sits the abri: a shaded terrace under a traditional timber pergola, with a long dining table that seats the whole group comfortably. Most guests end up eating here for most of the holiday. There is a gas BBQ, and the table looks out over the pool and the meadow beyond.

Breakfast in the morning sun, lunch in the shade of the vine, dinner as the light goes gold. It is the soul of a Dordogne summer.

For children

The play fort, the trampoline, and everything else

Sol du Mazel play fort — three towers, battlements, climbing wall and slides

The Play Fort

Three towers, battlements, two slides, a rope bridge and a climbing wall. Custom-built in the grounds, it took two builders three weeks to put up. Children disappear in there for hours.

Trampoline with safety netting in the Sol du Mazel grounds

The Trampoline

A large, high-quality trampoline with full safety netting. Not an afterthought — the largest model available. Adults use it as much as the children. The bane of every post-lunch quiet hour.

Toddler play area with sandpit, swings and seesaw under the walnut tree

Toddler corner

Baby swings, a sandpit with teepee shade, a seesaw, log stepping stumps, a Wendy house and a slide. All under the canopy of the old walnut tree. Designed for the under-fives who haven't yet graduated to the fort.

Gazebo in the meadow with hammock chair and wicker seating

The Gazebo

An octagonal wooden structure at the far end of the meadow, just where the orchard starts. A hammock chair, wicker seating, coloured cushions. Far enough from the pool that you can actually read a book.

Table Tennis

A Cornilleau all-weather table tennis table under the abri — tournament standard, waterproof. The most contested fixture of any group holiday, especially once the children figure out that the adults are beatable.

The Orchard & Meadow

A walnut orchard and wildflower meadow make up the bulk of the four acres. A mown path leads to the woodland edge. The ancient chemin des Anglais — dating back to English rule of the region — runs along the boundary.

The setting

Deer at dawn, kites overhead

The woodland on the far side of the valley is home to deer and wild boar. On early mornings — and early mornings happen, with children — you can sometimes watch them from the meadow. Red kites and buzzards ride the thermals above the property most days through the summer.

Sol du Mazel is situated in a genuine rural setting, yet the village of Saint-Pompont is a fifteen-minute walk down the old footpath — enough time to collect croissants from the boulangerie before the rest of the group wakes up.

Sol du Mazel grounds looking towards the Périgord hillside

Four acres.
One heated pool.