About Us At The Secret Lot

In 1990, while holidaying in the Auvergne with our two sons, we discovered the Lot Valley and instantly fell in love with it. The following year, we bought a house in the tiny hamlet of Aynès, perched on the side of the valley with spectacular views. So began a wonderful and ongoing  adventure.

At the time, we lived and worked in Sussex, but came to the house with increasing regularity. On one such visit we learnt of the sale of two very old stone cottages in the nearby hamlet of Lagarrigue. They were both uninhabitable having no floors, electricity, water or sanitation but we decided to buy them and persuaded our talented elder son to renovate (rebuild!) them.

Five years later, we had two beautiful cottages with all modern amenities but retaining many of their original features. Our son returned to his wife and son in Canada; perhaps wary of his parents’ future building plans! Our younger son, meanwhile, was making his career as an Officer in the British Army and is happily settled in Hampshire with his wife and three children.

We retired in 2006 and moved permanently to our home in Aynès.

It has been a great pleasure and privilege to welcome guests from all over the world to La Maison du Four and Le Cantou. The peace and tranquility of the valley, the wonderful scenery, the River Lot and the many beautiful towns and villages in the region ensure that, wherever you come from, your holiday will be a memorable one.