Nontron is a charming small town that has a bustling Saturday market, festivals every summer and 3 beautiful castles (Castelnaud, Marvel and Beauvais). The town is most famous for its knife making; in fact the workshop where they are still handmade is the oldest running cutlery force in France. Craftsmen here continue to use methods and techniques from the C15th.
Access
The town of Nontron is located in the heart of the Perigord Limousin regional Natural Park, in the Dordogne department of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. It is around 25 miles from the capital, Perigueux. Limoges airport can be reached in 1h, Bergerac airport in 90mins.
Activities
Nontron on a Saturday morning is very pretty with its market full of fruit, vegetables and craftwork. Livestock sales are often commonplace also.
The old quarter is interesting to visit, filled with C17th buildings it is historically famous for being the place in which Richard the Lionheart was mortally wounded. Other sights include the Cave of Villars, which contains prehistoric paintings, the Rock of Cazelle, another prehistoric treasure, the Hanging Gardens of Marqueyssac and Le Perigord, a famous knife-making factory open to the public. Guided tours are available from the tourist office and include visits to the castles.
There are tennis courts and an open-air swimming pool in the centre of town, horseriding, carp fishing, boating and windsurfing are available at the St Estephe leisure lake, which is only a 10 min drive and golfing and hiking activities are all within 20mins drive. And the Grand Lac and St Mathieu Lac are two other nearby leisure lakes with restaurants and bars.
The historic town of Brantôme is only a 15 min drive away and definitely worth a visit. Brantôme has excellent caves and ice cream bars as well as a 1000 year old abbey and gardens, and its market takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Food & Drink
Nontron has an economy which specialises in agricultural produce. The surrounding area is also well known for its foie gras, truffles and pies, and resh fruit is guaranteed in the supermarkets as the region is a major producer of apricots, plums, nectarines, melons, peaches, strawberries and apples.
Restaurants
- La Taverne, 16 rue Thiers, tel: 05 53 56 04 31
- Les Remparts, 14 rue Thiers, tel: 05 53 56 21 71
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Nouvelle Aquitaine. We have a large network of agents in Aquitaine. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Aquitaine matching your requirements. Do not hesitate to contact us to find out more about our selection of properties for sale in Nontron.