La Bordette

That pirate park? It’s at the medieval fortified town of Penne d'Agenais – fortified by one Richard Lionheart in fact, although the kids will probably say Aaarr to any grownup attempt to impart this knowledge. Other kid-friendly days out round and about include the tree climbing and adventure park 20 minutes’ drive away and subterranean times at the caves around Fontirou and Lastournelle within half an hour. If you care for more time in the car (kids: ‘yes’), Walibi Sud-Ouest theme park is 50 minutes away at Roquefort. And of course you may be on hol sans enfants. If so, recommended potters include the hilltop town of Pujols (20 minutes), gabare trips around Puy l’Evêque (35 minutes), venturing east to Cahors (55 minutes), and hiking or wildlife watching around the Lot-et-Garonne’s 2,500 kilometres of trails. Plenty of sightseeing options are back at Penne if you don’t want to travel far: take your pick from a wander around the ruins of R Lionheart’s fortress, the Peyssel bridge, the workshops on Rue Bombecul and the summer arts and crafts market held every day in July and August. You could of course slip along to the pirate park too…