Château de Bridoire

Seminars and company events

Château de Bridoire hires out a meeting room, serves company lunches and runs team-building programmes for groups from 15 people, all year round and by reservation. The château stands at Ribagnac, in the Dordogne. A programme for companies can be downloaded from the official site, and each day is put together with the owners.

The team-building offer is built on play. The olympiads set teams of four to eight against each other in a grass ski race, archery, a blind tasting and a tug of war, over one and a half to two hours. A second format sends teams into a wooded labyrinth of several hectares, with trials and riddles among rocks, trees and streams, in about one and a half hours. Groups also get free access to the château's collection of giant wooden and board games, inside the house and in the park.

Rooms and capacities

The official site mentions a meeting room for hire without giving its size or capacity, so ask for details before fixing a format. For meals, the historic kitchen of the château can be reserved for up to 30 people. Larger groups eat in the inner courtyard, which has an awning in case of rain.

Catering

Group lunches are served all year by reservation. The prestige lunch takes place in the château kitchen for up to 30 guests. The country lunch is served in the courtyard, plated or on sharing platters, and is prepared either by the château or by a caterer. In July and August a counter in the courtyard sells home-made salads, sandwiches, crêpes and ice creams.

Accommodation

There are no bedrooms for guests at the château. The owners suggest Château des Vigiers, 20 km away, for groups who need to stay overnight.

History and setting

Bridoire was built between the 12th and 19th centuries. It changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War, was largely rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries and held out as a Catholic stronghold facing Monbazillac during the Wars of Religion. Henri de Navarre dined there in 1576. The Foucauld family owned it from 1806 and restored it in the troubadour style at the end of the 19th century, adding dormers, a winter garden and a chapel. After decades of neglect and looting, the château was classified as a historical monument in 1992 and expropriated by the State in 2003. Catherine and Jacques Guyot bought it in 2011 and opened it to the public in July 2012. More than 15 furnished rooms are open to visitors, from the cellars to the attics and the stables, and the family lives on site.

Getting there

The address is Château de Bridoire, 24240 Ribagnac. The official site gives no public transport details, so check the route and coach access with the château before booking a group.