LCP. No, it’s not the Parliamentary Channel, but Le Coup de pomp, a new place of accommodation in Meilhan-sur-Garonne, which completes the offer of accommodation and meals along the canal in the Marmandaise commune. If two couples have reinvested the campsite and the restaurant at Pierrette, Jennifer Touyaga is starting this new adventure solo, at least until the end of the…
LCP. No, it’s not the Parliamentary Channel, but Le Coup de pomp, a new place of accommodation in Meilhan-sur-Garonne, which completes the offer of accommodation and meals along the canal in the Marmandaise commune. If two couples have reinvested the campsite and the restaurant at Pierrette, Jennifer Touyaga is starting this new adventure solo, at least until the end of 2024.
After several weeks of work, it welcomed its first customers this Saturday, June 15. In case of pressure, therefore, or even for an event or a stopover planned well in advance, “it’s a stopover gîte, that’s how I envisioned it with two dormitories and two family rooms attic. »
Former Post Office
La Paloise responded to the call for projects from Voies navigables de France, launched in 2022, for the occupation of the Gravières lock house. Project leaders could apply in the themes of slow tourism, rural or sports tourism, heritage and cultural or sharing tourism.
The thirty-year-old was in Asia when she came across it and wanted to seize the opportunity to find a corner of the canal, which she frequented in 2021. “When we were deconfined, I started cycling on the Bordeaux-Toulouse axis. I then discovered the locks and the adjoining houses. The La Réole-Agen segment was one of my best memories,” says the woman who enjoyed a greenway with a very family atmosphere.
carine caussieu
That was all it took to convince the young woman to leave her position as sales director at La Poste. “I applied while I was traveling between Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. I understood that money does not buy happiness and I felt tired of being in the office,” recalls the woman who supported companies in their “mail solution”.
The place has been designed for cyclists, but it is also intended for other people
A few months later, after being supported by the Lot-et-Garonne tourist office, the Paloise found herself facing “two or three other” candidates. The economic viability as well as its cycling-oriented project won over the jurors. “The location has been designed for cyclists, but it is also intended for other homeless people. It’s my business and not my house, nor a hobby,” proclaims Jennifer Touyaga, who therefore signed a seven-year agreement on the banks of the Garonne canal.
She doesn’t rule out making her own jams… and expanding. “If I can get this gîte running, the ideal would be to hire a full-time manager and invest in another site. » Why not the house at the Mas-d’Agenais lock site? “A network of lodgings would indeed be relevant,” replies the adopted Meilhanaise. In the meantime, she hopes to open a tea room on the terrace for fishermen or cyclists who want cold drinks.
