Gite in Brittany

Nantes

2012-02-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

A stunning, dynamic city situated an hour from our gites. The beautiful chateau, "la Place Royale", the amazing cathedral, beautiful rambling streets, great parks, interesting museums and art galleries, endless restaurants and cafes and the absolutely unforgettable "Machines de l'île de Nantes" with the enormous mechanical elephant...a must for children and adults alike! A great day out.

Cycling in Brittany

2012-01-02T10:14:00.007-08:00

Cycling is one of the most relaxing ways to discover the area around our gites. There are many marked paths for cyclists which follow quiet country lanes, disused hard-surface railway tracks and bridlepaths allowing you to really discover the local countryside and heritage. The river towpath along the River Vilaine is just a few minutes from the cottages and offers a great day out cycling, you can connect from this towpath to the Nantes-Brest canal towpath in the local town of Redon. If you're not feeling quite so energic the towpath offers no end of picnic spots next to the river, perfect to watch the river boats go by.

We have a great selection of bicycles for all our guests to use ranging in size from a small child to adults, for those still a little too young to pedal there are 2 child seats to let Mum or Dad do the work!

Discover the area!

2011-11-16T23:29:00.001-08:00

Discover our area with this video produced by the tourist office....

Fete de Battages - Guenouvry

2011-09-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend in the local village of Guenouvry there will be the annual "Fete de Battages". A great day out when the old agricultural ways of working are celebrated. There are lots of demonstrations of techniques as well as a great procession of old agricultural vehicles and machinery. There is also a country and craft market together with the opportunity to have a delicious meal. Always a date for the calendar!

La fête nationale française

2011-07-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful few days to be in France. There are endless events and festivals to choose from to celebrate the National Day of France or Bastille Day, as we know it. Most villages have entertainment and a meal followed by a great firework display. The Firework display at the beach at La Baule was particularly spectacular this year. The fireworks were lit from barges floating facing the bay.

Crêperies Gourmandes

2011-07-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

The label "Crêperies Gourmandes" was developed to form a federation of traditional specialist creperies in Britanny for both their excellent approach to quality and to promote regional products. When you choose to eat in a Crêperie Gourmande, (there are 73 Crêperies Gourmandes in Britanny) you are guaranteed:

to be welcomed by a crêpe and galette specialist;

to savour crêpes and buckwheat galettes made on the premises;

to be in a crêperie which is open a minimum during 8 months in the year (with 25 weekends);

that the crepe maker will give you information about the local and regional products (the staff receive compulsory training to be endorsed by the label).

We are fortunate to have a wonderful Crêperie which is a recognised "Crêperie Gourmande" in nearby Redon. La Crêperie "L’Akène" offers a great selection of traditional galettes and Breton beers and ciders. There is a terrace and garden and it is also listed in the Guide du Rotard.

La Fête des voisins

2011-06-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

May is the month to celebrate with your neighbours in France a "Fête des voisins" is a fantastic opportunity to have a great time with neighbours you know well and build relations with those you may not often see.

Our tiny hamlet of Paimbu held our fête on the 28th May and was a real success. One of the small lanes was temporarily closed, tables were laid, a BBQ was lit and most of the inhabitants of the hamlet came with lots of enthusiasm to enjoy the evening. As the evening progressed, the BBQ became a camp fire around which many of us sat into the early hours sharing tales and experiences of living in our neighbourhood. A real night to remember!

Discover the local cider!

2011-05-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Ferme St Charles is in the nearby village of Plesse. This charming farm produces the delicious Saint Charles cider. You will also discover a range of Perry, aperitifs, apple juice, vinegar and cider jam.You will also find many different local products: honey, terrines, wine, jams, pieces of pottery and basket-making...

A great place to taste local products and perhaps make up a gift basket.

Easter in France

2011-04-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

The whole of France will be celebrating with enthusiam (as always!) this Easter weekend. Easter in France is a great occasion to spend time with friends and family. Still very much a religious festival, there is a tradition to not ring any bells during Good Friday or Easter Saturday.

Chocolate certainly forms a part of the Easter celebrations for children, however, as well as chocolate eggs you are likely to see hens and chicks, bunnies, bells and the christian symbol of fish formed into chocolate. The traditional Easter Egg hunt is sure to take place in many gardens and parks across France. Joyeuses Pâques à tout le monde...Happy Easter everyone!!!

Sustainable Development in Brittany.

2011-04-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

There are some great events taking place this week in our local town of Redon as part of a week long event designed to raise awareness of the environment and sustainable development. The two I am most interested in are:

The "Weed Workshop"...after a morning of collecting dandelions and nettles, in the afternoon there is a demonstration on how to make soup with them

and also "pain perdu" a delicious dessert using up stale bread.

The "Willow Workshop" which will endeavour to build a pegoda from this natural resource.

There are lots of other events planned for all age groups...lots of fun with a serious message!!!

La Forêt du Gâvre

2011-03-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Whether you enjoy encountering wildlife in it's natural habitat or just fancy a stroll through beautiful woodland "La Forêt du Gâvre" has it all. Covering 4,500 hectares, this beautiful forest offers great walks through it’s vast tree lined alleys. Formerly a royal forest dedicated to hunting and wood production, today it is a forest plantation of oaks and pine trees. Enjoying a natural habitat the forest is rich with fauna including deer, woodpeckers, ringdoves and rare birds such as the woodcock. In the Autumn, there is a plentiful supply of mushrooms.

This beautiful area is well worth a visit and a picnic in one of the many picnic areas! In the pretty village of Le Gavre the “Musée Benoist - Maison de la Forêt (Le Gâvre)” is a small museum inviting you to discover the history of the forest and it’s flora and fauna with lots of interactive tools. The Forest is just 13 miles from our gites.

Le Tour de France 2011

2011-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

The "Tour de France" will come to our local town of Redon just 10 miles away from our gites in 2011. Although rich in cycling heritage, this will be the first time the town has hosted the event. On Monday 4th July, Redon will proudly stage the finish started from Olonne-sur-Mer. As a fairly flat stage it looks to be an exciting finish. Christian Prudhomme, the General Director of the Tour de France has said "We will leave Vendée for Brittany, passing through Loire-Atlantique on the way, before reaching the region of Redon for the first time. This is a stage that has no major difficulties and will definitely be won by sprinters as the final stretch, which is completely flat, should allow us to watch a suspenseful, and in all probability, massive sprint finish."

It is sure to be a great day...don't miss it!

Traditional Breton Food and Drink

2011-01-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

A holiday in Brittany is a perfect time to savour some of local traditional food and drinks. Here are just a few to whet your appetite!

Galettes and Crêpes

Galettes, which are savoury pancakes and crepes which are the sweet version are probably the most well known dishes from Brittany. There is no shortage of very good "Creperies" in the area for you to try the vast amount of tasty fillings on offer from, ham, mushrooms and sausage to fruits, berries and chocolate.

Seafood

With such an amazing coastline it's not surprising that Brittany is a favourite destination for seafood lovers. Whether you prefer scallops, oysters, crabs or prawns there is a vast array on offer. The most traditional of Breton seafood dishes is "Moules Marinières" cooked in white wine and shallots.

Breton Far

This traditional delicious dessert is not to be missed. Normally with prunes the tart is filled with a rich, creamy custard .

Cidre Breton

To wash down this delicious food, the most traditional Breton drink, cider. Enjoyed from a ceramic bowl the drink is made from local apples is a great accompaniment to crepes.

Grand Parc des Legendes - Les Sentiers de Daims

2010-12-20T01:32:00.000-08:00

The "Grand Parc des Legendes - Les Sentiers des Daims" is a beautiful park located around 50 miles from La Cour. This enchanting park offers 33 hectares devoted to the king of the forest – the deer as well as myths, legends and magic. In the marvellous shady forest you will discover over 400 deer and animals as you follow the walks dedicated to the magic and mystery! A great day out throughout the year, at Christmas it offers a particularly magical visit. This Christmas there are scenes around the tale of the bears of Christmas where polar and brown bears are the heros, the three kings, the palace of Père Noël and a living nativity scene. A walk of magic and wishes, a treat for the whole family. There is also a "Spectacle" on several dates. No visit would be complete without a meeting Father Christmas when you can leave him your letter and Mum's and Dad's can take some photos!

Café de Pays

2010-11-20T04:53:00.000-08:00

The label "Café de Pays"

Our local tourist office introduced this label to the region in 2007. The label "Café de Pays" is recognised as a national seal of approval throughout France. The label represents a standard of excellence for the cafe and it's staff in offering local products and beverages, offering advice and information on local attractions and customs and holding cultural events sonominous to Brittany.

There is a Café de Pays "La Trinquette" in the neighbouring village of Avessac. Liliane Leblay is happy to welcome you in her café. She takes pride and pleasure in offering information about the heritage and the local activities in the village and the surroundings. She offers a selection of regional drinks offer including Tisquin (aperitif made from local apples), Breizh Cola, Apple juice and Muscatel both of which are from the local town of Guémené-Penfao and Kérisac Cider produced at nearby Guenrouët. Also available are a variety of snacks including plates of cooked local meats, and cheeses. Throughout the year there are jazz concerts and traditional local music events.

Artisanal Products

2010-11-07T02:25:00.001-08:00

Artisanal products and services in France are sought after and the artisans who create them are well-respected within the community. The range of artisans in France is enormous from bakers and builders to artists and gastromonists.

Each category of artisan is regulated by the autorities to ensure standards remain very high and every artisan is qualified within his or her profession. Our local artisans work with traditional medias such as stone, glass, basketry and furniture. Whether you buy a product from an artisan market or have a product individually commissioned the result is always the same...a beautifully crafted and unique product.

Markets

2010-10-14T03:44:00.000-07:00

The hustle and bustle of the local markets is a great way to shop and experience an important part of French culture - food! There is normally an enormous range of high quality local produce, including fruit, veg, seafood, bread and patisserie. It's very hard to resist the temptation to buy when the produce looks and smells so good! As well as food, the markets are normally a great place to find regional artisanal products and crafts.

There is a market every day of the week in the region plenty of opportunity to experience the sights and smells of France!

Swallows...time to fly south soon

2010-09-12T10:10:00.001-07:00

After watching the small flocks of swallows (les hirondelles) diving gracefully over our fields during our long, hot summer, they are now beginning to gather to start their migration south. Nearly time for their long trek to Africa, what amazing and beautiful birds. It's a hazardous journey for them......bon courage!

La Tour Duguesclin

2010-08-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

There are a great selection of restaurants and creperies in the area. For that extra special experience there is the restaurant a few kms away at Le Grand Fougeray called "La Tour Duguesclin". They offer not only a fantastic lunchtime menu from as little as 10 Euros for two courses plus coffee but also a wide array of other menus offering an array of beautiful produce.

Here is an example:

MENU BARON28 €

Mise en bouche
§§§§§
Terrine de foie gras de canard « du chef »

Eventail de saumon mariné aux épices doux

Gambas flambées au whisky
§§§§§
Côtelettes d´agneau à la provençale

Pavé de boeuf au poivre vert

lieu jaune en papillotte
§§§§§
Supplément fromage 3 €
§§§§§

Dessert ( au choix à la carte )

There is a huge terrace if you prefer to enjoy your meal "en plein air"!

Sunflowers

2010-08-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful few months of weather we have been enjoying, although the gardens could now desperately do with a drink! The fields surrounding La Cour are normally awash with maize, wheat or have been cut for hay this time of year, however, this year we have been treated to many fields of sunflowers.

Majestic and colourful they add yet more pleasure to the many beautiful walks that can be taken from the gites....

14th July

2010-07-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

The 14th July ....a great day in the calendar here in France! A national holiday since 1880, the date commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution when the Bastille was stormed on 14th July 1789.

Here in Brittany the day is well celebrated. There are parades, fetes, dancing and fireworks, in fact, the whole day is to be enjoyed. The local area around our gites in Brittany offers lots of events to celebrate the national holiday. This year, on the eve of the holiday there were fetes with a meal, dancing and firework displays in the local villages of Besle sur Vilaine and Guemene Penfao. On the 14th July, there are fetes held every year in adjoining villages when there is a meal, disco, live music and a great firework display - a really super evening for all the family.

Les Belles Nuits de Vilaine

2010-06-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

These events are unmissable!

Some of the most beautiful places in Brittany are the setting for these summer evening events. Each year our local cinema in Redon organise outdoor screening of a range of films. The evening also normally offers live music and plenty of eating and drinking. Some evenings this year are even being organised with a farmers market! At around 4,50 euros for the screening and 8 euros for a 3 course meal, the evenings offer great value.

For those who love ponys and horses...

2010-06-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are looking forward to some wonderful Fetes for pony and horse enthusiasts. In the neighbouring village of Avessac the whole of Sunday is devoted to discovering and exhibiting horses and ponys. Whilst in nearby Guemene Penfao the equestrian centre situated by the beautiful Chateau du Juzet is holding a Spectacle including rides and competitions. There is also a horse and pony racing fete taking place at Grand Fougeray just a few minutes further on. All these events are within 15 minutes or less of our gites, they offer a great family day out with lots of games, bouncy castles and entertainment for all ages.

Vintage Car Tour

2010-05-16T03:27:00.001-07:00

This year is the 30th year of the "Tour de Bretagne des véhicules anciens" or Vintage car tour of Brittany. From the 21st to 24th May there will be two itineries, one covering north Brittany and the other the south of the region, around which the cars will make a slow promenade (together with the costumed drivers and passengers) through some of the pretty communes in Brittany.

The tour will pass through several villages/towns close to our gites...Le Grand Fougeray, Sixt sur Aff, Rochefort en Terre and Malestroit.

These events always have a great convivial atmosphere and offer a taste of the gentler days of motoring.

Tupperware in France

2010-03-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the first time I have been to a "Tupperware " party in France. A neighbour invited around a dozen or so of us for an afternoon of cookery and lots of lively discussion over coffee and biscuits. A very similar format to the English ones I had been to in the past but obviously with cuisine à la française ! Demonstrated perfectly by the host and agent, they prepared and cooked "Lapin a la Hongraise"(looked very nice but as a vegetarian I gave the tasting a pass!) and Chocolate and Pear Muffins with a "Caramac" sauce which were absolutely delicious!

It was great fun discussing cooking techniques with friends and neighbours and there seemed to be a definite distaste for the microwave, most of them saying they only used the microwave for heating milk for their coffee!

2010-03-13T05:17:00.000-08:00

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The lake appears!

2010-03-02T03:26:00.001-08:00

La Cour overlooks the most beautiful natural floodplain. During most of the year this flat basin supports a diversity of flora and fauna and is a haven for walkers and cyclists alike.

When the wetter weather appears (normally January) the "marais" floods to varying degrees. At some point during the winter we are normally fortunate enough to experience a full lake between La Cour and the River Vilaine.

This flooding adds to the richness of this special area and provides an abundance of food for opportunists...normally birds! We see many locals on their boats for a spot of leisure time on the water and enjoy the visiting animals.

Once the floods recede the meadows flourish offering back the lush green pastures.

The Festive season

2009-12-30T06:44:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Season has once again been very enjoyable here in Brittany. Although it does seem to be changing slowly, in the rural areas the approach to the Christmas and the New Year season is very relaxed. There is no evidence of the panic of Christmas shopping. The shops are undoubtedly busier but on the 23rd December at 11am I was able to complete my Christmas shopping with little haste and with no sign of a queue at the checkout - very different from my experiences in M&S 2 days before Christmas! We love to explore the Christmas markets and see the different types of traditional foods on offer particularly, here in Brittany, the vast array of seafood.

New Year is very popular and is traditionally celebrated with a family get together and, of course, another sumptuous meal. Epiphany (6th January) is also very important and a time to enjoy the "Galette des Rois"! Similar to the British Christmas Pud tradition there is normally a coin or bean hidden in the cake and the person to find it gets to wear the crown!

There is one thing which is the same on both sides of the channel...Christmas is a time for friends, family and a little indulgence!

Time for gardening!

2009-10-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

October is a great time of year to have a really good sort out in the gardens and grounds around our gites.

Each of our gites has a large, private and enclosed garden and to keep these looking great during the summer it takes lots of preparation during the cooler months.

As well as a beautiful surrounding area, the charm of the 16th century buildings add to the overall effect.

We are lucky that the area in which the gites are located is naturally very beautiful and plants and trees thrive easily.

As well as enjoying the shade of the sun umbrellas, the trees often provide a welcome shady spot in which to sit and enjoy a book and a glass of wine!

The deck offers an appreciation of the gardens as well as the protected area of natural beauty surrounding La Cour.

Maintaining our Gites

2009-09-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

The inevitable time had come when we needed to repoint the exterior walls of the barns and cottages.

This was a task which needed to be well timed. We wanted to restore the pointing to it's original splendour which would mean using traditional mortar and tools. The stone needs to be able to breathe to allow evaporation and, therefore, it's important to use a lime mortar which does exactly that and is more flexible than a concrete mortar. It was, of course, a job to be done when we had no guests, perfect weather and plenty of time....it was never going to be easy. However, the weather in October and November really gave us the opportunity we needed. It was find and sunny and the temperatures were not going to fall beneath 4 degrees at night. This was just one of the tips we had been given by our great neighbours who are "Artichaux" or experts in working with stone and lime mortar. It was fantastic to have their immense knowledge on hand but a little offputting to know that they might perhaps have a good giggle at our efforts!

We had researched and discussed with our neighbours at length the different methods, mixes and finishes that we wanted. We didn't want the walls to be too dark or orange but equally we didn't want a dazzling display of which pointing either. With advice, we opted for a natural colour (we didn't use colourants) using a proportion of 1:4 we used naturel hydraulic lime and course sand. Having purchased a lot of lime and it seemed enough sand to create our own private beach we got to work.

We cleared all the old mortar from the cracks with trowels and chisels and gave the walls a good clean. We weren't really prepared for the length of the process of pointing...pushing the mortar with a trowel into every hole and crack wasn't going to be a quick job! The great thing about it was it was very rewarding when you finish a patch you really do get to appreciate the fruits of your efforts instantly. After the mortar had dried, we cleaned to stones with a wire brush and soft brushed away all the surplus mortar.

The end of October and November soon whizzed by and we had managed to achieve about half of the walls. The weather was becoming increasingly cooler and we couldn't risk the night time temperatures so we downtooled the pointing until the Spring. Thankfully Spring sprang early and by late February/early March we had finished.

It's amazing how much the appearance of the pointing has changed since we finished it. It has definitely grown a little darker and the stones have appeared predominant once more from the "weathering". The thing we love the most is that the appearance of the buildings change in each weather and light, it's almost as if the walls change with the weather...it's quite fascinating!

The end of the renovations to our gite in Brittany!

2009-07-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

So with the last few internal renovations completed and the decorating finished we just added the finishing touches to our gite in Brittany.

We wanted to keep a light and airy feel to the gite, offer contemporary family self-catering accommodation whilst maintaining the charm of the original barn. We kept all the colours neutral on the walls to blend with the stone and slate.

We had a big list of shopping to equip the gite and having already the 3 other gites we knew exactly what we needed!

A week or so later and completely shopped out the gite was ready. We were delighted with the final results, the layout works well for a family offering plenty of accommodation and a great space to spend time together as well as easy access to the private, enclosed garden.

For more information on this and our other gites please visit our website.

The front doors go in to our gite in Brittany

2009-07-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

As much of the interior of the gite was now in it's final phases of completion, we started to fit the huge front windows and door. We had wanted to keep the gite feeling bright and airy and also maintain the original character of the barn so we had opted to leave the opening at it's original size.

Once a frame had been built, we bought the doors and windows to slot into the frame. It was a job completed very carefully as ther are no second chances if you break the glass! Thankfully the doors and window measurements we had taken were accurate and everything slotted in relatively easily.

As we had laid a hefty concrete floor into the barn, the height of the floor of the gite was now a fair way up from ground level so we needed to add a step of some sort to enter the gite. We originally thought we would use railway sleepers to create two steps but this would have left us with problems keeping trying to evacuate rain water away from the wood to stop it rotting. We decided on solid timber deck steps on a frame which solved the water problem and also created a wider entrance.

We were really pleased with the outcome of the doorway and it definitely gives the gite a great sunny feel.

The kitchen gets fitted!!

2009-07-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

Once the ceramic floor was laid on the ground floor, we could really start to crack on with the fitting of the kitchen.

We had searched endlessly for a kitchen we liked. We wanted a neutral colour, modern but not ultra modern and would complement the stone and slate walls. We are lucky enough to have two IKEA stores within 50 kms of us and thankfully they offered just the kitchen.

We had collected the kitchen sometime in advance so it was just now a case of building the carcasses and fitting them. We had already spent many hours planning the kitchen layout in intricate detail (with the help of a good friend) to ensure the kitchen would be easy to work in and fit.

Plumbing and electrics now in place, the carcasses were slotted in but not without a few headaches. I suppose the chances of a 400-year-old barn have a perfect right angle in which to fit a kitchen unit were pretty slim! A few adjustments later and Voila! the kitchen units were in place.

Tiling, tiling, tiling!

2009-07-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

Many hours of tiling faced us We laid a self-levelling screed on the ground floor to finish it. We opted for a ceramic floor finish downstairs in a neutral colour. Deciding on a brick pattern finish we found our central starting point and got down to work.

Many, many hours later the floor was laid and we waited to be able to grout. We had seen, in the tile showroom, these tiles laid with a mid grey grout and it really seemed to set them off so we decided to do the same.

In the bathroom, although a lot less footage the tiling was much trickier with so many angles to get right! The walk in shower cubicle has a height of almost 2.5 metres so took a great deal of time. We opted again for a neutral colour which blended well with the timber beams. Pure white grouting and the bathroom really looked like a bathroom!

Lime mortar rendering

2009-07-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

The ground floor of the barn was to be kept as one large living space. It felt wonderfully light and airy due to the enormous openings and the 3 metre height of the ceilings.

We planned to plasterboard the kitchen area of the space to be able to tile, however, around the dining area and lounge we wanted to keep the original stonework exposed. This was fairly simple on two of the walls as they just needed a good clean and re-pointing with lime and sand mortar. The main wall had exposed stone at the bottom of the wall but a large part of it had been lime rendered many years ago. To maintain the original charm of the building, we decided to apply a lime render on this part of the wall.

Having worked with lime whilst pointing, we knew it wasn't the easiest substance to work with and could give you very sore hands if you didn't protect yourself properly. We used a 4 to 1 lime to sand mix and didn't need to colour the mix as it has a naturally wonderful hue from the sand. Obviously, when rendering speed is important to avoid joining lines so the whole wall was achieved in a day.

The beauty of lime mortar is it's natural finish and we were thrilled with the outcome of the finished wall.

Constructing the stud walls in our gite in Brittany

2009-07-07T00:43:00.000-07:00

Now that the solid wood floor was in place, we could begin to realise the rooms by constructing the stud walls. We opted for a steel structure which had been recommended to us as strong, sturdy and easy to use. In reality it was exactly that.

We had marked the floors with our room dimensions and placed the doorframes within the steel structure. Obviously with the height of the ceilings in places in needed plenty of support and the steel stud work offered the strength we needed.

Once all the frames were in place we thread through all of the electrics and plumbing required. Once that was all in place we started the arduous task of cutting and fitting the plasterboard. With there being no two angles the same, achieving a good fitting piece of plasterbaord was time consuming and at times very frustrating! Eventually though the walls took shape and we could begin bandaging and plastering the screw holes and joints.

A solid wood floor for the barn.

2009-07-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

With most of the plasterboard now in place on the first floor, we started on the floor.

We had chosen a solid wood floor in wider size boards. Having bought the flooring we left it uncovered upstairs in the barn for a few weeks to expand/contract in it's new environment before laying it.

Getting the tightest fit between boards but allowing room for expansion at the edges of the rooms we slowly laid the floor strip by strip. It was a time consuming task which we had thought would be much quicker to achieve. Once down, the floor made such a difference to the look of the first floor...it was starting to feel like a house!

2009-07-05T02:41:00.000-07:00

After much discussion about how high the ceilings should be on the first floor, we decided that in keeping with the barn we would make them as high as possible following the line of the roof.

It would have been easier to work to a lower height but we felt really strongly that we would maintain more character from the original building if we managed to feature as much of the original roof timbers as possible.

The starting point was ensuring we had adequate insulation against both the winter cold and summer heat as so much of the roof would become an integral part of the upstairs rooms. After much research, we used a multi layer thermo reflective foil. There are huge ranges of this type of insulation readily available in France. Initially developed for space travel, the insulation is lightweight, non-bulky and has a high level of performance. At only 30 mm wide it has the same insulating ability as 220mm of traditional insulation products.

Once the insulation was in place the arduous task of plasterboarding started!

Although this part of the development was time-consuming, we were really pleased was the finished outcome. The high ceilings and exposed timbers give a real sense of light and airiness to the rooms as well as maintaing the charm of the original roof.

A new door way for Wisteria Barn!

2009-07-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

The day had arrived when we had to attempt probably the most scariest part of the renovation...making a new doorway in the back slate and lime mortar wall.

After the normal measuring, calculating and preparing we tentatively removed several slates at the height for the lintel and placed the support boards and acrow supports through. Our neighbours are artisans who specialise in building slate walls and working with lime and they had given us lots of advice and support.

Once the supports were in place we positioned plumb lines for the vertical edges and removed more of the slate and stone. It was so interesting to see how the wall had originally been constructed with solid slate and stone on the outer parts of the wall and all the "rubble" stone that had been dropped into the cavities. It wasn't an easy job and, of course, removing the slate and stone in wheelbarrows was backbreaking work. Over two days we managed to make the hole the size we wanted and positioned the door frame.

Building back to the doorframe was quite time concuming as you are constantly seartching for the "perfect" size stone but eventually the stone work was in place and our new doorway was complete.

Stairs!

2009-06-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

Now the timbers were in place for the first floor, we needed a method of access!

The first problem we encountered was the height of the first floor. As we had opted to retain the original height of the first floor timbers we had a 3.2 metre height to contend with. We wanted to use a solid pinewood staircase that we had purchased but this would only rise to 2.7 metres.

As the staircase was a straight shape, we thought a couple of angles steps at the base to feed the stairs into the room would be a good option. We could then cover the steps with the same ceramic flooring that we were going to use on the ground floor to further blend in the transition of stairs to floor.

Building the staircase was fairly straightforward. The hardest part of the task was trying to manoeuvre the staircase into place. We wanted to try the stairs in place just to ensure the measurements we had calculated for the two final extra steps were correct. Trying to lift, hold, and measure with a very heavy staircase was not an enjoyable job!

Eventually, we confirmed our measurements and made a cast and poured concrete for the two bottom steps. Once dry, we made the final lift of the staircase into place. Not helped by the original timbers being at a strange angle to the wall it took us sometime to make small adjustments to ensure every step angle was correct.

Now we had the beams and stairs we needed a floor!

Replacing beams

2009-06-25T00:12:00.000-07:00

The beauty of working with an old building is being able to work with parts of it that were created by craftsmen years ago. The original solid oak beams that supported the first floor were luckily mostly in very good condition. The oak had aged beautifully and the solid original timbers are what enable the finished gite to retain it's original charm. Nonetheless, a couple of the beams were slightly damaged and, therefore, needed to be replaced.

We ordered replacement beams from a local timberyard and awaited their delivery. They arrived on a truck and were hoisted onto the courtyard for us. Now all we had to do was carry them and lift them 3 metres high into place!

On one side of the barn the wall had been constructed with a "ledge" of about a foot in which the beams sat. It was cleverly constrcuted and made a very solid base for the beams to sit. On the other wall the beams slotted into pre-constructed holes. This made the task much easier for us as we slotted the beam into the hole end and then swung it into place on the ledge. The big problem was the sheer weight of the timbers. With a clever hoisting system eventually they slotted in perfectly.

Lots of cement into the holes and ledge and our renovated first floor was born!

We then used a good insecticide to spray all the woodwork in the barn to ensure it remained free from woodworm and beetles.

A new concrete floor for our barn in Brittany

2009-06-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

Preparing the earth floor for it's new concrete covering was straightforward if a little time consuming. We were lucky in that we had little digging to do as the floor needed to be raised substantially.

We did need to remove a large chunk of concrete. Not for any other reason than that our neighbours (the same ones who told a candlestick was buried at the back of the house) informed us that there was a tunnel that existed joining La Cour to the old monastery in the village and that it was their believe that the entrance to the tunnel would have been in the barn and perhaps could have been covered by the concrete slab. Many hours later and despite expecting to excitedly uncover a buried hatchway that would lead to a tunnel of ancient treasures drilling the slab apart revealed nothing more than the occasional mousehole and more earth!!! We still sometimes think that perhaps these "legends" were passed to us by way of a form of entertainemnet for our neighbours so they could see how farthey could make the"crazy English people" go!!!

Next stage was a sand base for the waterproof lining and then the painstaking process of getting the timbers in place to get the levels right. Next in with the insulating layer.

Prepartions complete we headed to the local builders merchants to order our concrete. It was pretty worrying having to work out how many cubic tons we would require....too little and the floor would not be completed and too much and where do you put it as the driver has to empty the full contents!

Checked, double-checked and triple-checked we went armed weith our calculations and ordered the concrete mix for the following week. We also ordered a vehicule with an extending arm. As the barn still had the very large opening, we knew we would be able to allow clearance for the arm to swing in and offload the concrete a good way back into the barn. When you have been raking concrete for half an hour you thank your luck for this big help!

The lorry arrived at 7.30am and together with a few of our friends and thankfully willing helpers we started the process of raking and shovelling the concrete into place ready for the levelling. The offloading was really quick and efficient and thankfully our calculations must have been pretty good as we only ended up with a little extra that we soon found a use for!

A couple of hours later and the concrete was levelled and started to dry. We left it a further few hours (whilst our helpers went and had a siesta!) and later removed the timbers, filled the gaps and completed a final levelling. All finished by about 6pm....time for drinks and a well-desrved dinner for our friends!

Underground pipework for our cottage in Brittany

2009-06-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

Having now managed to replace the roof, the next step was to add a floor.

Before we could lay a floor of concrete we needed to lay the first of the plumbing and waste pipes.

We managed to find (with the help of the previous owner) the main waste pipes running past the back of the barn. We would need to dig a trench for the pipe to run from the barn deep enough to allow for the slope required to evacuate waste efficiently.

The weather, in this instance, wasn't on our side and we found ourselves working in wet, slippery mud for many hours to achieve the trench.

Once the trench was in place our job was to find a route from inside the barn to the outside to make to connection. To find a route through the wall, being over 2ft in depth, and being able to achieve the required slope meant tunneling through it was not an option. After many discussions, it was decided that burrowing beneath the wall either side was the most efficient method. This, obviously, is only an option when a foundation does not exist!!!

With all the underground pipework in place we started to prepare the earth floor for a new chapter!

Replacing the roof on our gite in Brittany

2009-06-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough that the main timbers of the existing roof were very sound. So the replacement of the roof meant we only needed to replace the batons and the slates.

The hardest part was stripping all the existing slates and batons from the roof. We made great use of the old slates creating a path for our goats to walk in the field!

Never being one for heights, Tony was the labourer on the roof! As I could only just about climb the first half of the ladder without my legs going to jelly he had to climb with every strip of wood and pack of slates to get the job finished!

We were also trying to get the job finished before the bad weather set in. We started in the October which is normally dry and still fairly warm but we knew by mid November it was likely to be a lot colder and the chance of heavy rain was high.

We were blessed with amazing weather (although October is always such a beautiful month here in Brittany) and the new roof was on and finished within a couple of weeks!!

The first steps in developing Wisteria Barn, the newst of our gites in Brittany

2009-06-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Our first step was to remove a large embankment which leaned against the back of the barn...

When we first embarked on the removal of the bank, our neighbours told us that there existed local stories that a beautiful candlestick had once been buried in the mound!

The mound had a hazelnut tree which had grown over the years to become a fairly large tree. We really wanted to try and keep the tree although we knew it would need to be scaled down to allow light to the back of the building and also to remove some of the dead branches.

We started by digging up all the plants growing on the mound and transplanted them to other parts of the garden. Then we decided to dig around the hazelnut tree as much as we could before making a final decision on how to tackle the tree.

We were very lucky that we had inherited an old digger when we bought the gites. The digger was still in working order so with a little bit of training we managed to utilise the tractor to clear a lot of the earth. Unfortunately, when the ground became too wet for the tractor to cross our field the only way to remove the soil was a wheelbarrow - very hard work but great exercise!

We eventually cleared all of the bank leaving the bulk of the tree roots intact. We cut the tree quite harshly hoping that it would re-emerge it spendour! To finish, we constructed a circular slate wall to encompass the tree and it's roots.

Wisteria Barn now has a well planted patio area together with a large garden, BBQ and garden furniture.

So stage 1 complete the back of the barn was clear. Next step new roof!!!

Whether to develop another gite.

2009-06-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

During our first year at La Cour we began to think of the opportunities that developing the "old barn" would bring. The barn was used a workshop storeroom but was the most beautiful space that we considered had the potential to be an amazing house. This would be the start of Wisteria Barn.

The barn (as with other buildings at La Cour) dated from the 16th century and was constructed of slate, stone and lime mortar. The walls and structure of the barn were intact but the roof needed to be replaced.

Once we made the decision that we wanted the challenge of developing the first hurdle was to obtain all the permissions necessary. It took a fair amount of research and several visits to the Mairie (town hall) and then we were armed with all the forms and information we needed. We now needed to make decsions on the layout of the interior to be able to submit plans accordingly. We wanted to create a home which offered all the modern conveniences for self catering gite holidays but didn't lose the charm and history of it's former use.

The barn was a large space with huge door to the front. We felt strongly that we wanted to maintain the large opening to the front in order not to lose the identity of it being a former barn and also it would enable the space to feel light and airy. At the rear, we wanted to create another large double door opening onto the garden. There was already a magnificent fireplace that we wanted to become the centrepiece of the main room. The main room downstairs we felt would work really well as an open space offering living, dining and kitchen areas and benefitting from being a social place for families to spend time. The first floor lent itself to having three bedrooms and a bathroom.

After many different versions and drafts we finally submitted our plans to the Mairie along with many other required documents and waited with baited breath! Not long after we received a letter requesting a little more information on dimensions and landscaping which was simple to produce. A little less than 2 weeks later and Voila! we had our permissions. We were over the moon and so excited that we could at last start.

Where to start?.....that was the next question!

The first guests arrive to our gites in Brittany

2009-06-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

With the website launched, we now waited with baited breath for our first enquiries...would we get any?

We had both had jobs in the UK that required us to make decisions with thousands, if not millions of pounds at stake which to us had become a daily part of life. I cannot begin to express to you how excited we both were when we took our first booking for a few hundred pounds!!! It almost felt like we had won the lottery! I think for us it was the first real appreciation of how rewarding running your own business could be.

The bookings continued to arrive and we began to look forward to being able to welcome our first guests to La Cour.

Our first guests were a couple (having booked with the previous owners) who had enjoyed holidays each year in the gites for the previous 10 years! It was great that they obviously knew La Cour well (probably better than us at this point!) but we worried that our hospitality would match up to the previous owners! They stayed in Walnut Cottage at Easter that year and we waited anxiously for any feedback at the end of their holiday. Thankfully they told us that they felt we had taken over and continued the gites as the previous owners had left it and they had had a wonderful week as always. They have continued to return to Walnut Cottage each year since and have become great friends.

The rest of that first summer raced by. We loved then, and continue to now, welcoming people from all walks of life to the gites. It's a great feeling when you know that your guests have really enjoyed their holiday and go home feeling relaxed and rested with some great memories and it's a feeling you never become tired of.

Launching our gites in Brittany website

2009-06-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

Now the hard work really began! There were several decorating jobs we wanted to achieve and basically put our "own stamp" on the gites.

We also needed to really knuckle down to get the marketing ready for that year and the future. The previous owners didn't have their own website and we knew that in today's age it was a must. Neither of us had any experience or knowledge of websites and, therefore, not having the funds to employ a website designer we bought a book and built our own. Having spent many hours ourselves searching the internet for places to stay we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve from our website. Clear, concise information presented in a manner that was easy to use and didn't over complicate the matter. We wanted an index page that gave all the general detail and with further pages for Walnut and Jasmine Cottages and a page for Valley View Barn (Wisteria Barn at this point was just a barn!!).

The cottages and the barn hadn't really been named when we bought La Cour they were referred to as Cottage 1, Cottage 2 and La Grange (the barn). Naming them was straightforward as Cottage 1 nestles next to a walnut tree and Cottage 2 has a beautiful Jasmine growing next to it. The barn has the most beautiful views across the private garden and valley of the river Vilaine and therefore was named accordingly as Valley View Barn.

We launched the website in March 2005 and were pleased with the result. We've had some good feedback from guests that the site is easy to use. It has developed over the years and as we have learnt more about the information people want to see we have updated it.....of course, we are always though open to any further feedback!!!

Buying our gites in Brittany

2009-06-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

During December 2004, we loaded our worldly belongings into a rental van and made our way back to Brittany. When we arrived at La Cour it really did start to feel like home, despite the fact we didn't even own it yet!

The owners were away (we did have permission to stay!) so we unpacked our belongings and stored them in one of the cottages and spent the rest of our stay just pondering what our life would soon be like. We left again the following day and were both so excited and couldn't wait to arrive and be able to stay for good.

Our last month or so in the UK was pretty frantic, very busy at work trying to finish and handover, Christmas and starting to work on the marketing of our gites. Before we knew it, Christmas and New Year had passed and we were only a few days from the "big move".

The few "last things" that we thought would easily fit into our car became a rather large pile which seem to grow ever bigger by the day! At last though the day finally arrived and we bid a very sad farewell to our families. I had taken a bottle of champagne onto the ferry (Plymouth to Roscoff) for us to toast our new life on deck. However, the sight of seeing my family with a big banner reading "Good Luck Maria and Tony" hanging off Plymouth Hoe as we set sail was enough to make sure I sipped my champagne whilst crying my heart out!! A very strange set of emotions indeed!

We arrived back at La Cour in early January. Our completion date was set for 14th January 2005, however, a few paperwork problems meant we didn't take ownership until 17th February 2005. We spent that month living in Walnut Cottage thanks to the hospitality of the previous owners who made us feel very welcome whilst we all waited for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn.

Walnut Cottage (2 bedrooms, sleeps 4)

It was a strange month...it gave us plenty of opportunity to think of the reality of what we were doing and very many sleepless nights ensued! The security of a paycheque at the end of each month had gone. Would we make enough money to be able to live? Would we have any bookings???? The worries were endless, however, the peace, tranquility and real sanctuary of living in rural Brittany made all the worrying worthwhile, we just had to keep reminding ourselves of what we were hoping we could achieve.

Eventually the 17th February 2005 arrived and we all made our way to the Notaire's office. Two and a half hours of signing and dating later and we'd done it, La Cour was ours!!!

Buying our gites in Brittany

2009-06-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Having found our dream home and business, we now set about the buying process. Although the many books we had read made the process sound a little complicated, in fact, it was very straightforward.

We visited Brittany in November 2004 to meet with the estate agent who was handling the purchase of the next home for the previous owners of La Cour. He was so supportive and we have continued to remain in contact with him to this day. As he spoke fluent English and our French was still fairly basic at this point he agreed to help with all the translation work for our purchase as well.

We met in his office in Blain, Brittany on a November morning where he arrived some 15 minutes late. We all wondered why he promptly showed us his shoes (which were quite beautiful shoes). He then explained that his reason for being late was because he could not find any socks at home and, indeed he was showing us his bare feet beneath the beautiful shoes! He scurried off into his office from where he appeared a few minutes later donning some socks.

Blain is a small town about 20 minutes from La Cour. It has the most beautiful chateau, quaint town centre and is situated on the River Isac.

Each year during September, a Medieval Festival is held in the grounds of the Chateau where people dress in medieval costume, there is jousting, archery, market stalls and great food!

We spent 2 1/2 hours with him compiling the initial contracts for both ours and the previous owners of La Cour's purchase. The intial contact or compromis de vente is a legally binding document within which is detailed all the information about the buyers/sellers, the price, the property, finance and completion date.

Now having the contact compiled we all headed to the Notaire's office in the next town. Another hour in an office, a few more questions and voila! the contract was complete and the completion date set for early January.

The timing for us was perfect. We were both to leave our jobs on 31st December 2004, the contract on our rental property expired in mid January 2005 and everything else was in place.
The previous owners suggested we perhaps move out some of our larger belongings in December so that we could hire a van from the UK and return it and then we could just bring the last of our belongings when we travelled out in January in the car. They were so accommodating and offered us the use of one of the cottages to store everything in. All we now needed to do was get back to the UK and tie up all the loose ends and do the final packing!!

Choosing to run Gites in Brittany

2009-06-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

Having made our decision that we loved Brittany, France and all it had to offer we then researched how we would be able to earn a living. Our plan had always been to offer perhaps chambres d’hôtes or cycling holidays. Looking into both of these areas there were reasons why they did not seem feasible to be able to earn a living from.

Then by chance, my Mum was chatting to a colleague she worked with and was explaining how we were looking to move to Brittany and start a new life. The colleague happened to know a couple who, whilst they had not put their gites on the market, were considering retiring in the near future. We were passed their contact details and that's when our lives really started to change!!!

We came to Brittany to meet the owners and look at the gites. We were overwhelmed, it was everything we had been searching for, 3 pretty gites and beautiful grounds of around two and a half acres. The gites are situated in a tiny hamlet called Paimbu near (1km away) the village of Masserac right on the border of Brittany and the Loire Atlantique. The hamlet is in an area which is protected (similar to the UK "area of outstanding natural beauty) as it nestles next to the "Marais de Vilaine" and is in an area called "Le Pays des Trois Rivières". "Marais" is the term for wetlands and the "Trois rivieres" refer to the fact that three rivers meet in the area. The marais becomes a beautiful lake on our dorrstep during winter months (see photo). I will share many more details about the Marais and the area in posts to come.

The owners explained how life had been for them after renovating the cottages/barns and running the gites for 10 years. They loved the lifestyle and the business but felt it was time to slowdown a little and take things a bit easier. It was perfect! How strange life can be...we had searched, researched and travelled for years to find our perfect home and business and eventually it actually came to us, we always say now that it was "meant to be"!

We rushed back to the UK, sold the house and belongings, resigned from our jobs and moved into rented accommodation in the UK whilst waiting for the sale to proceed. That all sounded easy...it wasn't! Whilst it's very easy to talk about following your dreams, when it comes to actually giving up your well-paid job and selling the house you have worked on for the previous 10 years it becomes a lot harder as the stark reality of what you have to give up suddenly becomes apparent. Needless to say, the emotional ties to your family and friends are always the hardest to cope with (even though we knew we would probably see more of them in France than we did in th UK!) and to this day we still miss them very much. Somehow though, we kept thinking about how our life could be if we could make the move a success and that's what kept us going!

Next hurdle to overcome was the French bureaucracy to buy the gites in Brittany...

Why Brittany?

2009-06-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

So how did we come to start our gites in Brittany??

I intend to tell you all about the series of events that led to us living here in a beautiful area of North Western France. Interspersed with the events of the last 5 years since this became our home, I also will share with you what life is like for us living in France, French customs and culture and, of course, the beauty and nature that surrounds us here in Paimbu.

The story began some time early in 2000 when both my husband and I decided that we would love the opportunity to live and work abroad. As neither of our jobs offered such opportunities we decided we would need to make it happen.

So how did we choose France?

Well, it wasn’t straightforward. We had decided we wanted to live somewhere with a slightly better climate than the southwest of England, which had for most of our lives been our home. We also wanted to live in a place that wasn’t all about commercialism. We had both worked in the commercial/retail sector for many years and had become dismayed about how many decisions were based purely on financial terms and rarely about family/human commitments. These factors together with a delight of learning about other cultures and ways of life drove us to start a search for a different lifestyle abroad.

As ambitious as we were, we didn’t have the courage to leave Europe and had always loved Spain. Not the Costas or the south coast, we loved the north of Spain and also inland around the Las Alpujarras mountains. Our search started in Spain and lasted for 4 years!! We never did find the right opportunity for both a lifestyle and a business and within that time the property prices in Spain had risen dramatically and made it less attainable within our budget. With regret, we gave up on finding anything suitable. By this time, we had spent every holiday property hunting and felt exhausted and disappointed that we couldn’t make it work. We treated ourselves to a holiday in a rural gite in the French countryside and that was it, we were smitten!

We had previously visited France but had only been to Paris and had never explored outside of the capital. We quickly realised that France offered everything we had searched for in Spain and so much more. After that holiday, we spent another year researching and visiting all the regions in France we felt would suit us and Voila!!! we found Brittany and fell in love!

Why Brittany?

Simply put, it is so beautiful and the Bretons have a relaxed approach to life. It has the most amazing countryside that changes every 30 kms, coastline, rivers, beaches and lakes all with a great climate. That aside we love the sense of family that is still so strong here, traditional family values, the legends and folklores, the mixture of both French and Breton cultures and of course, the delicious foods and superb wines on offer!!

So we had decided where we wanted to live now we just had to find a home and a business in Brittany....more to follow....

Our gites in Brittany

2009-06-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is my new blog all about my life in Brittany, France and running a gite complex.