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Old French Farmstead -
simply beautiful.
"Again,
can I say that I had the MOST RELAXED holiday ever and wow what a place you've got. If
possible we would like to make a booking for next year."
- Paul & Helen (Edenfield)
This
Old Farmstead
became a family home and gardens originally renovated with the visits of
friends and relatives in mind.
What we have is a tree
lined drive with lavender borders, extensive, wooded walled
gardens, nearly a hectare of park land and play ground,
with wonderful old stone buildings scattered around - restoration
with imagination and style.
The Farmstead is at the end of an 100+ meters (over 300 feet) long driveway (chemin), which is off a quiet country lane, 2 kilometers
(1¼ miles) south of the village of
Gemozac, in the Charente-Maritime department, of the Poitou-Charente Region, of South West France.
It is Genuinely within easy driving distance to superb beaches at the mouth of the Gironde and on
the Atlantic coast - convenient to Saintes, Royan, St Emilion, Bordeaux, Cognac, Arcachon and La Rochelle.
The Maison, originally a farmhouse, is said to be the oldest building in our tiny hamlet. It is a
classic old French farm house, stone built and simple, with fine elegant windows and doors. Sleeps
up to 8. Ensuite bathrooms with all the bedrooms and
the mezzanine. 2 tubs; 2 showers.
One bedroom suite
is on the ground
floor. Fully equipped kitchen. Balcony. Private terrace.
The Longhouse:
2 stories. Sleeps up to 6. 2 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Tub. Shower. Also, a
vestiaire. Large salle de commune
living room of about 75 sq metres (750 sq ft). Its north wall is nearly all glass, including two "French doors" leading onto the veranda
and a panoramic view of the gardens, vineyards and sunflower quilted fields. Well suited for
outdoor dining and socialising, the wide, private, elevated terrace also overlooks the swimming pool.
The Source:
romantic rooms that look
out onto the well and the "English" park; a large bedroom and ensuite bathroom.
Luxurious shower. Bathtub. Kitchen, dining and sitting room
with vestiaire downstairs. Ideal for a couple, the elegant Source is "friendly" and it can be inspirational; finish your reading or write that novel, or script, or,
if you must, that business plan (or campaign).
The Dovecote:
secluded, single story; our new cottage.
Two bedrooms, both with ensuite bathrooms. Tub. Shower. Fully equipped kitchen.
Beautiful Italian ceramic tiles, scatter rugs throughout. The living room's glass wall, with
French doors, opens onto a private terrace under the canopy of the mature Lime
(Linden, Tilia, Tilleul) tree.
Views of the swimming pool, gardens, and fields beyond. Sleeps up to 4.
The
Atelier:
Two
story gîte with 50 sq metres (500 sq feet) living room; fully equipped kitchen and large
balcony overlooking the swimming pool, gardens and countryside. Two bedrooms each with ensuite bathroom.
Tub and shower, and vestiaire next to the livingroom. Bedrooms on the ground floor stay cool and comfortable even on the warmest summer days.
Throughout are exposed stone walls and beams, Provence style ceramic tiles and rugs on the
floor. Sleeps up to 5.
Throughout
Satellite TV & Internet Connection
Broadband & wireless
The Swimming
Pool
The Polynesian Pool
is a 15 metres x 15 metres fully fenced in swimming pool with
generous sunbathing space on its wide, surrounding
tiled terrace, and a "beach", and "Wildcat Island".
Bicycles
We have
bicycles for the use of visitors; about a dozen assorted shapes and sizes in our bike-pool.
Media
CD and DVD
player and monitor for movies. Don't forget to bring that "must catch up
on" stack" of DVDs, CDs - and books. To access your essential e-mails, there is an internet connection on
site and an "Internet Cafe" in the village 5 minutes away.
Household
Equipment
Refrigerator-freezers, dishwashers, gas cooking
stoves with ovens, microwave ovens, and clothes washing machines. Utensils, cutlery and crockery,
etc. A Weber or equivalent Barbeque for each house. There are clothes drying facilities. Also, bed and bath linen,
at no extra charge, on request. All sufficient for a short-term occupancy
and an uncomplicated self-catered holiday. Of course, if you forget to pack your cannot-do-without
personally essential casserole or cooking utensil, or miss your favourite colour of
linen or fluffy white towel, teddy bear or toy, the local shops and super markets are well stocked and
reasonable.
Heating
All our houses are furnished with efficient modern wood burning stoves with glass viewing windows.
If you are unfamiliar with using log burning stoves or lighting fireplaces, help is at hand.
With our fireplaces and a few occasionally deployed electric background heaters, we are in
accord with the environmental policy of the French gov't on heating, namely that the renewable resource
of coppicing trees, and of planting and harvesting woods, comes as close to carbon neutrality
as one can get. Logs are supplied to guests, gratis.
Where
in France?
Our nearest village of Gémozac, with
supermarkets, a weekly street market, 3 bakery/patisseries, 2 chemists, doctors, dentist, etc., is just
5 minutes away. It's an easy bicycling distance for fetching the morning's fresh croissant.
Sandy beaches go from our "local" Meschers-sur-Gironde and Saint-Georges-de-Didonne (20 minutes), and continue on and
on, both south and north of Royan. Our nearest town is Saintes(20 min) - one of the world's beautiful small cities.
We are situated close to Jonzac (25 min), Royan(30 min), Cognac(40 min), La Palmyre(40 min), La
Rochelle(60 min),
Bordeaux(60 min) and Arcachon(90min).
Access
It is
easy to get here: Flights to La Rochelle, Bordeaux or the more distant Limoges from many
countries. From the North by car, A10 autoroute south to exit 36, you're less than 10 minutes
away. From the UK by car and ferry or tunnel: St Malo about 450 kilometres, péages €17;
Caen 550km €30; Le Havre 640km €30; Paris 500km €40; Calais 790km €60; good highways,
remarkably uncrowded out of season.
[I used routier mappy dot com]
Private airfields include Saintes, 15min away. And, there is a wire and tree free field next
door if you're thinking of coming by helicopter.
Charente-Maritime
(even
the name sounds good)
Big sky country; gently
undulating, rural, sparsely populated, well wooded and coppiced and astonishingly
well stocked with classic birds of prey. Charente-Maritime on the Atlantic Coast is a seaside
department of Poitou-Charente; it is also great walking country and
superb for cycling and horse riding.
Stress-free region; little
traffic, almost no crime - no pressure. Even buzzzz bikes are rare. In the high season it is still possible to find un-crowded roads.
Our summers
are glorious, usually dry and sunny. Wonderful
Septembers and Octobers, even into Novembers. April, May and June - just beautiful. Christmas and
New Year - crystal clear days, log fires when wanted, and good restaurants
nearby.
Here on the Atlantic coast, the months of September and October are our personal favourites. Weather
is settled, warm and sunny. Beaches are nearly empty and even the main roads are
traffic-free.
Beaches, Sports and
Pastimes
There are
marvelous beaches locally, or
towards and beyond La Rochelle. South from Royan to the great sand dune
of Arcachon, there is about a 100km of perfect silver sand. Water sports of all kinds, include
surfing, sailing and boating schools. Sea, river and lake fishing.
18 hole golf courses,
riding
stables, tennis, karting, motocross and all-wheel drive eventing is in the
area. Horse racing and trotting, rugby, of course, and soccer at
local and national levels. Other pastimes include bird watching, flying
kites (superb) and flying machines including micro-lites, etc. - closest
airfield field, 15km.
Day trips
La Palmyre - one of Europe’s
most innovative zoos.
La Rochelle - Yacht harbours and a very special Aquarium.
Royan - seaside promenade and a superb orchid house, boat rides and water sports.
Poitiers - Futuroscope theme park is not
too far away.
Toulouse - an unexpectedly grand and
interesting city. At Cite de
l’espace you can walk
through the Mir Space Station and rub shoulders with an "Ariane 5"
space rocket.
Wines and food
We are situated in a triangle with Cognac
and Bordeaux; distilleries and wineries abound and are fascinating to visit. The Charentaise wines, drunk
locally, hold up well against their more illustrious neighbours. Oysters,
sold on the steps of the churches on Sunday mornings, are sweet, superb
and cheap. The general standard
of coquillage and other sea food is exceptional.
History
Saintes, once the capital of the Roman
province of Gaul - amphitheatre, a triumphal arch, etc.
Territory of Eleanor of Aquitaine,
mother of Richard the Lion Heart and “bad” King John, and, “by the
wrath of God, Queen of England” when she had divorced the French King,
Louis VII, to marry Henry II,
King of England.
As part of Europe's Celtic fringe, southwest France was home to the Arcadians
who, like the Scots and the Irish, were "encouraged" to emigrate, often forcibly, to
The New World, giving their name to the Cajuns and to Canada.
Classic Romanesque facades built onto Charente-Maritime farmhouses testify to profits made
from shipping (smuggling more likely) millions of bottles of claret and
cognac to England’s south coast over several centuries.
Uniquely
We are
already unique in using the first ever, fully operational, autonomous,
solar powered, practical utility vehicles - come see them at work.
Rates
Schedule,
General Terms & Conditions
(click for details)
Please
contact
us for details and availability.
The driveway and the
garden
we call the "English Park", in January
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"My own Ute"-totally
solar charged
Cute Quad -
totally solar charged
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