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The house & surroundings
Our Holiday home is has one large bedroom with an extremely comfortable king size bed complete with dual control electric blanket and great views over the surrounding countryside. It is ideally located for the circuit and 18 hole golf course of Magny-Cours which is only 30 minutes away, and other local attractions.
We have converted this gite from part of a barn, retaining all the original features and as far as possible using traditional materials. It is set in 2 hectares (5 acres) of meadow with only the owners on the same site.
The accommodation comprises a large open plan living room with a corner kitchen and fireplace. The kitchen is fitted with a dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerator, microwave, plenty of cupboard space and of course gaz oven and gas hobs with extractor fan. Upstairs there is one enormous bedroom with large windows and a balconette. The bathroom and toilet is ensuite. There are beams everywhere but plenty of headroom even for tall people.
Outside there is a private terrace with a barbecue. The terrace faces west and gets the sun all afternoon and evening and provides superb views of the sunsets. There are also lots of other areas you can sit, which catch the full sun in the morning, so you can have your breakfast al fresco. If it too hot to sit in the sun there are plenty of shaded areas as well.
There is a large pond well stocked with local grey and red carp, frogs and other wild life. The fish are very entertaining when fed with stale bread. There is also a large area of grass for playing games, and a large covered area. You can amuse yourselves with boules (pétanque) in the gravelled courtyard or even in the covered area if you should be unlucky enough to get some rain during your stay. You can play darts in the barn and adult size bicycles are provided free of charge with a choice of road or cross country. We also have a table tennis table that can be used outdoors or in the barn, and there is a 180 yard golf driving range in the grounds - please bring your own clubs and balls.
Our Location
The surrounding countryside is typical Bourbonais bocage – small meadows with hedgerows, woodland and forest with rivers and lakes. This is a wonderful location for walking, cycling, riding, fishing, canoeing, fishing, tennis bird watching. We can arrange canoeing trips on the Allier River for a charge of 25€ for one canoe (2 people). We drop you with the canoes in Le Veurdre on the banks of the Allier and you drift down stream to Apremont, one of the most beautiful villages in France about 20kms away. Aprement also has an excellent brasserie which does a fixed price menu at mid-day.
There are several large lakes with sandy beaches in the area for swimming, sailing and windsurfing. These include the well-known nautical centre of the Etang de Goule.
There are two 18 hole golf courses within 30 and 45 minutes and the stunning courses of Les Volcans, Les Dryads and Sancerre (also famous for its wine) are only 1 hour 30 minutes away. Tennis courts are available in several local villages and there are numerous other activities both sporting and cultural in the area. Every village has a ‘brocante’ or ‘vide grenier’ at some time during the spring and summer. These comprise lots of stalls selling anything from antique furniture, old books, old tools, food and wine to absolute junk. There are also two local medieval festivals, one in the moated chateau of Bannagon, the other, which lasts a whole week in the small medieval town of Souvigny. There are numerous museums, chateaux, gardens, churches, markets, cultural events, interesting villages and small towns to visit as well as some stunning countryside.
There are also many musical and theatrical events including the famous Footsbarn theatre in Hérisson and the Son et Lumière in the ruined chateau of the lovely spa town of Bourbon l’Archambault which is only 16 kms from here. There are also some excellent and inexpensive restaurants locally. There is the Burgundy vineyard of Le Rioussat just across the Allier River which produces some excellent red Pinot Noir, Gamay and white Chardonnay wines and the newly awarded aoc of St Pourçain sur Sioule.
If you are fit and like cycling you can come by train. We will pick you up at the nearest train station, take you shopping, deliver you to the cottage and take you back to the station on departure. The nearest shops are only 7 kms.
House hunting?
We are excellently placed if you are considering purchasing a house in France and we can introduce you to a local English speaking Estate Agent and give you advice on purchasing and renovating houses in France from our own lengthy experience.
There is no telephone line in the house but we can provide WiFi Internet access free of charge. You may also make calls to most countries in the world free of charge.
Terms
Terms: 25% deposit on booking. The balance to be paid 6 weeks before the start of your stay. A deposit of 50€ and the final cleaning charge of 30€ must be paid when you arrive.
The gite will be available from 4.0 pm on the first day of your stay and must be vacated by 10.0 am on the day of departure. We may be able to vary these times by arrangement. We may be able to provide shorter or longer lets by arrangement subject to availability. Our aim is to be as flexible as possible and to make your stay an enjoyable one.
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