all the information you need to reassure you that your precious family holiday matters a lot to us.     By listing all we provide, you will know how much you need to take from home and your car will be a lot more comfortable to travel in, not to forget having space for those incredibly reasonable wine boxes to take home.     By providing everything apart from food, drinks and personal toiletries, you know you can arrive and relax, have a cuppa (we provide a starter tea/coffee/sugar supply) and recharge your batteries before heading out to the supermarket and if it helps I am more than happy to do a shop for you so it’s all in the fridge waiting for you. 

The family page will be updated every time we add anything and soon there will be another of Ian’s pallet creations to unveil.  I am sure it will be a resounding sucess for children of all ages but at the moment I am sworn to secrecy so watch this space towards the end of March for the reveal.    I am also going to be buying a sand/water play container but haven’t found one I really like yet, if you have any recommendations or tips on what to look for, I would be delighted to hear from you.   

We also included a listing of places your children will have a great time visiting based on personal experience or previous guest recommendations.   

Please do visit our new page and give us your valuable opinion, comments, advise as we really do value them and it helps us provide you with the best service possible.    To read other family’s comments on their holiday experience with us visit our guest’s page  or check out the guest gallery.    Happy holidays!

 it’s 12 metres tall, 8 metres wide and to see is to fall in love quite forgetting that it’s made of 45 tons of wood & steel.   One bat of those long eyelashes and you are smitten, if you are there early enough it will even take you for a ride on its back and if you happen to be a spectator on one of its strolls, you might get a squirt from its trunk.      Not to be missed is the grand opening of the Marine Life Carrousel on the 15 July this year when all sort of fantastical creatures will be keeping the elephant company and delighting visitors.    As part of the exhibition, I also recommend seeing the workshop as these creations are made of wood and metal alone, no fancy electronics, microchips or other gadgets.  They are a magical mix of winches, pulleys and cogs, so it is wonderful to see them taking shape under the craftsmanship of the artisans.  The museum is also highly recommended as an insight into the stages of making the elephant and what is yet to come. 

A visit to Nantes wouldn’t be complete without seeing the newly restored Chateau des ducs de Bretagne, this castle is free to enter and a delight to explore its nooks, crannies and ramparts.  It also houses one of the best (in my opinion) museums which is so hands on and child friendly it can easily take 2 to 3 hours to visit.  A real must-see.   Also on the list is the Lu Tower, originally built in 1909 by the biscuit company LU it’s now open to the public for great views over the city on its revolving ‘gyrorama’ and is home to a café and arts centre.   Of the same period but on the other end of the opulance scale is the magnificent 1900 Art Nouveau ‘Cigale Brasserie’, well worth paying over the odds for a cuppa in there. 

Nantes holds many more delights, The Jardin des Plants, the river Erdre boat trips, the little train tours for young and young at heart, the recently renovated banana warehouses to the right of the elephant’s domain which are now  home to bars, cafés, restaurants and boutiques,  the vibrant shopping district, many and varied restaurants and the best bit is that you can park in one of the many free car parks on the outskirts and get a tram or bus to the heart of the city, how stressfree is that?  In April Nantes hosts a wonderful carnival and at the end of August there’s on of the best free music festivals I’ve ever experienced; Les Rendez-Vous de L’Erdre .

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All this is just 30 minutes away from us  so what are you waiting for, contact us for a booking and come and enjoy yourself.  For a more detailed read about the city of Nantes click here and to find out more about what’s on in 2012 visit the Nantes tourist Board website

My number 11 is also one of favourite places,  Guerande.  This lovely walled town is believed to have started its existence as a parish built by the prince of Vannes, Waroc’h, around 848ad.  The walls were then added as fortification around the 2nd Century.    After the destruction inflicted by Charles de Blois  on Guerande during many conflicts, in 1347 Jean de Montfort started work on improving the fortifications.  The work continued for 100 years until inauguration in 1488 and are the ones you can see today.   At 1434m in length, with 4 gateways: St Michael to the east, Vannetaise to the north, Bizienne to the west and Saillé to the south, the town is a fascinating place to explore, steeped in history, cobbled streets & alleys, abundance of small craft, art & food outlets as well as lovely restaurants.   You really feel on holiday sitting outside one of the creperies around the church listening to the street musicians that regularly play once the weather warms up.    The area is also famous for the salt flats which are still harvested in the traditional way providing one of the best salts in the world.   Read about the salt here .

Croisic is number 12, this lovely fishing village is perched on the tip of the Cote Sauvage, charming and picturesque with a still active fishing trade , it’s a great place, and it also has a superb Aquarium that’s well worth a visit.   Travelling down the cote sauvage with fantastic scenery, rocky coves, sandy areas and a truly wild personality you suddenly come to what must be one of the best beaches in France.   This is my number 13, La baule and Pornichet.   A huge  bay covered in pristine fine golden sand, beloved by holidaying Parisians but also by all who see it,  I have been there in January, walked along under glorious blue skies having a wonderful time.     It really is a place for all seasons,  in warmer months there are many beach restaurants, children’s’ play areas, water sport schools, horse riding,  markets, and even a little train to take you from one end to the other.   For more information and stunning photos click on the Pornichet website here .

St Nazaire is #14, as towns go it’s far from great as it was extensively bombed during WW2 and rebuilt in a less than charming modern concrete inspired design.   However, even if you are not a WW2 boffin, you can’t fail to be blown away by the humongous bunkers the Germans left behind, but rather than bore you with details, click here if this floats your boat.  Speaking of boats, there is also a submarine, an ocean liner, heritage  museum  and an airbus to visit, click here for more details.    St Nazaire is also home to a great bridge, looking like a roller coaster from a distance and spanning the Loire, it connects to another area of great beaches; Brevins les Pins – #15, this area has 10 km of sandy beaches backed by pine forests and is very popular with  families as well as those into water sports.  Sand yachting, wind surfing and kite surfing are the main sports on offer. 

So we’re 15 down and 10 to go, I hope what you’ve read so far has inspired you to try our region as it really is a great holiday location.   To make a holiday booking enquiry with us just click here , we’d love to hear from you.

 Located in Morbihan, my number 6 is Rochfort en Terre, this gorgeous town is a cobbled delight at any time of year, with craft, art, jewellery, antique shops and bakeries gallore as well the (to me) piéce de resistance: L’art gourmand – Artisan Chocolatier,  this establishment is every chocaholics dream and dieter’s nightmare and is set in a 16th Century Post house so shedloads of atmosphere as well as tea. 

Just outside the 40 mile perimeter but cannot be excluded as it is such a delightful city is my no 7, Vannes.  With a new bit of motorway recently opened, the drive there is easy and well worth the time.   The walled city is surrounded by a lovely public garden and oozes history and charm, open on one side to the harbour estuary  which has recently been renovated, Vannes has something for everyone.  Not to be missed is its incredible street market on a Wednesday morning which runs almost the entire length of the town and is a sight to behold.  Not just for kids, the little train ride is a joy and takes in all the tiny narrow streets which might otherwise be missed and you really hold your breath as the driver navigates around hairpin corners.   Click here: Vannes to discover more about its great Medieval festival, a Jazz fest as well as many other events.  What makes you think I love this place? 

Number 8 has to be Malestroit,  existing since 987 a fabulous medieval town once a stopover for pilgrims en route to Compostela now a great day out for you.  Malastroit is also famed for being the site of a truce signed by the kings of France & England ending the 100 years war.   It made its wealth in the textile industry specialising in flax, hemp & leather assisted by its proximity to the Nantes Brest canal which is now the venue for great free music evenings from the end of June to end of August every Friday and also a rock festival held on the last weekend of July.  Last year it also hosted an amazing Medieval festival which I hope will be repeated annually (no news on its website yet).   There is also a new Museum dedicated to the local resistance nearby which is well worth a visit, click here for details.     

 Roche Bernard is no 9,  its steep streets meandering along the Vilaine are heaped with atmosphere and history, houses built into the mountainside and dating back hundreds of years rub shoulders with mini mansions belonging to prosperous merchants who utilised the river and port for their trade.  A thousand years ago the viking Bern-Hart decided to build a fortress to defend his territory and the rocky outcrop on this part of the Vilaine was ideal and so La Roche-Bernard was born.  Salt and arms were traded and the grew and prostered.   The old town is crisscrossed with alleys and cobbled streets, with panoramic views over the river – if you have a head for heights, walk across the suspension bridge’s foot path which rises 40 metres above the river with spectacular views. 

More than just one place in reality as it cover s very large area is number 10 Parc de Biére.  This is a twitcher’s dream location but also caters for the whole family with boat trips, horse & cart rides and a lot of wildlife.  Stretching between St-Joachim, Herbignac, Saint Lymphard and Saint André-des-Eaux these protected salt marches offer you wonderful experiences with guided trips, parks and gardens, Ker Anas ornithological Park, a deer farm, traditional thatched villages, crafts, museums, restaurants and castles.  For more information visit the website: www.parc-naturel-briere.fr
If that isn’t enough to convince you of our regions holiday worthiness, there’ll be another 5 reasons coming shortly.  Meanwhile check our gites availability here

Starting in the north and working anti-clockwise there’s Rennes (#1), with a wonderful Medieval heart of timbered buildings, great restaurants, shopping, and an underground that takes you from free parking  off junction 5 to the centre for only 2€ return.  Rennes has existed as a town for around 2000 years, a capital city since 1532 and kept its historical heritage with monuments, splendid civil, millitary and religious buildings, royal squares, botanical gardens and many street markets.    Check out their official website and see for yourself. 

Next I would recommend the forest of Brocéliande (#2) with the ever evolving gardens, a magical area brimming with Arthurian legend and mystical  scenery.  We visited the gardens a couple of years ago and were charmed by what we found, read about them on my blog and visit Brocéliande’s own website for more information .

Number 3 is Lohéac off the D177 Rennes road,   The Manoir automobile is one of the biggest car museums in France and a shrine for all car enthusiasts, it’s difficult to imagine that only 10 years ago the building was a farm and now it holds more cars than you can ever imagine at the start of the visit.  A veritable tardis, it seems to go on for ever and you don’t have to be a car fanatic to love every minute here .   Worth mentioning  is that the museum closes for lunch but the same ticket allows you to return after a lovely meal in one of Loheac’s many delightful restaurants – it’s our favourite lunch stop on the way home from Rennes airport.  The village also hosts several car shows and rallys every year .

No. 4 is La Gacilly, one of my favourite places for many years, a gorgeous village with cobbled streets, oozing atmosphere, lovely planting, shedloads of artisans plying their trades inviting passersby to marvel at their skills.  You will be delighted with the variety and number of restaurants  catering for every taste and pocket as well as the fantastic street mounted photographic exibition held every year since 2004 and sponsored by the Yves Rocher corporation who started his natural beauty empire here in 1958.   In the last year, the area by the river has been  beautifully renovated and now provides you with lovley walks, coffee shop and a Yves Rocher outlet.    Here’s a blog link about our last visit there.

5 has to be St Just, not far from La Gacilly this prehistoric site  features a meglith enthusiast’s paradise with examples of Menhirs, Dolmens, gallery graves and a pre-historic calander, if this is your thing this ebook is just for you.  Even if you are not, it’s still a wonderful place to visit with immense atmosphere and delightful walks.

Well that’s 5 down and 20 (or more) to go but rather than have you go glassy eyed reading pages of text, I’ll continue with the next 5 shortly – watch this space!   Of course if that’s enough to wet your appetite to see all this and more for yourself then just contact me for a booking here , we’d love to welcome you.

This is something I’d been meaning to do for ages as the path beckons enticingly as you drive from the town centre across the old railway bridge.   Try as much as I did,  no Google search came up with information about when the town lost its rail links although I have heard that in its hayday it had no fewer than 4 lines criss crossing it and now the nearest that’s left is a station in Beslé on the Paris – Rennes – Brest route.

So with Ian on his bike and me with my Nordic walking sticks (upper body workout?), we set out and soon found the first part of the walk quite muddy and churned up due to farm tractor access but it was still navigable.

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A little way along the hedgerow had been thinned and allowed a lovely view over rolling countryside on the left.    We passed a delightful private area with a lake and Shetland ponies which was obviously someone’s holiday getaway and then a small stream meandered under the path.

.    Passing another farm on the right, I noticed the remains of old farming equipment  doing service as part of the fencing – the French are great recyclers and never throw anything away that might still have some use left in it.   I’ve seen some very ingenious uses of old bed springs as plant supports and even as a mechanism for closing a gate.     As we walked on we thought how lovely it would be if the people of Guémené still had the train service to Nantes and imagined seeing the countryside from the carriage windows.    Pretty soon we arrived at a tarmac road and what was obviously an old station house (now refurbished and lived in) on the opposite side of the road and that was the end of our line as far as we were aware.  .   Not wanting to end up walking to either the D15 Blain road or the D3 Plessé road, we  mooched around the small village of La Mignonnais  and soon picked up the train track again – not quite a circular route but about 6km all told.    I later found some maps online and found that we could have picked up the ongoing train track on the other side of the station house and that’s what we’ll do the next time we go walkies.     Although that will make it a much more substantial walk it does seem to end at the village of Cowdray .    Come and explore our lovely and diverse region and find your own holiday memories to treasure, click here  to whet your appetite.

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His latest masterpiece is finished and comes complete with an insect hotel which will be a great addition to the veg garden.     Lovingly crafted with lovely features such as the stable doors and shutters it’s just a shame we can’t take it on the road.    I wonder how many pallets have gone into his creations so far, what with the greenhouse, my workshop, the cold frames and mower shed not forgetting the playhouse and chicken coop and now the caravan, I imagine it must be quite a few that would otherwise have been dumped and burnt.   And on a day like today which started off very cold and frosty but developed into a glorious azure skyed, spirit lifting, afternoon I look at our  lovely gites and have to pinch myself that this is where we live.

To see these creations for yourself and get pallet wood tips from the master to perhaps create your own back home, just come on holiday here,  book one of our home away from homes  by contacting us here  .

 Although still departing from la- Chapelle-de-Brain, this time we set off in the opposite direction driving down the tiny road next to the classy looking Boulangerie on the left of the church.   One of our walkers lives just outside the village and we rendez-vous’d at hers so our route took us along the length of the rue des Devaloirs turning right at the T junction and parking outside her house a little way along that road.     The walk proper started down a footpath on the right of the main road where we came across one of the many little signs explaining the local interest .    We continued on and after a quite steep descent came onto a tarmaced path leading through a small village which had an very interesting sign made up of carved blocks which rotated on a pole with a dashing little roof on top.   However weather and time had taken their toll and the inscriptions were almost illegible.   We then walked on to the Marais de Gannedel.     This is an area of vitally important wetlands created by the confluence of the Vilaine and Canut rivers.   Spanning an area of 500 hectares it provides a natural habitat and nesting area among the reed beds for  many species of birds.     It is also a very important pike spawning ground.     Around the Marais there are children’s info trails with signage about what they can  expect to see and apparently it is one of favourite outings among local schools.

Unfortunately due to the extremely dry 2011 and below average rainfall this winter, the wetlands don’t currently live up to their name and unless we get some serious downpours soon there will be repercussions  felt in this fragile eco-system.    The long bridge usually spans an area covered in water to a depth allowing punts to float but not this winter.    From the edge of the Marais we continued around and through the small village of  Le Pré passing a beautifully restored bread oven and then one in dire need of attention.   There is also an entire street of houses verging on collapse due to an extensive fire which swept through almost from one end to the other.    By the time we reached our car we had walked 7km and the sun had even graced us with a few rays along the way making the whole walk  thoroughly enjoyable and well worth the effort.

There are quite a few different walks to be had in this area and more information is available on these websites:   http://rando.abri.free.fr/Randonnees/1400-circuit-puits-marais-gannedel.htm    http://www.bretagne.com/fr/en_ille_et_vilaine/que_faire/balades/balades_a_pied/randonnee_entre_riviere_et_marais_a_la_chapelle_de_brain

Discover and explore our delightful region by booking one of the  gites , send us an enquiry by clicking here and I’ll get right back to you.

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I am also breathing a sigh of relief as I have finished the birthday present for my very dear friend Lindy and it’s on it’s way to the UK courtesy of some friends.   The last time I promised Lindy some Sashiko place mats for her conservatory’s table she had to wait quite a long time so I am very happy that this time I managed to delivery on schedule.   It should fit in nicely in her new Art Deco home. 

Yesterday was a glorious day and a group of us locals set off from La chapelle-de-Brain,  from the church (facing it) the path is reached just up the hill on the right after the new Mediateque building.   The first stage is in front of a war monument dedicated to the martyrs of the 2 world wars.   Through the dappled shade of the forest it’s a very easy stroll suitable for all ages.   Follow the path past fields, livestock and horses with glorious views of the surrounding countryside,  along the way there are numbered signposts explaining local information about the road like number 4  ‘The way of the dead’ which isn’t as grim as it sounds, merely the old path funeral cortéges took from nearby Brain sur Vilaine to the church at La chapelle.

We took the shorter route which on the ordinance map shows as C and B, covering 7 kilometers and bringing us to the banks of the river Vilaine.  The path runs along the length of this river and is wonderful for both cyclng and walking as well as horseriding.   So after 1 hour 40 mins we arrived back at the church in La Chapelle de Brain, if you decide to walk during the week, the village has a lovely boulangerie, cafe/bar and is an interesting place to mooch around.

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To enjoy one or more of the delightful walks or cycle paths around here, just book one of our gites http://www.loireatlantique.co.uk/properties/ and find when they are available by clicking here.