Our farmhouse
Gites
Terrace
Living Room
Red Kite
Our baby swallows
Dining Room
Bedroom
Kitchen
Bathroom
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St Alyre es Montagne
Our
two gites are in this tiny hamlet at an altitude of 1125m above
sea level (with official plaque set in the wall to confirm this), in
the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne. The
views from the properties are spectacular, the peace broken only by the
sound of cowbells, the call of the birds and the occasional farm vehicle
going about its business. There is a small Auberge, serving drinks
and local cuisine within 5 minutes drive and others dotted around the
nearby villages.
Although without any shops, we are visited by
various mobile ones and within 10-15 minutes you can be in the lovely
town of Ardes sur Couze which boasts a butcher, bakers, small supermarket,
a couple of bars and restaurants, doctors etc. The pretty historical
town of Issoire is but 30 minutes away and here you will find a number
of large supermarkets – Carrefour, Intermarché, Leader Price
etc. where all your shopping needs should be met, as well as many
bars, restaurants, cinema, swimming pool, canoeing/kayaking, 380k of
mountain biking circuits and its beautiful 12th century Romanesque church
and Renaissance clock tower to visit.
As your holiday week starts
on a Saturday and much of France has not embraced the Sunday shopping
culture, we are happy to offer a pre-arrival shopping service. I
can supply you with a list of basics that I can get in for your first
few days, plus I will get any extras you wish to add, as long as quails
eggs in aspic and fresh stone-crabs do not feature! Alternatively,
the directions to St Alyre include a route via Carrefour so that you
can shop en route if you would prefer.
Our Holiday Accommodation
After nearly twenty years of holidaying in rented accommodation in France, we
like to think we know what people are looking for and what many holiday lets
are short of. I can’t count the numbers of sets of egg cups and
large coffee mugs I’ve bought over the years from all over France! We
hope that we have furnished our homes with everything to make your holiday
stress-free (if we’ve missed something, only you can put us right and
we will be happy to oblige, if at all possible, during your stay).
Our two gites have been tastefully created within a genuine Auvergnat
cattle barn, as the thickness of the walls will testify. They are beautifully
cool in summer and warm and cosy in winter.
Les Milans
The slightly larger of the two, The Kites (both red and black kites are
a common but spectacular sight from our windows) – has its entrance
door directly off a lovely terrace with garden furniture and barbeque
and a wonderful view over the hills. The large living area is furnished
to a high standard with a comfortable lounge area with TV, DVD player,
music system etc, a dining table and chairs and windows on three sides
flooding the room with light all day. The kitchen is off this area
and has a full size cooker, microwave, fridge and all cooking
utensils, crockery etc that one would expect to prepare and serve meals
for up to four people (including egg-cups and mugs!). The shower-room
is also off the lounge area, with shower, washbasin and toilet. Upstairs
there are two large twin bedded rooms, both with windows giving fantastic
views over the hills and south-facing to catch the sun.
Les Hirondelles
The Swallows (families nest in our garage every year) is only very slightly
smaller than Les Milans and has its own entrance up a flight of stairs
from a large vestibule accessed from the front of the building. The
large, open plan living area has the same high standard of furnishing,
with a comfy lounge area, dining area and kitchen area, again with
full size cooker, fridge, microwave and all equipment you would
expect to cater for up to four people. There is also a glass door giving
access to a private garden area with garden furniture, barbeque etc.
The shower-room is off the lounge and has shower, washbasin and loo.
One of the twin bedrooms is also on this level, the other, slightly
larger one being upstairs. Both have south facing windows to take in
the wonderful scenery.
Regardless of which gite you chose, all bedlinen, towels and teatowels
are provided. We have put a DVD and music system in each lounge
so that you can bring your own choices of cassettes, CDs and DVDs.
Having settled in, what to do next?
Each gite is stocked with
a variety of brochures, leaflets etc covering many activities available
within easy reach. We will also be available with our first-hand
experiences of the area. We’ve tried out many of the local
restaurants – a thankless task, but someone had to do it! We
know the surrounding countryside quite well and can advise on many places
we think are worth a visit.
If you would rather just sit and unwind,
each gite has its own outdoor area, complete with garden furniture, barbeque
etc and there is a well-stocked bookcase of paperbacks indoors. As
we are both avid readers, we are grateful for any books you would care
to leave behind, in exchange for any you wish to take away – that
way we all get a change of reading matter!
Another service we are happy to offer
Should
you wish it, is a transport service. Should you wish to visit this
rural part of France, but do not wish to drive, we can arrange to pick
you up at either railway station or airport (we are hoping someone
will fly from the UK into Clermont Ferrand before long) and then offer
our services to take you around the area. Please contact us for prices
etc.
Don’t fancy cooking one night?
I am
happy to serve you my version of one of our local dishes complete with
wine, delivered to your table one midweek evening (and take away the
washing up afterwards!). Again,
prices per head on request.
Having said what we can offer, we fully understand that many people
want to be left alone on their holidays, and as each gite is totally
self-contained, you can be assured that you will not be disturbed by
anyone, unless you choose. |
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