Château de Lucy
Chateau de Lucy sits in tranquility in nine acres of woodland on the banks of the river LOise in the hamlet of Lucy near Ribemont, an easy two hour drive from Calais.
In a region steeped in battlefield history from times way back before the 11th century, Château de Lucy is also located on a Roman archaeological site.
In more recent times, the Château was the Headquarters for the German army during both the First and Second World Wars and was occupied by Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Prussia during WWI. Under the floorboards in one of the attics, we have found prayer books and a book of poems issued by the German army in 1916. Nearby, the Moulin de Lucy (located just up river and on the opposite bank) was occupied by the German troops during the first world war.
As a reminder of the Châteaus turbulent past, we have a pill box (machine gun fortification) about 20 yards from our kitchen door which was built to protect the Château when it was occupied by German Officers in the Second World War.
After WWII, up until the 1980s, weddings and Christenings were held at the Château, with the last wedding being held in 1982.
Now, while we live in the newer part of the Château, the gite which makes up the majority of the old original Château, is an ideal place to come for to explore and sample a true taste of France, easy enough to get to, but far enough into France to be truly French.
The Gite
Newly renovated, the gite makes up the majority of the old Château built in the 1700s and is arranged over three floors.
Comprising of a large entrance hall with oak staircase, large bathroom with roll top bath and hydrotherapy shower, a double bedroom, a single bedroom, a double bedroom in the tower and open plan kitchen/sittingroom. Beautiful light rooms overlooking the Château grounds and river.
A welcome pack including toiletries and all bedlinen, towels, a dishwasher, fridge, full size cooker with ceramic hob, cooking utensils, cutlery, crockery and dining table and chairs are included.
For relaxing after a hard days holidaying, a selection of board games, books, CDs and DVDs along with the CD, DVD player and Playstation two are included for your use. Wifi (wireless internet access) is provided, should you be unable to tear yourself away from your emails or want to check out local places to go.
Gas central heating and a woodburner are installed and keep the gite warm during the chill autumn and winter months.
The gite has access to a private terrace of some sixty square metres (a veritable sun trap) for eating breakfast outside, sunbathing or for a bbq and sitting out with a glass of wine in the evenings.
Table and chairs, sun loungers and a gas bbq are included for your use. Although the private terrace is exclusively for your use, you are very welcome to enjoy any part of the nine acres that Château de Lucy sits in.
Things to do
The nine acres of woodlands that the Chateau sits in are ideal for walking, mountain biking, or just laying back in a hammock and relaxing.
The river LOise which runs around the edge of the property is ideal for trout fishing and carp lakes are between two and five miles away.
If fishing doesnt appeal to you, you can always wander along the river bank between our property and the Mill at Lucy.
The hamlet of Lucy is on the edge of Ribemont which can be accessed via St Quentin at Junction ten from the A26 from Calais.
Ribemont, is a small market town rich in history and culture, it has a supermarket and petrol station, several boulangeries and a couple of restaurants and tabacs.
Ribemont has an excellent kayak club, currently placed 17th out of the 200 competitive clubs in France and once a year a tournament is held on the river at the rear of the chateau.
If you are into horse riding, there is a an equestrian centre and pony club in the heart of town, just let us know if you want us to arrange riding for you.
Just outside the grounds of the chateau runs the small tourist train, taking in the scenery of the LOise valley. From time to time, the dining car, reminiscent of the Orient Express steams along the tracks, offering luxury dining of a bygone age.
St Quentin (15kms from Lucy Ribemont)
The City of St Quentin, is best known for the Basilique and with 60,000 inhabitants is a bustling City full of artisan and designer shops, street cafes and attractive Gothic architecture. A large market is held every Wednesday and Saturday morning off the town square.
Laon (40kms from Lucy Ribemont)
The medieval walled town of Laon (the Capital of France prior to Paris) oozes history such as the 12th Century octagonal Knights Templar Chapelle des Templiers. The Cathedrale de Notre-Dame (built in the second half of the 12th Century) was so ahead of its time that parts of its design were copied at Chartres, Reims and Notre-Dame in Paris.
Reims (80kms from Lucy Ribemont)
Reims is synonymous with champagne, although not only famous for champagne, the 2000 year old city witnessed the holy anointing the Kings of France, its architectural monuments (the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Palais du Tau, the Abbey of Saint-Remi, the Basilica and Monastery) have been listed by UNESCO of part of the World Heritage.
The theme parks of Parc Asterix and Disneyland are also within an hour or sos drive.