Idyllic Cottage, La Bordeliere, Montmorillon, Vienne
Built of natural limestone rock, this lovely cottage is ideal for a get away from it all holiday The summer pool is just across the country lane, with patios for sunbathing etc...
The property nestles quietly into the gently rolling countryside of the French Vienne. The sloping nature of the limestone hills gives the house a very special character and many different venues for sunning, snoozing and alfresco dining! . As there are exterior stairs, steps, and low balcony walls we do not allow children under the age of five to stay at the house.
Whilst we have modernised the property to give a pleasant level of comfort for our guests, we have not compromised the original character of the house which has oak beams, tommette floors , stone walls and original fireplaces.
The property is in the heart of the countryside with otters, red squirrels and many different birds to be seen.There are many local walking and cycling trails , some based on old railway lines. You can walk to the local village, Journet for your bread down a country lane. This is over a footbridge on a ford over the small river from where the cottage gets its name
Discounts available for small parties.
The cottage
The interior has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
On the ground floor is a small lounge which is a great place to relax if you find it too hot outside!. There is also an atmospheric double bedroom and shower room with wc.
You access the first floor via stone steps and a stone balcony.
Inside there is a small lobby leading to the bathroom and your main double bedroom which has an ancient fireplace with the cockle shells of St Jacques denoting an official residence of pilgrims on the Compostella trail.
The large kitchen with living and dining areas, has a fridge freezer, gas oven and hob, washing machine, microwave with electric oven, kettle, coffee maker, toaster and sink. All crockery and cutlery is provided.
There is a video and dvd player in this room, large sofa and two armchairs.We provide a lot of English books for adults and children and a library of DVD/ videos.
The bathroom is very modern with a shower, bidet, wc, wash hand basin and to give some character, an ancient window cut into the limestone.
On the other side of the kitchen is the second triple bedroom. The beds are actually a double and a single..
The exterior
A wooden veranda the full length of the house is accessed from the kitchen and adults will enjoy dining here in the late evening as the sunsets can be glorious. A swing seat, wooden furniture, parasol and outdoor lighting completes your facilities on the veranda.
At the back of the house is a stone terrace with dining table, parasol and exterior light.This leads to the stone balcony.
On the stone balcony is an original stone sink and we have installed an awning for when it becomes really hot and you can bbq here with the gas BBQ because of its proximity to the kitchen. This is also a great venue for watching the shooting stars at night( it gets really dark) and listening to the owls hooting or bull frogs croaking...with a glass of wine or beer. Note we also have resident otters and red squirrels.
To the front of the property you have a paved patio under a wooden veranda, with two sun loungers and other outdoor furniture. This area is west facing and gets the sun in the afternoon and evenings
. Across the lane is the field where the summer swimming pool and more terraces are located. Meals can be enjoyed under the fruit trees on our purpose built patio, which also doubles as a boules court!
What to do!
This region is very well endowed with religious history, relics and ancient buildings. This house is a good example.
There are two lakes with a plan deau nearby. They have lake swimming,boat hire, a cafe ,shade and a pontoon for diving. There is also river swimming in the river Gartempe that runs close to the house
Journet: Local bar and Depot du Pain, a fiveminutes walking distance down the old pilgrim path. Order bread the day before for collection next day. Explore the Lanterns du Mort in the village,...ancient columns not related to Christianity. There are many local walks and cycle routes along old railway tracks. They are signposted as "chemins". An alternative route to the local village is via an old ford with footbridge over a small stream... great for playing pooh sticks.
Montmorillon: Excellent town swimming pool with indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Large Hypercentre on the Poitiers road out of town. Called Hyper U, it has everything you will need. A town noted for its ancient and more recent, writers and scholars. The tourist information (highly recommended you visit this as early in your stay as possible) in the centre of town is excellent, and is surrounded by many restaurants, old bridges, ancient buildings etc.
La Trimouille: Village cinema, restaurants, watch out for weekend car boot sales French style! Local Doctors, post office etc. It also has a "reptile centre" which you might pluck up enough courage to go to!
Chauvigny: A local market town, you must not miss the Eagle and Buzzards show (Les Geants du Ciel) high on the castle walls. Hold on to your hair... literally, this is wonderful. Good for exploring the old town walls and busy markets. Old churches with ancient painting and frescoes.
Saint Savin: A world heritage site, the monastary is stupendous. Full of pre-renaissance frescoes which dominate this part of France, all along the Gartempe valley. The pictures are painted on the ceilings and depict famous old testament scenes, e.g. the Tower of Babel, Josephs coat of many colours etc. Not to be missed. Good local restaurants in and around the local area to the Monastary.
Lathus: Good river canoeing and rafting on the Gartempe river here. Also good river swimming close by to the restaurant. Sailing is available on the local reservoir and other lakes in the immediate area. A wonderful fairy tale chateau at Bourg Archambeaux is worth a visit.
Lac St Pardoux: Great swimming, fishing, boating and sailing available here. This very large lake has sandy beaches, pizzerias, restaurant, bars all available on its shores. It reminds us of Canada as trees grow right down to the water edge. A great day out in the open air.
Poitiers: Originally a Roman town with great history and tourist facilities. The most famous is Futuroscope the hi- tech French theme park.
Limoges: Great for pottery and large hypermarkets, all found just off the various motorway junctions which goes through the centre of the city. Has an expanding airport and is one hours drive away.