Le Lude holiday farmhouse to let, Thoree les Pins with walking, beach/lake nearby, log fire, jacuzzi/hot tub, balcony/terrace, internet

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Pascal's House, La Gouletterie (farmhouse)

Home description

Pascals' House is the sole rented property on a 35 acre grass farm, home to thoroughbred horses and pedigree sheep. Children adore lambing time (Spring) and at other times of year going with Patricia in the trailer behind the quad to feed the sheep and horses.

The farmhouse is approached down a long drive and is completely surrounded by its own land offering total peace and seclusion. It is within easy reach of the beautiful riverside towns of La Fleche and Le Lude with their excellent shops, markets and mouthwatering restaurants.

Solidly built of stone under a slate roof, a touch of elegance is added by cut tufa dressings to the doors and windows and wrought iron balustrades to the upper windows. Inside, terracotta floors, some original, huge stone fireplaces and exposed beams add warmth and character. With its thick stone walls Pascal’s House is wonderfully cool in summer but full central heating, thick full-length curtains and a roaring log fire in the Salon make it gloriously cosy in winter.
Pascal’s House is baby/toddler friendly. With grandchildren of our own we sought advice from daughter and daughter-in-law and can offer: 2 proper wooden cots with decent mattresses, 2 high chairs, push chair, pot, sterilizer and stair-gate. There is an enclosed private garden with good shade and the heated pool (fenced and with a lockable gate) is kept deliciously warm,(27/8°). The roman steps are inviting to beginner or nervous swimmers and the salt filtration is kind to skin and eyes- no nasty chemicals! The pool is normally opened in April and remains open until at least the end of September. In 2009 we were still swimming in glorious weather on 7th October!
With masses for children and adults of all ages to see and do it offers an ideal family holiday at any time of year .It also makes a most civilised base for a group of people wanting to explore the chateaux, gardens and wines of this World Heritage area.

New for Spring 2010!...

David and Patricia offer ”Taste of the Loire” short breaks, an inclusive 4 day holiday to include accommodation, all meals, visits to selected chateaux, gardens, vineyards and wine-tastings, a local market and finishing with a gourmet dinner at La Gouletterie, accompanied by David’s choice of fine wines. David is a former scholar of the Wine and Vintners Society. Patricia is a published author and former History scholar of Somerville College, Oxford.

Join a group or make your own. 4 to 8 people. For full information, prices and dates, send us an enquiry!

Pascal's House, South Front	Main bedroom
The salon	The Kitchen/dining room

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/26661

The Loire Valley / Sarthe region

Pascal's House is situated in the Vallée du Loir, a tributary of La Loire which it joins at Angers. It benefits from the mild Gulf Stream and enjoys relatively short, mild winters. Summers are reliably hot and usually last well into autumn.
The Loire was the playground of the Kings of France for centuries and is thus lavishly provided with gorgeous chateaux, gardens,churches and other places of historic interest. The small scale capital cities of Le Mans, Anger and Tours (all within 45 minutes) are well worth exploring.
The wines of the area are varied and increasingly appreciated. David, a former scholar of the Wine and Vintners Society , would be happy to advise and to arrange a visit/tasting.

Le Lude / Thoree les Pins area

La Fleche and Le Lude (both 10 k) offer a full range of shops,markets, excellent restaurants and water sports. Le Lude has a famous and magnificent chateau with fabulous gardens. La Fleche has a world famous zoo. Excellent golf is available at 2 nearby courses. Most of the historic chateaux of the region are within an hour. Tennis, horse riding, kayaking and boules are easily available.

Chateau Le Lude
This amazing, little known, chateau is 15 minutes away. It has seamlessly evolved from 15th Century fortified castle to elegant 18th Century country house. It has belonged to the current family for 250 years. It has gorgeous riverside gardens with a rose garden, a potager and spectacular terraces over the Loir. The stables and coach houses have been restored and may be seen and there is usually an exhibition in the Granary.


Zoo La Fleche
This world famous zoo, 10 minutes away, not only has an astonishing collection of animals but houses them in the most natural, sympathetic way, taking advantage of its vast spaces and riverside situation. Rare big cats and thrilling mounted falconry displays. There are also excellent refreshment facilities to suit all tastes and pockets, as well as picnic areas.


Lacs de la Monnerie
On the outskirts of La Fleche, this large and beautiful lake has a supervised, sandy beach for bathing and in another part sailing and wind surfing facilities. The surrounding area has been been attractively landscaped and is lovely for walking, cycling and picnics.


Luché-Pringé
Our nearest proper village (5 km). A very pretty riverside village set round a square with a lovely 15th Century church. There is a cafe on the square , a very good range of shops, including a pharmacy, 2 butchers, a small supermarket with deli and fresh fruit and veg, 2 mouth-watering baker/patisseries and a riverside leisure centre with tennis, boules, mini-golf, a huge swimming pool with diving boards (for those who find the pool at La Gouletterie insufficient!), boats for hire and an adventure play ground.


Thoree les Pins
Our village. A thriving, bustling place full of young, with a shop for fresh bread and croissants, a convivial bar, a restaurant offering a basic but excellent and very reasonable lunch and boules fort (a type of boules originally played on ships and very popular in the Loire and Loir valleys).Thorée is very keen on its gardens and there are 3 farm- type shops where you can buy wonderful fruit and veg in season.

Le Mans 24 hours circuit. The track is 45 minutes from Pascal's House. Besides the main race in mid June there is the 24 hour classic every other year and the fascinating museum is open all year round.

How to get there

Ryanair, (Stansted) fly Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to Tours, 60 km. Tours airport is small and friendly. Cars can hired from Hertz or Europcar.
The Ferry ports of Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo and Le Havre are within 2 -3 hours easy driving on blissfully traffic free roads. Brittany Ferries now have fast hovercraft crossings Portsmouth/Caen

Activities near Le Lude

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The heart of Pascal's House is the spacious 30 m2 salon with its original carrelage and monumental working fireplace. Wood is provided and a fire lit on arrival in the cooler months. It opens directly on to a sunny, south-facing courtyard.

Next door is a spacious, well equipped kitchen, also with a huge, now ornamental, fireplace. There is a long farmhouse table with comfortable rush seated chairs and doors to the sunny, south-facing courtyard where there's a bench and a stone table for the morning cup of coffee and via the former cave, to a shady west facing terrace equipped with a round table,cushioned rattan chairs and a BBQ for magical summer evenings watching the sun go down.

There is a twin bedded room on the ground floor with a bathroom adjoining. This has a bath with jacuzzi, a separate shower, twin basins and a washing machine. There is a lavatory and basin next door.
Stairs rise from the salon to a broad mezzanine landing where there are 2 further double bedrooms and a second bathroom. This has a bath with shower over, twin basins and a lavatory. The larger bedroom is normally made up as a double and the slightly smaller as a twin but all beds can be made up as double or single as required. All linen is pure white cotton and large, fluffy, white towels are provided. All the bedrooms are spacious and prettily furnished with a mixture of old (family furniture) and new (mattresses and bed bases!). There are lots of pictures.

Further details outdoors:
The west terrace leads to a small fenced garden for total privacy and a safe place for children to play. There is a mature walnut tree for lovely shade and a cherry tree. Pick your own in late May/early June.

The heated pool (shared only with the 60 something owners) measures 8.5 m x 4.5m and has Roman steps at the shallow end. There is a salt filtration system so no nasty chemicals. It faces south and west and gets the sun all day. The surrounding paved plage is filled with flowers and is fenced and kept locked for safety. A yew hedge has been planted round this and has reached a respectable size! There are comfy, cushioned chairs, a round table with parasol and sun-beds. A shaded seating area has been made against the gable end of the house. There is a fridge for wine and cold drinks in the adjoining cave.

Guests are welcome to use the extensive grounds which are a haven for wildflowers and wild life. Visitors are amazed at the variety of bird life and roe deer are often seen. Owls, nightingales and crickets can be heard on summer evenings. Broad rides have been left between fields and woodland which offer lovely walks and bike rides (bicycles can be hired from the campsite in Thorée).

Further details

A welcome pack with a bottle of wine from the region is provided for in-coming guests .
Cleaning products and toilet paper are provided.

Conditions

Well- behaved pets are welcome. Please be aware that we have sheep and a friendly male cocker spaniel.
David smokes so we are hardly in a position to ask people not to. Please be considerate. Don't smoke in the bedrooms and please don't throw fag ends in the gardens, courtyard or plage.

A written confirmation is asked for together with a breakages deposit of £100 (returnable). Rent is payable 6 weeks before your holiday.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
	9 Oct 09	19 Dec 09	350£ 350	0-	0-	1 Week
	19 Dec 09	2 Jan 10	500£ 500	0-	0-	1 Week
	2 Jan 10	24 Apr 10	350£ 350	0-	0-	1 Week
	24 Apr 10	10 Jul 10	500£ 500	0-	0-	1 Week
	10 Jul 10	28 Aug 10	650£ 650	0-	0-	1 Week
	28 Aug 10	2 Oct 10	500£ 500	0-	0-	1 Week
	2 Oct 10	18 Dec 10	350£ 350	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

Saturday changeovers are preferred in high season but at other times of year we are happy to be flexible.

Short breaks can be offered at these times and also a 20% reduction for couples.

Payment is requested 6 weeks prior to your holiday. Cheques should be made payable to SCS La Gouletterie.

Guestbook for Pascal's House, La Gouletterie

Wonderful holiday ... lovely house..beautiful surroundings...exceptional hospitality. We've loved the pool (so hot), the horses, the sheep and of course Bertie's daily visits. B. The Hague, May '08

A perfect holiday for us all...we are leaving (reluctantly) feeling we have spent time with real friends. This has undoubtedly been the best family holiday ever. C.B July '08

A wonderful place...my type of dream home. I want to win the Lottery and make an offer for Pascal's House.
E.F Scotland, Aug '08

The Robert's family's third visit and loving it more each time...another perfect relaxing family holiday. Highlights include first hand experience in moving stubborn rams! Mr and Mrs R and family, Aug '09

Amen to all the nice things previous guests have written! We have enjoyed our stay enormously - a month already! We found all the comforts of home plus Patricia's good taste and imaginative decor. Nothing wanting. Mr and Mrs S, Canada. March '09

A wonderful house in a fabulous setting ...a home from home Mr and Mrs Fox, Aug '09

The first lovely touch was the welcome basket with wine, baguette, cheese, etc. Through out our stay Trish has provided fresh fruit and veg...nothing ever too much trouble. Mr and Mrs W. Cheshire Sept '09

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Send Enquiry

To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/26661

Contact details for the advertiser of home 26661
Name:	Patricia Smyly
Tel:	+33 (0)2 43486641
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Advertiser joined: Apr 2007