17 Rue D'Eglise - Live in the Heart of a French village
The perfect base for cycletouring for families and bigger groups
Even more than Quarry Cottage this large house is right in the heart of the village. If you want to wake up and fling the shutters open to be greeted by the sounds of a French village and the smell of baguettes baking then you've come to the right place. With the gite comes all equipment and a wide range of cycling routes.The house is situated in the quiet heart of the village of Gouarec - a village unique in Brittany - see the Google Map here where the gite is marked in the centre. Not only is it right on the canal towpath/cyclepath, but also at the start of the V6 "voie verte", the cyclepath converted from the old railway line running through the centre of Brittany. Being placed at this crossroads would be enough in itself, but Gouarec is also a compact village - everything is within 200m of the house.
By "everything" I mean the canal, a superb pizzaria complete with oak fired oven, a traditional creperie and one other lunch time restaurant. If you are making your own food then within that 200m is the bakers, and a small, well stocked supermarket. 500m away is our campsite where you have free access to our hire canoes (lovely on the canal) and horse riding is but 3 kms away. You need never get in your car and with our taxi service from local stations and airports why bring a car at all? In fact if you do want to drive out for the day then why not make it a real adventure and hire our 2CV?
Of course all this would be hopeless if the house were on a main road, but it is tucked back in the old part of the village on a road where lorries are banned and cars both slow moving and infrequent.
The Gite is a modern (c1980) detached house but of very traditional style, it also faces South and East so that all the bedrooms start the day with the sun streaming in and both the courtyard and then living room are in the sun all day.
As with many French houses the main accommodation is on the first and second floor, the ground floor being reserved for a garage and utility rooms. The big advantage of this is that the rooms get more light and breakfast can be taken in the kitchen whilst you look down on the world passing by. The kitchen is large enough for 6 people to eat breakfast, for larger groups the living room/dining room has a large refectory table which will seat 10 or more. This living room has a large convertable corner sofa and comfortable chairs, there are also wicker chairs in all the bedrooms that are easy to move around and so make the seating arrangement very flexible.
Sleeping accommodation comprises three double bedrooms, one equipped with a double bed, two upstairs with (by popular request) twin bunk beds - this room also geared up for smaller children, including a rocking horse:-). One of these bedrooms also has quality convertible settee so that room is a cosy family room if you wish. The living room also has a good quality convertible sofa so that the gite will sleep 8 with ease. Cots and folding beds can also be supplied if you wish making it ideal for one or two families and raising the number to 10. Stairs are fitted with gates for toddlers and there are even toys for smaller occupants:-) There are also books, comics and a 'primary school' type table and chairs in one of the bedrooms. For grown-ups there's a portable stereo radio/cd/cassette player. This comes with a selection of MP3 discs so I can inflict my taste in music on our guests, this includes 'Harry Potter 1' and 'Lord of the Rings' for children of all ages. There's a wide selection of games too. But there is no TV - apart from the dire state of French television, it means that you get a holiday from the 'real world' and time as a family.
There is no garden but rather a paved courtyard, full of flowers and herbs (in season) where you'll find a large stone barbecue and tables and chairs, this can be locked and so makes a safe area for toddlers providing their first name isn't Houdini.
The house is well equipped and all linen including towels is provided. In addition to personal items and clothes all you need bring are wash kits.
Costs.
For full details see the pricing page in Sterling (£) or Euro - but costs are per person and nicely split the difference between camping or hotels starting at £300/350€ per adult. This means you get all the Breton Bikes equipment, back-up, maps routes etc. You also get full access to our facilities at the campsite (500m away) which include free canoe/boat hire.).
Out of Season Holidays
Brittany is simply gorgeous in the spring and autumn (Christmas/New Year in France anyone?) but because campsite and some hotels close we cannot run our normal bike tours. But during this period the house is for hire at 450 Euro a week plus 80 Euro per person for all cycling equipment. This will include maps and routes, but not the complete level of back-up of our normal holidays - if you have problems there will be people around but not the usual 24/7 cover.
Lastly, unlike most gites we don't charge cleaning deposits or the like, but we'd appreciate it if you could leave the house as clean as you found it (linen etc excepted). If you like (and we quite understand!), we can organise our 'chalet maid' to clean after you have left for the sum of 40e, especially useful if you have to make a run for it early in the morning, please let us know which during your stay - we're trusting types...