Lovely
family-friendly farmhouse with sunny rooms, level enclosed garden, bluebell wood & pretty stream, sleeps
8+, near
Lake Dathee, St. Sever forest, and Vire, in Calvados, Normandy
Click here to make an enquiry about this lovely house
"We had a great week and were very lucky with the
weather. We had some lovely afternoons watching the sun go down with
a few glasses of wine, this carried on while star gazing during the
evening. Very quiet location, saw little traffic, but town very
convenient. The lawn saw a few games of football during the week,
really enjoyed seeing the kids having to make their own fun without
TV! Beds were really comfortable and there was plenty of room for 4
adults, 4 teenagers and one 10 year old. We made good use of the
kitchen and cooked up some big family meals, just seemed so much
more relaxing than eating out. Had some lovely walks, a few runs,
and played golf at the local course, very relaxed attitude and also
very quiet. Overall we would definitely recommend La Martinière
to anyone looking for a relaxing holiday." The Jones & Trapski
families, early April 2007
The Pink Room (double)
The West Room (twin 3ft beds)
La
Martinière is a pretty detached 'fermette' (small farm house) set in 10 acres of
gardens, meadows and woodland, bordered by a stream, in a tranquil
hamlet just a few minutes south of the bustling town of Vire and
close to Lake Dathée and the St. Sever forest. At just over an hour from
the ferry port at Caen, and 1.5 hours from Cherbourg, La Martinière
is very easy to reach and makes an ideal
location to explore all that Normandy has to offer with most
attractions with an hour's drive.
ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES
The
south-facing farm house is airy, light, comfortable and
well-equipped. It has a large kitchen / dining room with a stainless
steel range cooker with 5 burners and huge oven, double sink and
prep area looking out onto the dining room. A doorway leads
through to a spacious rear kitchen / utility room with large fridge
with freezer compartment, automatic washing machine and iron for
your convenience. There is also a second sink and cloakroom with
toilet. On the ground floor there is also a very large, comfortable
salon.
On the first floor
there are three
double bedrooms (the master bedroom has a king size bed) and one twin bedroom, all with lovely wooden floors and
views. A cot
is available on request. There is a bathroom (with shower) and separate WC
upstairs. The house has full oil fired central
heating and double glazing for all year comfort.
With
four double / twin bedrooms, La Martinière is spacious enough for
several families or couples to share for a comfortable and relaxing
family or group holiday.
The White Room (king size bed)
The Blue Room (double)
OUTDOORS
The house is set off a quiet lane,
several hundred yards down a
private drive leading to just two other properties. It has an
enclosed and level, lawned garden adjacent to the house, ideal as a play area
for children. The rest of the grounds extend to 10 acres, including
'La Rocher' (the rock), our very own small hill, topped with huge
granite boulders and offering stunning views across the valley to
'La Lande Vaumont'. Two beech woodlands on
the hillside are filled with bluebells in spring and make a perfect,
shady area for picnics. Another lovely feature is 'Pre de la fontaine' (the meadow of the spring/fountain), a
haven for butterflies this small field has a natural spring and is edged with a meandering stream. There are plenty
of quiet, secluded and shady spots to sit and read a book and enjoy
the birdsong and catch a glimpse of the local wildlife including our
resident owl. You may also be lucky to see the deer who regularly
visit our woodlands.
La Martinière's
meadow & woodlands
LOCATION & THINGS TO DO
La Martinière
is situated at 'St-Germaine-de-Tallevende-La-Lande-Vaumont'
(a very big name for a relatively small place) just a few miles south of Vire, which is the capital of the
'Bocage Virois' region of Calvados in Normandy, close to the border
with the region of Manche. The 'bocage' landscape refers to the
characteristic fields and hedge banks of the area, with rolling
hills, occasional gorges, lakes and forests, and quiet country lanes lined with
hazelnuts and blackberries. The area is totally unspoilt, free
from crowds and rich with wildlife.
Countryside, cycling, walking,
horse-riding
You will find beautiful countryside
and extensive walks on the doorstep, including a disused railway
line, accessible for cycling and walking, nearby, which extends northwest close to Lake Dathée and south
to Mortain and the national park.
We can recommend horse-riding nearby and provide
help with cycling and walking routes.
The immediate surroundings will
provide most British visitors with a poignant memory of a beautiful
and disappearing England, perhaps a chance to relive those memories and
for some, to share it with their own children. The air is fresh, and the pace of life is
restful and with temperatures usually a little warmer than Britain
it makes for a longer summer and milder spring, autumn and winter.
Beaches, nature and leisure lakes, golfing, family water park,
historical sites
The
house is in a very peaceful area, just over 2 miles from the village
so it's not far to get your fresh bread and pastries!
There is a wonderful
farm, very close by, with its own farm shop and a recommended auberge at
St-Germaine-de-Tallevende, along with a village bar and pharmacy. Nearby at
Roullours / Maisoncelles-la-Jourdan are the
"Pont-es-Retour" waterfalls (right),
classed
as an "Area of Natural Ecological Interest, Flora and Fauna" in
1988. Here, the River Vire falls over an area characterised by a
disorder of granite in which fauna develops in excellent conditions.
La
Martinière is also a stone's throw from the
Dolmen at Mont-Savarin (Mount Savarin), a
table-shaped megalith made from Vire granite. Within the Bocage,
megalithic monuments were surrounded by myth and suspicion:
supernatural visions, ghost-stories, sorcery ...
The
location is quite central to both the Calvados and Manche
coastlines, it's a very easy distance from the ferry ports and superb for
exploring much of Normandy, with lots to do nearby. Families are well served by
a huge water park at Vire with indoor and outdoor slides as well as a sauna,
steam room and jacuzzi.
Saint Sever's Crown Forest (left)
contains mostly beech and oaks, together with comb-shaped firs and
the Douglas pines. It has an arboretum and wildlife park (stags,
does, fawns in 4ha) and is perfect for walking and horse-riding.
The peaceful
Lake
Le Gast nature reserve (below) is not far and is a firm
favourite.
Lake Dathée,
just outside Vire, offers wonderful lakeside walks, boating,
sailing, windsurfing, fishing and a modestly priced but excellent golf course
overlooking the lake.
A day trip to the
D-Day
landing beaches is something to remember forever, and the house
is also within easy day-trip distance of the
Mont St Michel. The
glamorous beach resort of Granville is well worth a visit, where
there is also a regular ferry service to Jersey.
Town culture, restaurants &
theatre, retail therapy, markets
La Martinière
is close to the bustling town of Vire, which offers something for everyone. It has a
superb modern theatre, cinema, stylish cafés, nightlife, and some lovely shops,
satisfying your need for culture and/or retail therapy! Vire is also something of a mecca for food-lovers
with a weekly gourmet food market on Fridays which is a pilgrimage for foodies,
with local fish, seafood, cheese, cream, charcuterie, bread, fruit
and vegetables and the most wonderful stall with olives and spices.
Vire has an impressive number of fêtes and festivals culminating in
several weeks of street theatre and concerts during the summer
months.
Not far away is the traditional market
town of Villedieu-les-Poêlles (meaning City of God's Frying Pans),
with its medieval alleys and ancient courtyards. Renowned for copper
pans, and bursting with character and history, it has an enormous
weekly market on Tuesdays where you can buy almost anything.
Local markets
Monday - Torigni-sur-Vire, Tinchebray
Tuesday - Ducey, Hambye, Caen, Sourdeval,
Alencon
Wednesday - Conde-sure-Vire,
Tessy-sur-Vire, Lisieux
Thursday - Beny-Bocage,
Conde-sure-Noireau, Alencon
Friday - Vire, Brecey, Falaise, Domfront
Saturday - St. Lo, Avranches, Bayeux,
Domfront, Lisieux
Sun - Barenton
PRICES
La
Martinière
is available for weekend, weekly holidays and longer-term rentals. Please
contact us with your requirements.
New Property -
special introductory prices per week,
depending on number of people staying
|
|
up to 4 people |
5 + people |
|
Low season |
£395 |
£495 |
|
Mid season |
£495 |
£595 |
|
High season |
£695 |
£695 |
Introductory discounts for
consecutive weeks - please enquire for details
Please Contact Adrian on
(UK)
00 44 (0)1761 463356 or
email
adrian . boots @
onetel . com
