Elegant Spacious Manor House in Lower Normandy near Mt St Michel sleeps 15

We welcome you to a wonderful 16th century Manoir with a secluded garden, set in 12 acres of fields and woods. Ideally located for one or more families to holiday together and explore the wealth of local culture and heritage. Perfectly situated in beautiful lower Normandy countryside - 25 miles from Mont St Michel and 20 miles from superb Gulf Stream sandy beaches opposite Jersey. Excellent for exploring D Day beaches, & 1 hour to major towns of Rennes, Caen, St Malo.

The manor house is ideally and centrally located in Lower Normandy to take advantage of all the rich cultural and historical heritage of this beautiful and diverse region.
The property has been fully refurbished and is available for weekly bookings from June 2017.

The historic and vibrant hilltop town of Mortain (with its magnificent panoramic views) is 10 minutes away. In August 1944, Mortain was the site of an important battle between the German and American forces. The famed author J.D. Salinger fought alongside the American forces.

Supermarkets, pharmacies, and all local services (doctors, vets etc) are conveniently located 10 minutes away in Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët or 10 minutes in the opposite direction to Mortain.

Nearby there are numerous fascinating towns with a rich local culture including Ducey (20mins), Brecey (20 mins), Avranches(25mins) , Vire (25 mins), Domfront (25mins), Villedieu-les-Poêles (30mins), Fleurs(30mins) and Fougères (35mins)
The breathtaking Mont St Michel is 35 minutes away.

There are a vast number of beaches to explore - either travelling west to the Bay of St Michel, & Granville or east towards the D Day beaches.

Larger towns and cities such as Caen (1hr 10), Rennes (1hr), St Malo( 1hr), and Cherbourg & Le Mans(1hr 30) are within easy reach.

A 20 minute drive takes you the the stunning nautical base of Mazure on Lake Vezins,which runs for about 19 km through rugged gorges and beautiful scenery - offering kayaks, canoes, paddle and motor boats.
After a long boat trip a welcome rest can be found at the bohemian L'Autre Cafe found further up stream.

If antique hunting is of interest there are numerous flea markets, brocantes,& depot-ventes locally. However 10 minutes away in the sleepy village of Notre-Dame-du-Touchet is one of Normandy's largest antique emporuims ( Maison Lemarié - Normandie).

There are endless opportunities for walking throughout the countryside and cycling in the quiet country lanes or following the abundant off road cycle routes. Of particular interest to cyclists is that a 5 minute cycle ride from the house takes you to the off road 450km Paris to Mont St Michel cycle path known as the La Véloscénie.
Head towards Mount St Michel rather than Paris!
Regarding the cycle route the enchanting Cance river waterfalls are a focal point of this rugged local terrain, carving between steep hills, within the untamed heart of ‘Armorican Normandy’. The off road route then heads towards St-Hilaire before arriving in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel.
A detailed account of the delights of this trip is found on the following website.
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Calais (4hrs 10mins away) and access to the Eurotunnel are served by excellent quiet motorways with the pleasure of crossing La Seine at the Pont du Normandie.

Accommodation

The accommodation is configured to cater for very large families or groups of families . A maximum of 15 people can stay comfortably at any one time.
The manor house is a generous sized property with 450m² (4,900ft²) of space arranged over 2 floors with 2 staircases.
There is a ground floor WC and utility room with washer and dryer. The open planned kitchen dinning area is large and has double doors to the enclosed private terrace overlooking the flat front garden.
There is plenty of flexibility downstairs, with 2 family rooms, a TV room, study,a bar with stereo, large double aspect dining room with double doors to terrace overlooking the back garden, and a large reception room. There is enough room for families to spread out during their holiday and find their own space. However the kitchen remains a special space at the heart of the house overlooking the gardens and saddlery. There is a woodburner in the inglenook fireplace and an AGA in the kitchen.

Upstairs there are 5 large double bedrooms with 3 well equipped new ensuite bathrooms. One ensuite has a slipper bath and separate steam room. In addition there is a separate family bathroom.

Guests will have access to 2 acres of garden/parkland with 2 terraces suitable for outdoor eating , 6 acres of meadows to discover and 2 acres of woodland to explore.
There is ample parking for 6 vehicles.
There is covered space for games, darts, table tennis , & children's bicycles are available.

History

This beautiful Manoir is in a lovely location on the outskirts of a small quiet village, with a shop/café within walking distance.
Originally built in the 16th Century, the Manoir consists of two wings. Unfortunately, one wing was burnt to the ground in a war between Protestants and Catholics some 200 years ago but was sympathetically rebuilt in 1820. There is a long history to the house dating back to 1509.
There is 450m² of living space with 15 acres of land, including formal gardens, paddocks ( horses, cattle, sheep) and woodland.

The large caves (cellars) under the property still contain the original cider barrels from when the property was run as a successful Cider producing Manoir some years ago.
All of the original features remain intact, these include the oak wooden floors throughout the property, fireplaces in all main reception rooms and bedrooms (10 in total & a huge inglenook fireplace in kitchen), period wood panelled walls,original paintings and pictures & oak staircases. The original 16th century stone stove and stone sink remain in the kitchen.

The Manoir is situated on a quiet country lane, a short walk to the small village with shop/cafe, and only a 10 min drive to two large towns, that offer a wide range of amenities, including supermarkets, DIY shops, Restaurants & Bars, garden centre and typical French Markets. It is located in typical, unspoilt, peaceful rolling countryside, surrounded by dairy farms and corn fields. Until recently there was a large lake next door to the farm by the manor house but overtime this has given way to a peaceful natural woodland with a small stream running through it. It makes an ideal location for a picnic or evening walk.

Access
Calais 4 hours 10 minutes for the Eurotunnel and ferries.
Caen 1 hour 10 minutes for ferries and airport.
St Malo 1 hour (ferries to Jersey/UK).
The airport at Dinard is one hour away with twice weekly Ryan Air flights from Stansted.