Bank Holiday Season – les jours de fériés 2018
It’s bank holiday season in France. May is notoriously full of bank holidays in France and this year there are more ‘pont’ weekends than usual. A ‘pont’ is the extra day that can attach itself to a Bank Holiday weekend when the bank holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday. So when the bank holiday is on a Tuesday the holiday weekend takes on the Monday etc. The first pont weekend end with 1st May, next Tuesday. 1st May is Labour Day and it’s one of the very few days of the year when Mont St Michel is...
read moreRomarin – the Makeover
We have had quite a busy winter, repairing, refreshing and updating our properties. Our major indoor project was to makeover the upstairs of our 2-bedroom cottage Romarin. I thought of doing before and after photos, but here are just the after photos. Downstairs is much the same. Outside we have done some landscaping at Val and the new garden bench arrived today. Henry has rebuilt what we like to call the feed shed. Both of these projects have been interrupted by the frost that arrived at the weekend but we hope to finish off next week. ...
read moreA Fabulous Night Out in Cancale and a New Restaurant to Recommend
Last night was our wedding anniversary. Unusually, it was also a night when we had no guests arriving. With a free evening, we decided to go for a night out in Cancale. We hadn’t been for over a year and I had found a restaurant that I wanted to try. Le Bout du Quai is at the opposite end of the Corniche to the lighthouse, and it is at the end of the road. We had the foresight to book a table, which was wise as the restaurant is small and the opening hours are short. We were tucked into a corner with a sweeping view of the bay....
read moreLe Parc Botanique de Haute Bretagne – a hidden gem.
After 10 and a half years, I finally got around to visiting ‘le Parc Botanique de Haute Bretagne’. It’s on a slight detour from us to Fougeres in the middle of nowhere. And it was lovely. If I lived a bit closer, I would probably visit every week, but tumbling lawns, water features and themed gardens are just my cup of tea. They even serve a cup of tea in the Chateau! I used to live in Chester, and I often visited Ness Gardens. This garden has a similar feel… something different around every corner, a relaxed feel...
read moreBreakfast at la Ferme de la Baie – petit déjeuner pour vous?
In a Bed and Breakfast, breakfast is pretty important. We serve a French continental breakfast. As well as croissants and fresh bread, there is usually some homemade yoghurt, cheese and cold meats or saucisson. We often offer a homemade cake or muffin. Banana cake is pretty good at breakfast time, as is apple cake. At this time of year the choice of fruit is greater… strawberries will soon be finished but nectarines and apricots are making an appearance. I have spent many days replanting the raspberry patch, and I am hopeful that...
read moreFete de la Bretagne
May is usually the month of bank holidays in France, but this month in between the bank holidays there is a cultural festival in Brittany. You can find more about what’s on at http://www.fetedelabretagne.bzh/. For events happening near here, have a look at Ille et Vilaine… the closest place with events is Dol de Bretagne, which has lots going on on 13th and 14th May. Find out more on the Dol Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/dpi.dolpaysdinitiatives/ Fougeres is only 40 minutes, with a programme of activities from 17...
read moreWhat to do on a Monday … maybe visit St Malo or go for a walk
A recent guest was just heading out for the day, when I asked “What are your plans for today?” “We are going to Fougères,” he replied. “But the castle is closed on a Monday at this time of year”. Monday can sometimes be like another Sunday in France, as many shops are closed and some tourist sites are closed too, at least for some months of the year. Fougères castle is closed on Mondays from October until April. (It’s also closed for lunch time, between 12:30 and 14:00, so really in the tradition of French opening hours.) So it’s worth...
read moreInside Mont St Michel – my recent visit to the abbey
Although I see Mont St Michel every day from a distance, it is very rare that I actually go inside the abbey. My cousin visited me this week, so I decided to go and have a look inside Mont St Michel. Perhaps something had changed… A lot changed in 2012. The parking is now about 2.5km away from the foot of the Mont St Michel, which is good, as cars left in the car park do not float away at high tide anymore. The price of the parking includes transport on the Navette (shuttle bus) to the Mont St Michel. Actually the navette is...
read moreTripadvisor’s Top Beaches – St Malo number 3 in France
As Tripadvisor announces its view on the top beaches in the world, Le Sillon at St Malo comes in at number 3 in France. If you like a bit more seclusion, there are some lovely sandy bays near the Pointe de Grouin. You just need to take a picnic and your bathers Top Beaches in France In fact the coastline changes dramatically travelling from Granville to St Malo, so you could visit a different kind of beach every day. We are at the mid-point. The beaches closest to us tend to be best for walking, sand yachting, flying kites and...
read moreLambs – Very cute
Here is the official photo of Demelza 2, staying close to mum Constance. She might be our only lamb this year, so we hope mum keeps her safe. And here’s an up-to-date photo of the father of the flock. He actually isn’t the father of any of the flock, but he is the oldest sheep in the field. And because it isn’t all about sheep, here is our survivor chicken. Madame Blanche got fed-up of her friends being taken out by foxes, so she decided to leave the hen-house and sleep in trees. She changes her sleeping perch...
read moreSheep News from la Ferme de la Baie
Today we said goodbye to Demelza. She was part of the package when we moved to La Ferme de la Baie, so she was probably 10 years old, which is a good age for a sheep. The Ouessants are the smallest breed of sheep in the world and a very hardy. She was very timid when we arrived, but got braver as she got older. Big Steve is the last of the pure Ouessants, and he has the advantage of never having his body ravaged by childbirth, so he could be with us for a while yet. In a happier note, Constance kept the numbers up by giving birth to a...
read moreFood, Glorious Food – Restaurants We Love in the Bay of Mont St Michel
Finding great restaurants in a new place can be a challenge but can make a good holiday great. Here are some of our favourite places to eat in La Baie du Mont St Michel. To be fair, a favourite restaurant is not always just about the food. It’s worth noting that in the countryside restaurants tend to open at 7pm and if you want to eat later you need to be sitting down to eat before 9pm. Many restaurants are closed on Sunday night and on Monday and others choose other days. And some restaurants are closed altogether in the low...
read moreWhere We Are
On the border between Brittany and Normandy, minutes from le Mont St Michel
Le Fenil
Large open plan living area with vaulted ceilingAbricot
Cosy 2-bedroom gîte with a bath Romarin
Cosy 2-bedroom gîte with a shower Gardens and Grounds
Plenty of room to sit, to play games, to feed the chickens and to look for eggsBed and Breakfast
Rustic old farmhouse, with oak beams, original oak floorboards and a rambling gardenBed & Breakfast
Local Attractions
Historic towns, WWII sites, mussel and oyster farms, and World Heritage site le Mont Saint MichelLocal Attractions
Food and Fun
Sand yachting, accrobranches, golf, cycling, rambling, go-karting, horse-riding, sea-kayaking, eating…Food and Fun
Nice things people have said about their holidays with us