Activity holidays have become very popular among visitors to France, not least because many take several breaks a year and are looking for a new experience each time. This is a great time of year for all sorts of activities in France from arts, crafts and photography to French language, from golf, fishing or cycling to therapies and relaxation. The weather is warming up, the countryside is fresh and beautiful and the evenings are long.
An activity holiday is so easy at a gite or self-catering house, where all members of the group can mix and match the way they spend their days with flexibility. Many breaks are offered by owners who started with a desire to pass on their own passion or hobby. As an owner of French holiday let, what could you do?
That’s the question asked in the May-June issue of Britmag, the popular magazine aimed at British residents in North West France and among the answers is advice from our own Glynis Shaw, joint MD of French Connections.
Glynis gives her own five top tips for running successful activity holidays in the article, which also features French Connections auberge Le Mesnil at Creances, Normandy. Here, owners Jan and Dave Tarbuck offer B&B along with painting holidays. The tutor is Joe Cousin (shown in our photo), a well known local artist whose paintings have been purchased by the Beckhams, Caron Keating and members of the Arsenal and Chelsea football teams.
Britmag is available at French supermarkets with a press section and at “Marchands de journaux” in towns with substantial British populations in Basse-Normandie, Brittany and the Pays de la Loire.
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Britmag,
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By Faith
– May 16, 2012
This year, most schools are timing half-term holiday to coincide with the Royal Jubilee in early June – which is a fantastic time to be in France! Lots of families are planning to hop across the channel, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to make a booking. In fact, there are some particularly mouthwatering holiday homes not only still available but offering great discounts for weeks throughout May and June, so it’s well worth taking a look at our Special Offer pages.
If you don’t want to travel too far, La Riviere is a two bedroom apartment in a historic riverside building at St Lormel in Brittany’s Cotes-d’Armor. It’s elegantly furnished with all mod cons, on the doorstep of shops, restaurants and a play park and just a few minutes drive to no fewer than eleven sandy beaches and coves so typical of this beautiful coastline. Remaining weeks in June are on offer at just £339 a week for up to five people.
In the sunny and ever popular Lot-et-Garonne, La Croix de Loubas is a complex of three traditional stone houses that sleep ten, eight and six people and can be rented together or separately. There’s an acre of garden with play area and swimming pool and the village of Penne d’Agenais is very close by, with the attractive town of Villeneuve sure Lot also easily accessible. The offer is a 20% discount in May and June.
Charente-Maritime is both popular and accessible and here you can stay at Maison Poirier, a 200 year old beautifully renovated cottage with pastel washed walls and blue shutters. It’s at the heart of the Cognac and Pineau producing region, in a small hamlet close to the village of Migron. There are three large bedrooms sleeping eight in all along with two bathrooms and, outside, a swimming pool and lots to keep youngsters happily occupied. A 25% discount is on offer for remaining weeks in June.
There are even more ideas available for the exact dates you want at our last minute bookings
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family holidays,
France Lovers,
half-term,
June,
May,
News,
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Tagged with accommodation, family holidays, half-term, June, May, special offer.
By Faith
– May 10, 2012
Because we love France, we’re always keen to pass on our enthusiasm and knowledge for all the varied parts of this amazing country. Our focus this month is the region of Champagne-Ardenne and Marne, best known as home of the golden bubbles that just burst with the mood of fun and celebration, but also home to some stunning lakes, forests and rolling country views. (more…)
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Marne,
paris,
Reims,
tgv
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By Faith
– May 4, 2012
May is a wonderful month of the year with days getting longer and the warmer weather slowly showing signs of new life in the gardens and countryside around us. I think it is fair to say that most of us feel better when new life is evolving and the promise of longer, warmer days are ahead. France is truly beautiful in May and it is one of the best months to have a well earned holiday if you are lucky enough to get away. With the weather being not too hot and not too cold, it is ideal for a change of scenery and a complete pick-me-up after the long winter months. (more…)
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By Gaynor Morgan
– May 4, 2012
IT’S NEARLY 21 years since I came to live in France. In all that time I’ve attended a mere four sporting events. A couple of village football matches. A now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t flash-past of the Tour de France through the village. Once to Montpellier to watch an opening round match of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, a contest of excruciating dullness between Tonga and Samoa. No, I can’t tell you who won, I’d have to look it up. (more…)
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By Chris Campbell-Howes
– May 1, 2012
Want to try a new part of France this year, away from the tourist hotspots but with plenty to do and see? Well, here’s a hot tip – plan a visit to the Ardèche. You’ll get a taste of the real France and discover one of the country’s most varied regions.
Where exactly is the Ardèche? Well it lies just south of the centre of France and has borders with Languedoc, the Auvergne and Provence in the south, where the weather is about as warm and sunny as Provence itself. The landscape is abundant with rivers, mountains and green forests so it’s great country for walking, canoeing and communing with nature. (more…)
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Ardeche,
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By Faith
– April 20, 2012
A rural holiday in Normandy through French Connections is the major focus of the Sunday Times Travel section cover story today. In a three-page article headed ‘Summer’s best deals from £100 a person’, journalist Stephen Bleach highlights the fantastic value of our La Houssaye, a Normandy watermill where a week in July or August for a family of four costs just £350. The 18th century converted mill still creates its own electricity and is set in 10 acres of riverside meadows. The article features a photo of La Houssaye, seen from the organic vegetable garden, along with photos of canoeing, riding and French markets, which are all available nearby. (more…)
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Normandy,
Sunday Times,
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watermill
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By Faith
– April 15, 2012
Planning to travel to France by plane or train and need to pick up a little runaround car from the airport or station? Want to find a spacious, convenient vehicle to take your family or group and their luggage on the ferry? Hiring a car is now quicker and easier with our new, one-stop price comparison search. All you need to do is enter your pick-up and drop-off location and some brief details on our car hire page and quotes at great rates will be instantly displayed from a whole range of top brand providers, including Hertz, Avis, Budget and Eurocar and more. (more…)
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Uncategorized
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By Faith
– April 10, 2012
We have been told that this wine has a “hint of strawberries” or that one suggests “dry cassis”, but I have always been bemused by the fact that some alcoholic fruit juice in a mass produced bottle can sell from anywhere between one Euro and three thousand Euros each.
Why? (more…)
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French Bread,
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By Chris Higginson
– April 10, 2012
April is a beautiful month of the year, it heralds in the spring with a promise of all things new. It is my favourite time of year and I enjoy pottering in the garden and planning our French holidays!
The garden is beginning to come to life as the spring bulbs begin to show through and very soon our laburnum tree will have a wonderful display of yellow flowers as the month progresses. The lavender is also beginning to show a new green growth and will in due course give us a beautiful display of fragrant lavender flowers down the garden path. I will use it for cooking as well as for lavender bags later on in the year. (more…)
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easter,
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French Recipes to Love
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By Gaynor Morgan
– April 3, 2012
THERE WAS a lot of conspiratorial whispering, rustling and shuffling outside, people saying urgently, under their breaths ‘You go first’, ‘No, you’, ‘Go on, we’ll follow’, ‘You start, it was your idea’, and so on. While all this was going on I was busy pouring champagne, noting that for nine people you have to break into a second bottle if everyone is to get a decent glassful, and if second helpings were required then we would need a third, and that no doubt Josephine had thought of this and that the fridge bottle rack was be groaning under the weight of enough bottles to satisfy the celebratory instincts of a small but very lively French choir. (more…)
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By Chris Campbell-Howes
– April 1, 2012
Want to live like a lord for the holiday weekend? The Comte and Comtesse de Vanssay are offering an elegant Easter break with a complimentary extra night at their Chateau de la Barre, which is featured in our latest competition.
The offer includes a VIP welcome and tea in the salon, a private tour of the château, a festive Easter Sunday Grand Siècle dinner with fine wines and champagne in the XVIIth century grand dining room, using the family silver and crystal, and two nights’ accommodation with breakfast – plus an extra night free. All for 390 to 490 euros per person, depending on the room chosen.
See more about Chateau de la Barre
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By Faith
– March 30, 2012
Spring has definitely arrived and there’s good news for anyone dreaming of a last-minute Easter getaway. Not only is France a fantastic destination, but you can also still choose from a range of fabulous accommodation from budget to luxury, giving you a chance to savour the romance of Paris, the glorious Normandy countryside or the glamour of the Cote d’Azur along with all the traditions, celebrations, food and drink associated with the season of Pacques.
If you feel lured by the charms of Paris, then check out the peaceful one-bedroom Greneta apartment in the buzzing Montorgeuil district, close to the Eurostar terminal. At £100 a night for two people, it’s excellent value and allows you to live like a Parisien for the weekend. Also great value is La Barberie, a beautifully restored and modernised rural cottage in the Calvados area of Normandy. With two bedrooms, it has plenty of space for four people and costs just £250 for the week.
Anyone looking for luxury in Normandy with a larger group of people will surely be delighted by the mouthwatering Chateau du Mont, set in its own gated 50 acre estate and resplendent with French antiques and period features at 6,000 euros for a week for up to 16 people. Luxury is also on offer at an architect’s villa near St Tropez on the Cote d’Azur, with a pool and amazing sea and Corniche views. La Lezardiere has five bedrooms and four bathrooms and accommodates up to 10 people for £1,500 per week.
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France Lovers,
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News,
Normandy,
paris,
st tropez,
value
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By Faith
– March 28, 2012
We’re very excited about our latest competition in association with FrenchEntree magazine. During March and April you’ll have the chance to win an exclusive two night break in the secluded Petit Loir for one lucky couple. The winners will be welcome guests of the Comte & Comtesse de Vanssay, 20th generation owners of the super elegant Château de la Barre. (more…)
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France Lovers,
News,
petit loir,
Tours
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Tagged with Chartres, chateau, competition, petit loir, Tours.
By Faith
– March 14, 2012
An innovative strategy to start losing weight can now be combined with a luxury weekend in Brittany. The non-invasive virtual gastric banding therapy is available during a three-night stay, commencing 30th March 2012, at La Longère, a boutique B&B retreat in a restored 18th century farmhouse with log fires and a jacuzzi. La Longère sits in an acre of tranquil countryside close to the village of Languidic in southern Brittany and handy for exploring sandy beaches, historic towns and the standing stones of Carnac. (more…)
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News,
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weight-loss
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By Faith
– March 12, 2012
If you love to take a sunshine holiday that offers relaxing by the pool or on the beach and a whole lot more besides, then the Gard just might be your perfect destination for the summer. It’s our featured region of France this month and has culture, excitement and activities to keep all ages happy. I first discovered the Gard when driving through France from Toulon to Normandy. It’s officially a part of Languedoc-Roussillon but also lies next to Provence, and I was enchanted by the palm trees and pink-washed buildings so evocative of the Mediterranean.
(more…)
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languedoc-rousillon,
nimes,
provence,
uzes
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By Faith
– March 8, 2012
You may already be aware of the new French laws requiring all motorists to have a disposable breathalyser (to measure breath alcohol levels) in their car at all times which has been mentioned in the press and on on BBC TVs Top Gear programme recently.
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By Michael
– March 6, 2012
We are now in March and the daffodils are already growing in our garden. It is my favourite time of year as there is a promise of spring around the corner!
The lady who delivers our fresh eggs each week tells me she is also busy with the lambing season and the birds are beginning to build their nests in the garden – much to the annoyance of our Jack Russell dog who barks at every bird who flies in and out of the garden. He actually sits under the bushes waiting for them – but of course the birds have the last laugh as they fly up to the safety of the higher branches. (more…)
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By Gaynor Morgan
– March 5, 2012
IT’S PRESIDENTIAL election time here in France. Or it will be, in a month or two, but they’re gearing up for it already. It’s turning into a two-horse race, between François Hollande, the socialist candidate, and Nicolas Sarkozy, the sitting tenant in the Elysée palace. There’s a third entry, the National Front’s Marine le Pen, but as all candidates have to have a minimum of 500 senators, regional councillors or mayors publicly endorsing their candidatures, a figure Mme le Pen so far falls short of, she may have to scratch from the starting boxes. (If she manages to scrounge the full 500 endorsements, it will make for an interesting race, to say the least.) There’s a small tribe of outsiders, the centrist Francis Bayrou, the far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and the Green party candidate, a lady called Eva Joly who wears red-framed glasses and isn’t even French, by birth: She’s Norwegian.
(more…)
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Nicolas Sarkozy
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By Chris Campbell-Howes
– March 1, 2012
French Director Michel Hazanavicius is putting French film making back on the map with his beautiful film The Artist sweeping the floor at this year’s award ceremonies including last night’s Oscars. (more…)
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France Lovers,
The Artist
Posted in France Lovers.
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By Josh
– February 27, 2012