Village House in Sarthe, France

La Tourelle details

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La Tourelle

The River Sarthe

Home description

Dating back to the 17th century, this charming village house lies in the peaceful countryside of the beautiful Sarthe valley, in the Pays de la Loire region of France. Whether you are looking for a relaxing holiday, where you can experience the gentler pace of rural French life, or looking for a base to explore places such as Le Mans, Angers, Tours or the chateaux of the Loire Valley, La Tourelle will provide the ideal 'home from home'.

The village of Avoise, with a population of just under 500, sits on the bank of the River Sarthe in the department of Sarthe. The village grocer’s can supply all your daily needs, including lovely, fresh, crusty bread. There is also a bar. The church of St Sulpice dates back to the 17th Century. The village also has an ancient Tour à Sel where salt was stored.

Just 10 minutes drive from Avoise is Sablé sur Sarthe. Sablé offers a wide range of shops cafés and restaurants as well as a twice-weekly market. There is a cinema and frequent concerts of all kinds.

Accommodation detail

Living Room

Twin bedroom

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La Tourelle nestles in a quiet lane near the centre of the village and is one of the oldest houses in the village. The original bread oven in the courtyard would have been used by the whole village to bake their bread. The house is built into the cliff side and two large, interconnecting caves provide perfect storage all year round. The large, sunny courtyard provides parking for one car. (Extra parking is available in the nearby municipal car park, free of charge).

The house has three bedrooms to sleep 6 people, two shower-rooms (one with toilet – there is also a separate toilet), a large living room and family kitchen with dining table and chairs. A stone spiral staircase links the ground and first floors and each room retains its original beams. The house has been decorated and furnished to a high standard while retaining the character of the property.

• Living Room: The heavily beamed living room has an old stone fireplace housing a wood-burning stove for chillier evenings. There is plenty of comfortable seating. A stereo CD, tape and radio player as well as TV and DVD player are provided for your entertainment and a selection of board games is also available. French windows open onto the courtyard.
• Kitchen: The large, country-style kitchen provides everything you might need to make the most of the wonderful, fresh, local produce. Fully-equipped with a full-sized cooker, automatic washing machine, fridge-freezer and all the crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils you might need to practise your cuisine française. There is also a farmhouse table which seats six people.
• Bedroom 1: The double bedroom has a wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside tables.  An electric radiator is provided for the winter months.
• Bedroom 2: The first of the twin bedrooms has two 3ft beds, a chest of drawers, bedside table and plenty of hanging space. There is also an electric radiator.
• Bedroom 3: The second twin room also has two 3ft beds, chest of drawers, bedside table and hanging space, with electric heater for the winter.

Outside:

A sunny courtyard, planted with shrubs and flowers is perfect for ‘al fresco’ meals. Table, chairs and a barbecue are provided. Sunloungers and folding chairs are also available for making the most of the sun. The caves house two mountain bikes, which you can use to explore the local countryside and surrounding villages. Additional bikes can be hired from the grocer's.

About the location

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities near by

Boating, Cycling, Fishing, Golf, Horse riding, Pottery, Shopping, Sightseeing, Swimming, Walking

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

By ferry: The village is about 3 hours drive from Caen. Brittany Ferries sail from Portsmouth to Caen as do LD Lines.

By air: The nearest airports are Angers, Tours and Rennes. Angers is about an hour's drive from Avoise while Tours and Rennes are both about 1hour 30 minutes away. A number of operators serve these airports from the UK. For example

Ryanair : Stansted to Tours

Air France: Heathrow to Tours

British Airways: Gatwick to Tours

 Flybe: Southampton to Angers.

Aer Arann: Manchester to Angers,

KLM: Aberdeen to Angers

This is not an exhaustive list , so please check with your local airport.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.