Home description
La Fontaine Rouillée is a tiny hamlet in the rolling countryside of central Brittany. It is a lovely spot for a self catering holiday in a friendly, rural area in Cotes d’Armor, where it is just so easy to relax, unwind and forget the pressures of everyday life. Here you can discover our two charming character gîtes which have been carefully renovated to provide well equipped, comfortable holiday rental accommodation for couples, groups of adult friends, or small families, in a beautiful and tranquil part of Brittany which offers many options for sight seeing, sport, touring or relaxing in this easily accessible region of France.
Both holiday cottages each have plenty of private outdoor space, good quality hardwood garden furniture and built-in barbecues which are each positioned near freely available fresh herbs grown in pots or raised beds - to add to the appetising cooking smells! There is ample off road parking on site, and a lockable storeroom is available to all our guests for putting away cycles, fishing gear, golf clubs etc.
There are views across farmland to the local forest, with spectacular sunsets being a particularly regular feature along with clear star-filled skies - thanks to the pollution free atmosphere. It is a truly tranquil location, ideal for barbecues, relaxing with a book and a drink, watching the bird life, sketching the scenery, strolling or fishing beside the nearby river. This really is a chill-out zone to destress and appreciate the slower pace of Breton life. For the more energetic try following the marked cycling, pony trekking or rambling trails through the nearby forest or kayaking down river. Enjoy days out - our self catering holiday cottages are close enough to bustling market towns, good quality restaurants, a wide variety of historic sites, two large inland lakes with water sports, or the beautifully scenic north coast beaches and golf courses to provide plenty of options for everyone.
We have tried to ensure these vacation rental properties are places we would chose to stay in ourselves, and we personally maintain them. Each gîte has total privacy, but we are close enough to answer any queries you may have to help you make the most of your stay in this beautiful and friendly area of Brittany.
We are happy to be flexible about bookings, we offer an under-occupancy discount for couples in the Longere year round, short breaks from 3 nights out of peak season, and monthly lets between October and April. There are no restrictions on arrival days (subject only to existing bookings) and our prices include bed linen, utilities and a welcome pack.
If you are house hunting in Brittany, not only is La Fontaine Rouillée centrally placed with easy access to all the major routes, we also have many contacts to assist you both whilst searching for property, or in the renovation and ongoing maintenance of your Breton home. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Accommodation detail
Charmingly updated Breton holiday cottage. This well appointed, comfortable, detached two bedroom gîte has spacious single level accommodation, approached up a few steps from the enclosed, mature, south-west facing grounds. The property is completely suitable for year round holiday rentals and is maintained to a high standard by the english owners who live near by.
The accommodation comprises:
- Hallway - a wide central passage with original terracotta tiled floor, coat hooks, mirror and well stocked bookcase.
- Kitchen/diner - to the right off the hallway, this spacious dual aspect room is fully equipped for four people to both cook and eat in comfortably; a comprehensive inventory includes everything from a salad spinner through casserole dishes to a chicken rotisserie!
- Sitting room- opposite the kitchen/diner is a separate light and airy sitting room with chestnut flooring, 2 sofas, a very efficient wood burning stove, TV receiving UK free-to-air channels, DVD/CD player, traditional board games.
Located either side of the central hallway are the two parquet floored bedrooms and at the end is the spacious shower room. Both bedrooms have working shutters, ideal if you want a lie in; along with wardrobes, chests, mirrors and chairs and are supplied with a choice of summer or winter weight duvets. Either room will easily accommodate the optional travel cot.
- Double bedroom - with lovely views to the west over the forest.
- Twin bedroom - which is bathed in the morning sun.
- Shower room - refitted winter 2010: walk in shower cubicle, large vanity unit with inset sink, mirror, light and power point above, WC, towel radiator.
The rooms are fitted with modern, efficient individually controlled electric panel heaters; fans are available if required in warm weather; the wood burner and working shutters also ensure that the property is comfortable throughout the year.
Outside
The mature sunny garden has a multitude of bulbs, flowering shrubs and several fruit trees together with views across open countryside to Loudeac Forest. There is a built-in barbecue, bench seat, and hardwood outdooor dining furniture and padded recliners to enable you to make the most the outside space, the boundaries of which are fenced, tree bordered or walled creating an enclosed private garden for the exclusive use of cottage guests. A rotary clothes dryer is positioned to one side of the garden.
A separately accessed lockable cellar is available on request for storing bicycles, walking boots, fishing tackle, golf clubs etc.
There is plenty of on-site parking.
About the location
La Fontaine Rouillee is a beautiful, tranquil hamlet with views over the Loudeac Forest (which is freely accessible by the public), and within easy walking distance of the River Lie, which is graded 'excellent' for trout fishing. There are a number of marked trails for walkers and cyclists in the immediate area, passing the historic stone crosses which are a feature of this area. Kayak hire is available locally at very reasonable rates with the option to take part in accompanied excursions down river, the same sports base also offers cycle hire, both daily and for longere periods, and there is a riding stables which organises pony treks through the nearby forest.
Le Site de la Roche au Cerf is an ancient stepping stone river crossing found in the valley directly below La Fontaine Rouillee, where an original water mill has recently been restored by the commune and the shallow waters are lovely for dipping toes into in hot weather and ideal to relax beside with a picnic.
Plessala, our nearest village, can supply all your day to day shopping needs with a small supermarket as well as individual shops and a weekly market every Thursday morning, along with a bank with ATM, post office, service station, mayor's office that issues fishing permits for the trout lake, delicious lunches from the reknown local Crêperie and 2 village bars to sample a glass of the local cider.
There are plenty of good local restaurants in the vicinity, including an award winning gourmet one at Plemet, traditional auberges at St Gilles du Mene and St Goueno, both an excellent seafood restaurant and a medieval bistro in Moncontour, our local 'Petite Cite de Caractere', to mention but a few. We keep a comprehensive eating out guide for guests.
Weekly markets at Loudeac, Lamballe, Ploeuc-sur-lie, Pontivy and Josselin ensure a wide range of fresh produce and local crafts are always available along with the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of real Brittany. There are also regular vide-grenier / brocante markets in the region packed with all sorts of interesting items.
Both Dinan, a beautiful medieval walled city, which stages a bi-annual fete des ramparts in full costume, and Pleneuf Val-Andre, the fashionable beach resort with a world class golf course, are just a 40 minute drive away; these are musts for any visitor to the area. Also within easy reach of La Fontaine Rouillee are the smaller coved beaches and traditional fish market at Erquy and the moorland nature reserve at Cap Frehel where Forte du Latte castle perches on the cliff tops.
See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.
How to get here
Plessala can be reached in one hour from the ferry port at St Malo, or Dinard and Rennes airports, where hire cars are available. The port of Roscoff, and Brest or Nantes airports are all less than two hours drive; while the Normandy ports of Caen and Cherbourg are around 3 hours. Regular TVG trains run to Rennes and St Malo then on to Roscoff making stops at St Brieuc and nearby Lamballe, hire cars can obtained near all stations and the latter is within cycling distance. Calais is about a 5 hour drive.
Main roads throughout Brittany are well signed, remarkably traffic free and easy to negotiate. If you let us know your arrival point we can recommend the best route and we will supply detailed instructions for navigating the rural roads leading to La Fontaine Rouillee.
See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.
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"Just a few words to say how great our stay was. The area and all the places we have been to were fab..."