Lovely detached cottage set in its own garden with stunning panoramic views
| Sleeps | 3 |
| Bedrooms | 1 |
| Space | 430 sq. ft. |
| Property type | cottage |
| Minimum Stay | 4 - 7 nights |
Overview
Gite in La Baleine near Gavray, Manche - Superb Countryside, Close to Beach And Major Normandy Places Of Interest. Discount with Brittany Ferries.
La Cachette is a detached stone cottage, set in its own private garden with beautiful panaramic views of the beautiful Sienne river valley. Located about 300 metres along a country lane (recently resurfaced) which leads directly to a footpath beside the river, the gite is in the middle of a conservation area renowned for its stunning scenery. A wonderful riverside walk meanders its way to Gavray and many other superb walks are accessible direct from the house. Fishing is available in the river within 200 yards of the gite and the area is teeming with wildlife such as deer, badgers, hare, buzzards, owls, and even the occasional otter. The local town of Gavray, which is just 5 minutes by car, has a supermarket as well as a choice of restaurants, banks, shops etc. A very popular market is held in the town every Saturday morning. The pristine sandy beaches of the west coast are a mere 20 minutes drive away. The port of Granville, the famous 'copper' town of Villedieu les Poeles, and Countance with its Cathedral, are all within 20 minutes or so, and Mont St Michel, Bayeux, and the D-D beaches are all within easy reach.
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About Patricia Hawkey
Dave and I are both from Surrey. We met at a dance when I was 16 and Dave was 17. Both of us are from large familes, I am the eldest of 5 and Dave was one of 5 boys. We have one daughter, two sons and 7 grandchildren ages ranging from 2 to 24 and we are all very close. Never a day goes by that I have not spoken to one member of the family.
We lived at Tattenham Corner on Epsom Downs for 33 years until we moved to France. This was a result of Dave suddenly being made redundant aged 56. Our intention was always to move to Cornwal but this was not really feasible financially, so we had to rethink. It was either Spain or France, but as we already had an apartment in Spain we decided on France, mainly because it was so much easier for the family to visit. One car on the ferry with the family and dogs, instead of lots of flights and worrying about the dogs.
We travelled extensively before we moved to France, our favourites places being India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand to name a few. So in 2017 we are hoping to visit one or two of these places again to celebrate out Golden Wedding. We still enjoy getting out and people say they do not know how we manage being always on the go, but, why not? While we are able we will continue to go from France, to the UK to visit the family and friends and then fly over to our home in Spain and just relax..
I hope this gives you a bit of an insight to both of us and we look forward to welcoming everyone to our little bit of paradise
Patricia Hawkey purchased this cottage in 2005
Why Patricia Hawkey chose Saint-Denis-le-Gast
We viewed several properties over a week's visit, but on arriving at La Baleine we immediately fell in love with the area. The house and location reminded us very much of Fownhope, a village on the river Wye near Hereford where Dave's grandparents had lived. It was because of this that we named our house 'Fownhope'. On entering, we realised this was our dream home. I still cannot believe we live here. Our 3 bed semi turned into a 7 bedroomed house full of character with a cottage. This was the bonus, we never feel lonely as we meet people from all different countries and different walks of life so there is never a dull moment. The separate gite (La Cachette) was a bonus. It is on the other side of the lane from our main house and about fifty metres towards La Baleine. Apart from running the gite we also do occasional B&B in the main house so if you want to arrive midweek this is an option for accommodation until the gite is available.
What makes this cottage unique
Laval, the lane that runs between our house 'Fownhope' and our gite 'La Cachette' is part of a randonee - an official French rambling route. Very often, when walkers pass by, they stop outside our house, to take photographs, or simply to take in the stunning view. The comment we here most often is 'C'est magnifique', whether they are facing our house, or directly away from it, down towards the river. Guests staying in La Cachette frequently describe the area around it as 'a little piece of paradise'.There is little more we can add.
Guestbook comments from the owner
From our visitors book.
A little bit of heaven.
The gite was exactly as described and your b&b for our last two nights was second to none - most definitely 5* hotel standard. The evening meal you provided was truly excellent. Thank you. Bev & Chris Rhodes.
An idyllic 'hideaway' just what we needed to re-charge our batteries. The location is superb for visiting so many places. Thank you Pat & Dave for your warm welcome.
La Cachette is superb, very comfortable and relaxing. Thank you very much. We hope to come back soon!
Wonderful B&B nothing is too much trouble, thank you Pat & Dave for sharing your beautiful home with us.
A lovely place to stay, everything we hoped it would be. We will certainly recommend it to our friends.
This is a lovely gite in a beautiful setting. A wonderful place. We would love to come again and will recommend.
The perfect little hide-away with everything we needed. Loads to do within easy reach. Thank you for a lovely warm welcome.
Amenities
Saint-Denis-le-Gast Cottage Accommodation and Amenities
- cottage
- Guests provide their own meals
- 430 sq. ft.
- Check-in: 2:00 PM / Check-out: 10:00 AM
- Max. occupancy: 3
- pets considered
- children welcome
- non smoking only
- River
- Rural
- Hair Dryer
- Heating ...
- Internet
- Iron & Board
- Linens Provided
- Living Room ...
- Parking
- Towels Provided
- Washing Machine ...
- Coffee Maker
- Dishes & Utensils
- Kitchen ...
- Microwave ...
- Refrigerator
- Toaster
- Child's Highchair
- Dining ...
- Dining Area
- seating for 4 people
- 1 Bedroom, Sleeps 3
-
Bedroom 1 -
1 baby crib
- Description of sleeping capacity: Sleeps 1 Bedroom + 1 cot and or fold up childs bed. Notes on bedrooms: Light and airy large bedroom with double bed, sofa bed suitable for a child and ample room for a travel cot. There are bedside lamps, two chest of drawers and matching wardrobe. All bedding is Egyptian cotton with choice of feather or polyester pillows.
- Books
- DVD Player ...
- Music Library ...
- Satellite / Cable
- Television
- Bicycles ...
- Deck / Patio
- Golf ...
- Lawn / Garden
- Outdoor Grill
- Tennis ...
- 2 bicycles
- wheelchair inaccessible
- arboretum
- autumn foliage
- churches
- forests
- restaurants
- zoo
- bird watching
- gambling casinos
- horseback riding
- scenic drives
- sight seeing
- walking
- ATM/bank
- groceries
- hospital
- medical services
- cycling
- fishing
- fly fishing
- golf
- hiking
- ice skating
- swimming
- tennis
Reviews
Wonderful!
4.8/5 -
(14 traveler reviews)
Beautiful, peaceful setting, set in it's own little suntrap.
Booking was really easy and Pat responded to our emails very promptly.
We didn't expect such fantastic weather at the beginning of April and were incredibly lucky to have sunshine for the full 3 weeks. We went for rest and relaxation and got it in spades and managed to fully recharge our batteries.
The cottage is clean and tidy and has everything we needed. It is comfortable in the sitting area and the bed is incredibly comfortable with very good quality bedding. I slept better than I have in years. There is plenty of storage in the bedroom and there was always lots of hot water.
There are many different kind of birds who came onto the patio to eat the food that the owners had placed there for them and it was lovely to watch them and to listen to them singing. The place is very quiet and surrounded by wild flowers and trees.
My partner fished in the nearby river and even caught a trout!
We were sad to leave and could have stayed the whole summer. If you've booked you will love it and if you're considering booking I would recommend that you go ahead and do so, you'll definitely not regret it.
I also recommend the Le Krill restaurant which is a few minutes walk away down the lane. Amazing food and drink at reasonable prices (some of the best we have ever had in France). We went on Friday lunchtime and it was very busy with local diners. I bet it's difficult to get a table in the height of the season.
The big supermarket on the way into Granville is the place to get excellent groceries and great wine.
For those that are wondering.....there is phone reception and the wifi works ok. Believe me though you'll want to put your phone onto silent!!
I also must mention the amazing night sky, there is no light pollution and the stars are fantastic, just mesmerising!
We would be very happy to go again, it's such a little tranquil oasis.
A relaxing stay in beautiful surroundings
This lovely detached cottage in beautiful countryside is the perfect place to relax, read and rewind. Peaceful private garden where the sun shone all day.The only real noise was that of birds singing. Birds of prey fly by. Perfect spot to explore surrounding area. Dave and Pat are perfect hosts, we really enjoyed our stay.
The cottage was lovely ; it was very comfortable and had everything you needed.
We stayed for 2 weeks and had a very relaxing and enjoyable time. The cottage and garden are both great and such a peaceful setting within the beautiful Normandy countryside. Pat and Dave, who own the property, are very friendly and helpful which contributed to us having such an enjoyable stay.
We had some nice weather during our stay and just sitting in the garden (with a glass or wine or two !) is a great way to relax and unwind. There are however plenty of nice places to see without having to travel too far, e.g. Granville, Coutances, Brehal (lovely beach) ; further afield you have Bayeux and the D-Day landing beaches which are well worth seeing. The roads in Normandy are generally quiet (and toll-free which is an added bonus).
There are plenty of lovely cafes and restauarants to try ; the one closest to the cottage is called "Le Krill" and only a short walk away and the food is excellent.
The cottage is definitely one we would like to return to and hopefully do so in the near future.
Lovely cottage in beautiful surroundings
We had a great holiday at La Cachette! It's a lovelly well equiped cottage in beautiful surroundings with a large tree to sit in the shade when the weather was hot. There was a welcoming packet of grocery's when we arrived which was very kind of Pat and Dave. And when I had really bad sunburn of my feet, Pat helped to cure it with aloe vera. Really kind owners. We visit the beach a lot who are in easy reach. Made also a lot of daytrips to the D-day beaches and musea, went to Cite de la Mer in Cherbourg (which is a must see!), the zoo in Champrepus, Caen, Granville and all the other places around La baleine. There's a lot to see. The weather was beautiful and so was our holiday.
Petit but perfectly formed
This was the perfect place to relax and get away from it all. Very well equipped including a lovely 'welcome' pack and all that was needed to chill in comfort. A shame that our hosts were away and that both recommended restaurants were closed. We may well have to return if only to say 'hello' and sample the local cuisine. Do hope the cats are still thriving.
Beautifully situated with complete privacy.
One of the best gites I have stayed in. Very well equipped and all your needs catered for. Surrounded by meadows all with resident cattle.loved the two feral cats who visited on a regular basis about 6.30 every night.No traffic noise whatsoever. Perfect.
Map
Coast/Beach:
Of all the Normandy coast, the department of Manche boasts the greatest number of European blue flag beaches ideal for swimming or sunbathing. Its an easy 20 minutes drive to west coast beaches where you can walk for miles along the sandy beaches such as that at Coudeville sur Mer. Another resort, Gouville sur mer, situated just 10 kilometres from Coutances, is famous for oyster and sea urchin farming. It has a fine sandy beach bounded by sand dunes stretching over six kilometres.
Travel:
We have a Brittany Ferries Club membership which will enable you to get a discount on your ferry booking. The code is on the booking form. Airports at Cherbourg, Dinard and Rennes all around 1.15 minutes. Port of Caan, Cherbourg 1.15 minutes. Port of Le Havre 2 hours. Channel Tunnel 4 hours. Port of Granville 25 minutes. Daily ferry crossing to Jersey. Direct rail link to Paris from Villedieu Les Poeles which is 20 minutes drive.
Distances:
Gavray, 5 minutes.
Hambye and the Abbey, 10 minutes.
Port of Granville, 25 minutes.
The famous Copper town of Villedieu Les Poeles, 20 minutes.
Coutances and cathedral and gardens, 20 minutes.
Mont St. Michel, 45 minutes.
D Day landing beaches and WW2 memorial sites 1.25 hours.
Bayeux Tapestry and Cathedral 1.25 hours.
Further Details:
In Gavray there is an English speaking doctor, a pharmacy with English speaking chemist. Banks, butchers, bakers, supermarket with petrol station. English speaking veterinary. Hardware shop, hairdressers. Coutances is 20 minutes away. Here you will find new indoor bowling, ice skating and ice go karting. Indoor and outdoor tennis courts, indoor pool, squash courts. The wonderful Cathedral is worth a visit. The museum and it's superb gardens is opposite the cathedral and has exhibitions through the year. Jazz sous les Pommiers (Jazz Under The Apple Trees) the Annual Jazz festival takes place in Coutances in May. Music takes over the streets, churches, cafes and additional activities include plenty of oyster eating. Although events in the street are free except for the Fanfare on the Sunday, a fee is charged for the theatre and a few other indoor venues. At Villedieu les Poeles you will find an indoor pool with saunas. The large Tuesday morning market is very popular, selling fruit, vegetables, fish, clothes, furniture and much more. You can visit a number of museums and the bell foundry. The zoo at Villedieu les Poeles is fantastic. At St. Lo, there is a new indoor swimming complex with chutes and rides. The port and busy seaside town of Granville has many fish restaurants and shops to choose from. There is the old cobbled town looking out towards the channel isles. Daily excursions from the port to Jersey. The cliff top house and gardens and Museum of Christian Dior are situated here as well. We have internet available in our house opposite and everyone is welcome to use it. A friend of ours is a keen cyclist and was a member of the British cycling team. He can recommend where to go cycling for those that enjoy this hobby. We do have some cycles for those that would like to use them, but this would of course be at your own risk. Paris takes 2 hours 50 minutes by train and goes direct from Villedieu les Poeles. A daily ferry runs from Granville to Jersey.
Photos
Availability
- Available
- Unavailable
Additional information about rental rates
| Fees | No additional mandatory fees |
Booking Notes:
For our gite La Cachette: Holiday booking price is as shown and we do not have hidden extras. We provide all bedlinen and bath towels and linen. The only thing we do not provide are the beach towels. For shorter stays please contact me.
£100 deposit required, balance to be paid 6 weeks prior to arrival. I will always offer alternative holiday dates if the cancellation is due to sickness etc. Please contact me at the earliest opportunity if this happens.
We look forward to welcoming you to this wonderful part of France.
Changeover Day:
For our gite La Cachette saturday is the preferred day of arrival however this is flexible depending on bookings. Arrival after 2pm departure by 10am.
Bookings for Chambre d'Hotes taken any day of the week.
Notes on prices:
La Cachette gite rental price is per week and is inclusive of gas and electric. All linen is provided with no hidden extras. The French Tourist Tax is also included in the rental price.
Fownhope B&B price is per night per double room inclusive of breakfast and start at 60 euros per night. We have three double rooms.
Owner's Cancellation Policy
- Canceled bookings will not receive a refund
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