Beautiful B&B with heated swimming pool

Les Hirondelles

22570 Laniscat

Nearest town: St Brieuc

Our sixteenth century Breton farmhouse offers a peaceful and private setting with attractive gardens and a large heated swimming pool (24 May-13 September 2008)for your Chambres D'Hotes/B&B break in a rural area ideal for both exploring and relaxing, and is now approved by Clevacances (the French equivalent of the English Tourist Board). Our B&B/Chambres d'hotes is an ideal family holiday location as it is just a kilometre or two from a small bustling town called Gouarec, which has restaurants, bars, mini-golf and local shops, about 8 kilometres from Lac de Guerledan, 35 minutes from the north Brittany coast at St Brieuc and an hour or so from the south Brittany coast. All rooms are comfortably furnished with en suites.

Les Hirondelles has recently been completely renovated to include every modern convenience eg central heating, all rooms en suite, etc, whilst retaining a wealth of 'olde worlde' charm with its huge beams, massive granite fireplace with its wonderful warming log burner, slate flagged floors and a spiral stone staircase in its own tower. We have 3 lovely bedrooms:

'La Chambre Verte' is on the first floor and has a comfortable king size bed, and sitting area, with en suite bathroom;

'La Chambre Jaune' is also on the first floor and has a comfortable king size bed and a single bed, plus a sitting area, and an en suite shower room;

These two bedrooms are adjacent to each other.

'La Chambre Rouge' is located on the ground floor making it accessible to those with mobility problems including wheelchair users, and has a king size bed and sitting area with an en suite ('wet' room) shower room.

All our rooms can be adapted to suit a family with the addition of single bed/s and/or cot. Each room has an alarm/clock/radio and hair dryer, and books, magazines and local information to read.

In the sitting room, there is a wood burner set in an original stone fireplace and comfortable seating. There is a English satellite television with DVD and video players with a number of different films for you to watch, and also games and books.

In fine weather breakfast will be served either in the courtyard to the front, or on the terrace to the rear which overlooks the garden. You will have the choice of breads (usually home-made), croissants, pain au chocolate, home made jams, fruit juice and coffee or tea.

If you would like an evening meal you can arrange this at breakfast time on a daily basis. Or if you'd like a packed lunch, please tell us the night before and we'll have one ready for you to take with you!

The terrace is beneath an ancient medlar tree which gives pleasant dappled shade and there is a barbecue available for guests to use, a safe lawn area for children and outside games, and you also have the use of our heated swimming pool from 24 May to 13 September 2008.

Out of season you can book one of our gites on a per night basis which gives you the use of a private sitting room and cooking facilities but also the benefit of breakfast served to you.

At Les Hirondelles we offer you rural Brittany at its most enchanting: an idyllic retreat from the hurly burly of modern life where deer and wild boar roam the forests and fields and all sorts of birds nest in our garden including the swallows which give Les Hirondelles its name. We love it here in our rural idyll: the skies are clearer and bluer - there's no pollution; the grass and trees really are greener; and because there's no light pollution the night sky is very dark and you'll see so many stars that you'll think you could just reach up and pluck one to keep! Your holiday is important to you, and it's important to us to make sure you have a great time. After all, we'd like to see you again some time! We believe that happy children make happy parents so we aim to be family friendly and have a range of baby equipment available at no extra cost, and also play equipment and toys for all ages!

Attractions

This is a fascinating area of Brittany giving you the choice of wonderful inland valleys and hills to explore but also being within easy driving distance of the 3 very different Brittany coasts: west Brittany coast for surfing, north Brittany coast for rock pools and south Brittany coast for glorious sandy beaches. Whatever you enjoy doing you can find it in this area. Brittany’s mild weather means that often the best time to visit is in Spring and Autumn when it is less crowded; in Autumn there is a stunning display as the forests turned golden and red, and everything is gloriously hued as the sunlight plays across the leaves.

Within our grounds there is the swimming pool and there are various outdoor and indoor games, such as swings, boule, croquet, paddling pool, etc. There is also a small barn which children can use to play in during the day and then in the cool of the evening the adults can use it for 'al fresco' style dining.

The north Brittany coast close to St Brieuc is about 35 minutes by car where there are not just lovely sandy beaches but also fascinating rock pools for children to try their hand at crabbing! Or visit the west Brittany coast for surfing, and the south Brittany coast for glorious sandy beaches, both about an hour from us.

We are walking distance (about 1.5 kms) from Gouarec, which is situated on the junction of the River Blavet and the Nantes-Brest canal, where there is everything you need including shops, banks, restaurants, bars, and mini-golf. Gouarec was once home to the Dukes of Rohan who built a castle there but sadly this is now gone. There are still some lovely old buildings in the town which becomes a mass of floral displays during the summer.

L'Abbaye de Bon Repos was originally built in 1184 and has been successively ruined and rebuilt over the centuries. Its superb setting next to the River Blavet and the Nantes-Brest Canal is well worth a visit: there are weirs, salmon stairs, a former water mill, a mediaeval stone bridge over the river, a restaurant and a very interesting fossil/jewelley/objets d'art shop. Opposite there is a creperie/bar where you can sit and drink while watching the world go by. On Sunday mornings from Easter to October there is an interesting local market where traders sell organic produce and crafts - it’s not just for tourists, it's also popular with locals in Brittany. The abbey is now being restored and to raise funds for this a grand ‘Son et Lumiere’ is presented around the second weekend in August every year when around 400 local people, horses, dogs, etc, enact the history of the abbey and the area. It is a fantastic event starting around 10.30pm and ending around 12.30am. Having seen a number of such ‘grande spectacles’ including beside the Pyramids in Egypt we can honestly say this one in Brittany is the best!

We are only 8 kms from Lac de Guerledan where you can enjoy various water sports such as water ski-ing and swimming, or hire a motor boat, canoe, kayak, rowing boat, dinghy or pedalo, or enjoy a lake cruise, or take dinner one evening on a floating restaurant. There are several free public slipways if you want to bring your own boat. Hire charges are very reasonable whether by the hour or the day and booking in advance is seldom necessary.

You can fish for pike, zander, carp and trout in Lac de Guerledan and with the purchase of a cheap 10 day permit you can also fish in many local rivers, and keep what you catch, including salmon. A carp night fishing tour is a regular event and open fishing competitions take place throughout the season.

There are a number of ‘poney clubs’ in the area where you can hire a hack by the hour, around 15 euros, or for the day at about 75 euros, or you could have lessons and learn to ride. There is a horse museum in Corlay, Brittany, which also has a ruined castle surrounded by water and its Hippodrome (race course) at Petit Paris holds national race meets during the summer. The village of Bulat-Pestivien hosts an annual 3 day horse fair in September for which people come from miles around.

There are a number of golf courses in Brittany and these tend to be closer to the coasts but well within comfortable driving distances of 30 - 60 minutes or so. If you just fancy trying your hand at golf but don’t have, or don’t want to bring your golf clubs, then we have a couple of basic sets available to borrow! But if it’s just for fun then you can play mini-golf in Gouarec or crazy golf in Mur de Bretagne - both quite challenging for the beginner!

Les Landes des Liscuis is a stunning moor land of a schist crest which dominates the Nantes-Brest Canal to the South and the Gorges of the Daoulas stream to the East. It has exceptionally rich flora of moss and lichens, the sea campion and the flaxen leafed St. John’s Wort. There are three covered alleys on the heath, les allees couvert, and long barrows which are historic monuments in Brittany. There is a wonderful footpath which goes through the forest and then up along the crest giving wonderful views of the gorge and the lake. There are many interesting standing stones, menhirs and megaliths, which take on strange shapes depending on the way in which you look at them!

For those who enjoy history and sightseeing, there are a number of churches particularly with parish closes, castles, etc, within easy reach for you to explore in Brittany. Pontivy is situated on the River Blavet and was the seat of the Dukes of Rohan and their castle still stands and is worth visiting. It has a moat which has never had water in it! The town of Pontivy has a mediaeval centre, a traditional main street of individual shops and also the ‘new town’ of Napoleonville which was laid out according to his instructions and was intended to become the capital of Brittany.

Whatever your interests, there are loads of fantastic activities to enjoy near our Gites in Brittany.

Open all year:

out of season prices
40 euros per room in our farmhouse for 1 person per night including 'le petit dejeuner'

55 euros per room in our farmhouse for 2 people per night including 'le petit dejeuner'

65 euros per night for 2 people in one of our gites including 'le petit dejeuner' served in our farmhouse dining room or the gite as you prefer

95 euros for family room in our farmhouse (2 adults & 2 children) per night including 'le petit dejeuner'

prices from 24 May to 13 September 2008

45 euros per room in our farmhouse for 1 person per night including 'le petit dejeuner' and the use of the swimming pool

65 euros per room in our farmhouse for 2 people per night including 'le petit dejeuner' and the use of the swimming pool

105 euros for family room in our farmhouse (2 adults & 2 children) per night including 'le petit dejeuner' and the use of the swimming pool

EVENING MEALS (by arrangement)

18 euros per adult for 3 courses including wine and coffee

10 euros for the under twelves

PACKED LUNCHES (by arrangement)

6 euros per person to include a large baguette/roll, fruit, crisps and soft drink

Lesley & John Cottrell

Click e-mail to contact owner;

Tel. 0033 (0)296249477

English Francais

Please mention OurInns.org when enquiring or booking

Booking

Payment may be made by cheque (drawn on a French account) or by cash. Unfortunately we are unable to accept credit or debit cards.

Full booking instructions are on our own web site.

From the St Brieuc direction, you enter Corlay on D790 you will see a garage on your right and a road signposted 'autre directions' on your left which you take. Then take the second road on your right signposted D44 Gouarec. Follow this road through Laniscat still towards Gouarec - the road number changes to D76. After about 2 kms you will see a sign 'Chapelle de Rosquelfen (and also our sign 'Les Hirondelles Chambres D'Hotes' below it) on your right indicating that you turn left so do so. You go pass a large stone crucifix and Les Hirondelles is the first property on your left. Drive into our courtyard - you have arrived and now you can relax and unwind in your rural idyll.

Full detals are on our own web site.

Maximum occupants: 10

Booking confirmation: Within 48 hours

Breakfast - continental
Clock Radio
Cot available - free
Evening meals
Hair dryer
Internet - Wireless LAN
Parking - free
Location: in the country
Pool - heated
TV - satellite
TV - in lounge
Packed lunch
Board games

Les Hirondelles

From ourinns.org in Brittany, Cotes d'Armor