A Brief Guided Tour of the house

(Note: you can see a better quality version of any of the pictures below just by clicking on the one you want to look at.)

We are very proud of our new house and would like to take you on a brief tour.

So, here it is! The basic facts don't say much: it's a two bedroomed house with a single, open-plan room downstairs.

The small terrace below the house is also ours: there's a table and chairs just inside the cave in the hill face and a small barbeque. It is completely inaccessible from outside and you reach it from a "cave" running under the house.

Can you just imagine having your evening meal there in the sun, after a full day? (The terrace is West facing and can be in shadow in the morning but, from about 9.30 onwards gets the full benefit of the Sun.)

Here's a better view of the house itself.

Yes! That's a vine growing round the window - and we've even had some of the grapes. And they were actually delicious.

The two iron horse-heads stand guard over our property. The red tiled area in front of the house belongs to us and is suitable for eating out - or just lounging in the sun - although we'll introduce you to a more private area in a moment. What you can't see ... yet ... is that the horses and the house look out onto an eleventh century castle: in general it's not open to tourists although you may be able to see some of it as part of a wine-tasting trip.

Well, since you asked, I'll give you a glimpse of the castle. This is what you will see while you're having your breakfast on the terrace. (Bear in mind that the day we took these photos was a rather wet day late in October.)

While we're there, let's show you a little more of the view. The castle is straight in front of you. Turn to the left and you will see the countryside of the Layon valley.

It really is this beautiful.

The house is in a small village called Passavant sur Layon. The village is so small that it doesn't have any shops. But a larger village (complete with bread shop, resteraunts, newsagents and a Spar) is only a mile's stroll through countryside like this.

So here's the inside!

I spent so much time talking about the beautiful countryside that I bet you thought the inside would be a let-down. We don't think so.

The typically Gallic blue-and-white tiles mark the kitchen area. You can see that the kitchen is ecquipped with a gas cooker, freedge-freezer, dishwasher and washing machine - not to mention cupboards. The microwave is hidden by the fridge/freezer..

Below is a better view of the lounge and dining areas - although you can't really get an idea of sizes in this picture. The open window in the background once again opens onto a countryside vista - although you can see our neighbours as well.

The windows in second bedroom look out at the castle. They are quite small but there is plenty of light in the room from windows on the other outside wall.

Both bedrooms are good sizes, easily accommodating a double bed (or twin beds, in the case of one bedroom) and various pieces of furniture. In fact, we have put an extra couch in one that converts to a second double bed, just in case a large party are staying.

While we're up in the bedroom, we'll give you another splendid view across the Layon countryside. This is the view from the back bedroom.

Have you noticed that there is a road in the valley between the house and the castle. On our first visit a small English boy (about 6 or 8 years old) free-wheeled down the road on his scooter. That's how busy it was - although I hope he was warned to look out for the occasional tractor.

We can't guarantee the authorities won't dig up the road, but we have always found the area very quiet.

Well, what can I say? It's a bathroom. What you can't see (just round the corner) is one of the two wcs in the house.

While we're talking toilets and things, I should mention that there is a second WC on the ground floor and a separate shower area in the basement.

Talking about the cave, you might as well visit there now. This picture shows the stairs down from the ground floor into the cave. Built into the rock under the stairs is a wine storage area - but don't get your hopes up: if any wine gets stored there, you'll have to put it there yourself.

Being an underground complex, I'm a bit worried it could be quite cold but notice the heaters again. Also, you can just catch a glimpse of the shower cubicle.

Continuing further into the cave, you get the next picture. The doors are actually the "back doors" to the house and the tunnel leads out onto the terrace you saw at the beginning of our tour.

So now our tour is complete. We hope you'll come back soon to look at progress on this site and our holiday home.

In fact, we hope that before too long you will see and stay in the real thing and not just photos on the web.


Just in case the sun is not so cooperative, all the rooms do have electric radiators. The house is well-endowed with electricity and water, so all mod-cons are guaranteed. For those who are keen on the rustic charms of old houses, note the beams (poutres in french) and the tomettes on the floor. We are advised that the house was built about 1830. Next is the "small" bedroom. We've provided two views to try to give a feel for the room. The second photo is from beside the bed and looks out to the surrounding countryside.







		Turn left through those doors and you are onto the terrace:



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