We are looking for a couple to look after our lovely house in France from mid August for 4 months or more. The house was our home and business for 15 years before we returned to Scotland two years ago. We wish to find someone to care for it and our 4 hens when we are not here, maintaining it to keep it looking good, and maintain the 5 acre garden.
The house is situated in the town of Chatellerault, which has a population of 33,000 and situated on the River Vienne, between Tours with the chateaux of the Loire Valley and Futuroscope by Poitiers, (both of which have flights to Stansted, London.) It has a mainline TGV train station and one can travel to Paris in one hour 16 minutes, or go by car to the Atlantic coast in 90 minutes, Tours is 50 minutes away and Poitiers is 30 minutes. The town centre of Chatellerault itself is a 20 minute walk or 3 minutes in the car. We loved the town as there was so much happening, open air markets, pavement cafés, good restaurants, excellent sport facilities including golf, a multiplex cinema and another cinema showing films in original languages, and lots of theatres, with lakes and nature reserves nearby.
We moved here in 2002 when our kids were 8 and 10 years old, so they went to the local schools and we ran English camps for French kids, hosting 18 kids for 5 days in our house and chalet, teaching English in the mornings and doing sports and activities in the garden in the afternoon. Outwith the school holidays, we ran one half of the house as a B&B, or as a self contained unit. Unfortunately my husband is no longer fit to run the camps and we have returned to Scotland.
The house can be divided into two houses; one with 5 bedrooms (3 en suite), a kitchen, lounge, dining-room, and conservatory which was used as a B&B, and the other house reached by an interconnecting door has large lounge with inset fire, dining room, kitchen, pantry, cloakroom and access to the cellars, which has a sauna, changing rooms, showers and gym space, while upstairs there are 3 bedrooms, 2 shower rooms on the 1st floor and an ensuite bedroom and further room on the 2nd floor.
Initially, you will be staying in the 2 bedroom chalet until we go back to Scotland, which gives you more independence, and a chance to really get a feel of the property. Then you would be staying in the 'home' part, which has the insert fireplace which heats this house and upstairs, and wood is provided. There is also central heating for one or both houses which of course you can use if it is very cold, but it is expensive and we should like you to be prudent with it.
The garden is 5 acres so would suit a fit and healthy gardener. We need the grass cut (using a sit on mower), strimming and watering of plants. In the autumn there is a lot of cutting back to do, 'heavy gardening', especially this year as it has become rather overgrown. There is also an outdoor swimming pool, so someone with experience of pool maintenance would be good but not essential.
We are particularly interested in a couple who would be happy to welcome and accommodate occasional guests. This would help enormously with the bills and can be an interesting experience as you meet a lot of different characters and nationalities. We are here for the summer, when we rent out the B&B house, and we hope a couple can come out and stay in August, see how we do things, then be ready to take over when we leave. Having some French is an advantage.
We have had such happy times in the house and we would like someone to enjoy staying there, and looking after it for us. Please contact us today if you feel this would suit you. We are happy to give you any additional information and look forward to talking to you on .
Many thanks
Jenny and Graham
PS. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with a car.