Cussay holiday farmhouse in France - Self catering gite in Loire valley

The house is a careful restoration and conversion of the farm that supplied the chateau of Cussay. The history of La Roche d`Enchaille dates back to 1268, when the first record of the château can be traced as being sold to Guy the Doyen of St Martin. The main west-facing wall on the site is formed from the original chateau`s ramparts: vestiges of these are present throughout the grounds, along with entrances to caves and tunnels. The locals swear there is a tunnel linking La Roche d`Enchaille with the church in the centre of Cussay some 5km away! The chateau had several roles during its long history, including operating as a mint-striking coinage back in the 16th century, and more recently as a “relais de poste”. There is a large cave carved in to the hillside above the farm, which was used during the Second World War as a refuge for the Resistance. It now looks after the owner’s wine!

Views:Uninterrupted views of the surrounding farmland and forest.

The nearest village is Cussay, which has a first-class bar/restaurant and a boulangerie. There is an excellent tennis court for hire – just ask at the Mairie – plus a superb children’s play area and football pitch. There are many fetes and gatherings of all sorts in Cussay and local villages during the summer, most involving the best food and wine from the region. Five minutes drive away is the bustling market town of Ligueil which has bars, restaurants and shops. On Mondays a market is held here where local producers sell their goods. Just a bit further afield, the town of Descartes (once home to the philosopher René Descartes) has a large Sunday market. This is extremely well visited and that’s just by the locals! The market has local wine, cheese, fruit and vegetable and craft stalls. You can even buy fresh hot paella or roast chicken for an al fresco lunch on the terrace. Descartes also has an outdoor “centre des loisirs”, which offers tennis, canoeing, crazy golf, fishing and a heated outdoor 25m swimming pool complete with children’s pool, children’s play area, flumes and café. There are supermarkets at Descartes and Ligueil.

We converted the house ourselves in 2007 – Garth did the building work and Lizzy designed the interiors. We wanted to create a house that reflected classical French country style, and that was a pleasure to stay in. Downstairs, the property has a large open-plan living area. There is a fully-equipped American-style kitchen. The dining area has a long antique pine table, which can seat 10 people comfortably for dinner. The sitting area is fitted with three comfortable sofas, one of which folds out to make a bed (for those unexpected guests!.) The house has three bedrooms, all on the first floor, leading off a large central landing. The master bedroom has a double bed and en-suite shower room. The second bedroom has a double bed and a single bed. Finally, the children`s room has two single beds. All the bedrooms are fitted with ceiling fans. There are three bathrooms. Off the landing is a large bathroom fitted with a freestanding clawfoot bath complete with shower attachment. As mentioned above, the master bedroom has an en suite shower room. And finally, downstairs off the living area you will find an open-plan shower room with level access.

Outside Area:On both sides of the living areas, French doors lead out onto private terraces. The front terrace catches the morning sunlight, and is a good place to eat breakfast. The back terrace looks out over countryside and a French boules court. There are some spectacular sunsets to be enjoyed from this vantage point!