The gite is in the small hamlet of Le Haut Fresnay, some 8 miles south of Domfront in Lower Normandy.
Le Fournil is built from local granite with a slate roof and adjoins the large barn which is now our home. The cottage accommodates up to four people plus a baby and is furnished and equipped to a high standard. When Le Haut Fresnay was a working farm, Le Fournil was the family’s bakehouse – and the original terracotta bread oven is still in place. The oven would have been pre-heated with burning bundles of wood, which would then have been raked out when it was hot enough. The stored heat lasted several days – long enough to bake bread, roast joints of meat and then finally bake pies for the family and the farm workers. It is now an attractive feature in the sitting room and lit from inside to show its construction.
Surrounded by five acres of Le Haut Fresnay’s grounds and meadowland, the cottage is set in an acre of private lawns and gardens. In addition, a stream, which runs through the garden, and two ponds attract a variety of wildlife. Le Fournil has its own private patio with garden furniture, a parasol and a barbecue. The patio is not overlooked and it catches the afternoon and evening sunshine – a delightful place to relax with a full glass in your hand and a steak on the barbecue!
Our guests often say that what really makes Le Haut Fresnay special – apart from our comfortable cottages – are the peace, tranquillity and special atmosphere of the surroundings. Most people arrive on holiday wanting to relax completely and we hope that Le Haut Fresnay is the perfect place to do just that.
The ground floor of Le Fournil is an L-shaped open-plan sitting room with a dining area, a kitchen area – and, of course, the bread oven. The sitting room ceiling is beamed and there are exposed stone walls. Comfortable seating is centred around the wood-burning stove and warm lighting creates a relaxing atmosphere.
There is a digital Freesat TV offering access to all the main UK TV channels and a DVD player. French TV is not available.
During the cooler months of the year, a complimentary basket of logs is supplied for the wood-burning stove, making this a wonderfully cosy room in the cooler months.
The central staircase allows the heat to reach the upstairs rooms as well, although all the rooms have electric heaters for extra warmth if needed.
The well-equipped fitted kitchen includes an electric oven and ceramic hob, a dishwasher, a washing machine, a microwave oven, a fridge-freezer, an electric kettle and a toaster. All the cooking equipment you could possibly need is provided, along with plenty of crockery, glassware and cutlery (six of everything).
The attractive central staircase leads to the upstairs floor, the two bedrooms and the house bathroom. The bathroom has a shower, a hand basin and a WC. There is a medicine cabinet with a mirror over the hand basin and a shaver socket.
The cottage has two bedrooms. The main bedroom is furnished with a double bed, bedside chests with lamps, a spacious wardrobe and a dressing table.
The second bedroom has twin beds, bedside tables with lamps and plenty of drawer and wardrobe space.
All bed linen (except cot linen) and towels are provided and included in our prices. If there is a baby in your party, we can put a cot in one of the bedrooms (we do not leave the cot in the house when it is not needed). We can also provide a high chair and a bed-rail for one of the single beds if required
Outside, there are ponds and a stream, lawns and mature trees, and wildlife everywhere. You can see red squirrels, and birds of prey, and if you are lucky, hares, deer and even (rarely) wild boar! The peace and quiet is almost tangible.
The local village, Lore, with its small supermarket, is within walking distance. Ceauce, a small market town with a full range of shops, a bank and a small weekly market, is a couple of miles away. 8 miles to the north is Domfront, a mediaeval market town with a fine church and a castle. Also nearby, you will find Lassay les Chateaux, with its picturesque castle, lake and rose garden. Bagnoles de l'Orne, about 15 miles away, is a spa resort set around a lake with a casino, many restaurants and smart shops.