Kitchen facilities
Downstairs there is a well-appointed kitchen/diner leading onto terrace, with electric/gas cooker, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, washing machine and microwave. There is a long French oak dining table which seats 10 and another table to the rear of the kitchen with 2 additional chairs if required. There is a traditional French Oak dresser which stores all of the crockery, cutlery and cooking implements. The original stone sink also remains in the kitchen which is very pretty, light and airy.
External facilities
To the front of the house is a private courtyard and raised terrace with outside table and chairs. Also on the terrace is a built-in barbeque with grill. On either side of the courtyard are barns housing tractors and wine-making equipment, all belonging to the house. There is a field at the back of the bigger barns which belong to the property. At the rear of the house is a large garden with private fenced pool and fantastic views.
Special features
When we purchased this property we did not initially realise that it came with its own vineyard! Although not particularly large it keeps us very busy at various points throughout the year as we have attempted to keep the wine-making going. If you are interested you can take a look in the chai which has a number of barrels in which wine from our vineyard is fermented after harvesting (Vendange) in October. The wine will stay in these barrels after the grapes have been pressed in the press (pressoir) in the barn (grenier) opposite. If you are interested in looking at the vineyard itself, you can find it on the road out of Les Hautes Bordes towards Montressor, where you will see it on the right hand side.
SEE OUR WEBSITE WWW.LES-MARGUERITES.COM
Local activities
The Loire chateaux are famous for hosting wonderful Sons et Lumiere and other spectacles within the grounds of their ancient walls. Most of these are on in July and August and are widely advertised in villages and towns in the area. They usually start quite late, at around 10.00pm, so as to get the most effective light show effects. Some chateaux and villages host smaller theatrical events and fetes in the daytime aimed at families. There is a very good fete in Loches – The Fetes des Fous (or Fetes of Fools), where people dress up as medieval knights, ladies and fools, and march through the town to the castle, where there are displays of swordfights, dancing and singing. Montrichard Castle has a good open-air play, again with knights and their ladies, the former showing great talents with their swords, axes and jousting! The costumes, beautiful open-air setting and realistic stunts make these events great for children.
Nearest beach:
88
Nearest airport:
20
Nearest port:
108
Nearest supermarket:
10
Location
The property is only 3km away from the village of St Hippolyte with post office, restaurant and boulangerie, and only 12km away from the bustling, medieval market town of Loches, with its many restaurants, shops, castle and "donjon". It is also ideally located for visitng the many chateaux of the Loire, the Brenne National Park area and Futuroscope. One of the best zoo-parks in Europe is also nearby if you need a day out for children. Tours airports is around 20km or 40 minutes drive away.
Living rooms
The house is charming and comfortable. There is a character lounge with tiled floor and french door leading onto outside terrace. There is a wood-burning stove and restored bread-oven. There is plenty of seating, television, DVD and radio/music centre. The room is furnished in a traditional French style with solid French oak cabinet and 19th century settee.
Bedrooms
There are five bedrooms. Downstairs there are two double bedrooms and one twin bunkroom. One of the double bedrooms looks out onto the front terrace. Both double rooms have large fitted wardrobes, bedside tables and bedside lights. There are shutters at the windows. The floors are tiled with rugs. The bunk room is ideally suited for children or teenagers. There is a 3 drawer chest of drawers in this room. There is also a newly fitted bathroom with seperate shower downstairs.
Upstairs there is one double bedroom and one twin bedroom and a newly fitted bath/shower room. The double bedroom has a fantastic view out over the rear of the property, swimming pool and fields beyond. There is also a cot and bed settee in this room. There are bedside tables, bedside lights and a chest of drawers. The twin bedroom looks out of the front courtyard and the countryside to the front of the house.