"Le Four Rouge"

HOLIDAY GÎTES and BED & BREAKFAST ACCOMMODATION

Châteaubriant, Loire-Atlantique

FRANCE

Tel / Fax: 0033 (0)240 28 62 09

E-mail : gites44@aol.com

Le Four Rouge is situated in a hamlet and faces on to open farmland with views of chickens, geese and grazing sheep.The local village of Soudan is just 1km away with its general store, bakers, post-office, bars and church.The bright-lights" of Chateaubriant 3km away holds its colourful weekly market every Wednesday where fresh local produce is available. Alternatively, there are a number of well-stocked larger supermarkets providing for all day to day needs.

The old town has a small but pleasant château and grounds dating from the 12th century which are open to the public. The ramparts provide a view over the town, the little river Chère, a fishing lake and the surrounding area including " l'Eglise de Bere", a well-visited Romanesque church. Throughout the summer months the château and bandstand within the grounds are host to numerous open air concerts and theatrical productions, many of which are free. The more modern parts of the town are represented by the " theatre de verre" (the glass theatre), a cinema and the Olympic sized swimming pool. There are a variety of restaurants and street cafés which willingly accommodate children and suit all palettes and pockets ! Aswell as sampling the world famous "Chateaubriant" steak, don't forget to sample the "Galette de Ble Noir" (a pancake made with buckwheat flour) served with a bowl of cider !! The night life generally focuses on the local bars and discotheques.

An approximate 45 minute drive leads you to the banks of the Loire river, deep in the heart of the wine growing area situated around Nantes. Many kilometres of sign posted scenic drives around the wine growing areas of Muscadet and Anjou for you to explore the vineyards whose owners extend a friendly welcome and advice whilst inviting you to taste the wine at their local "caves". Delve deeper into the lush valley, and discover the sumptuous Châteaux and ornamental gardens, glorious relics of France's regal past, situated in the vicinity of Angers and Saumur.

Golfers are well catered for and perhaps should try to find some spare space in the car to pack their clubs ! There are around 16 public courses in the Western Loire, most of which are open all year, very keenly priced and extend a warm welcome to overseas visitors. Indeed we are more than happy to arrange or pre book green fees on your behalf. Please view our separate webpage for more detailed information on our golfing holidays at "Le Four Rouge"".

Fishing enthusiasts can take advantage of a holiday permit and enjoy fishing for a variety of species including carp, trout and pike in the well stocked public lakes for a modest fee.

Tennis players need only look to the end of our road to find the "Chateaubriant Tennis Club", providing indoor all weather courts which are open to the public for which advance booking is not usually required.

Whilst river cruises are available from Angers and Nantes, the sandy Atlantic coast offers some excellent beaches at La Baule or Pornic. However, within minutes from " Le Four Rouge" swimming and water sports are possible at the numerous local lakes within the forest areas with their supervised beaches serviced by shower facilities and cafés.

Cyclists yearning for empty country lanes need look no further than our front gate. For the more serious why not enquire about using our local velodrome track at Chateaubriant and watch out for the "Tour de France" passing somewhere nearby every July.

For car enthusiasts we are situated about 160 km west of the famous racing circuit at Le Mans and together with the motor museam at nearby Loheac, containing a collection of over 300 cars, we are happy to welcome car clubs and assist with planned drives around the Western Loire area .

Our younger visitors can take advantage of our fenced children's play area with slide, swings, climbing frame, sand-pit which complements the 11m x 7m swimming pool and boule track.

A further acre of field allows enough space for the older children ( and some parents ! ) to let off steam and play badminton and ball games. There are local animal parks, mini-farms and a bird park at Chateau-Gontier, Orme and Bruz respectively and horseriding facilities at Rougé.

In addition there are numerous other places of interest; slate mines, windmills, forges, museums and monuments all waiting to be discovered in the Western Loire.

CLIMATE

The Western Loire climate is strongly influenced by the Atlantic ocean producing mild damp winters, an early warm spring and a lingering autumn.The summer is quite hot !!

Average Temperatures

We look forward to welcoming you at......

"Le Four Rouge"

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