Local area


The local villages of Joue sur Erdre and La Meilleraye de Bretagne are both a few minutes drive away and in both villages you will find the village church, bars, restaurants, post office, a small supermarket, baker and butcher etc. The area is popular with walkers and cyclists with well marked routes around the lakes and the lands surrounding the 12th century Cistercian Abbaye de Melleray. Cycles can be hired locally and can be delivered to the cottage.

The delightful medieval market town of Chateaubriant is about 20 minutes drive away and here you can find the major supermarkets.


                  click here to read more about Chateaubriant



The area around the cottage is a delight for those interested in fishing, and a low priced permit can be purchased which will cover you for any of the region’s official lakes. However, a minute’s walk   from the front door of the cottage will take you to a large, peaceful lake often used for the French National fishing championships but even non fishermen can enjoy a stroll beside this beautiful lake.

A major local attraction, which is only two minutes drive from the cottage’s front door, (I timed it!) is the inland swimming beach. Here there are pedalloes, canoes and sailing boats as well as a  supervised safe swimming area where the long summer evenings make it possible to swim in the still warm waters of the lake until late. There is also a refreshment kiosk along with showers and children’s play area and a few metres from the beach is one of the best creperies for miles around, which has a wide menu, delicious ice-creams and offers a warm welcome to children.


Half an hour’s drive away from the cottage is Nantes, the capital of the Western Loire.


                         click here to read more about Nantes


About an hour’s drive to the south west of the cottage, just beyond the ship-building town of Saint Nazaire (where there are still the second world war German submarine pens), you'll reach the classy seaside resort of La Baule on the Atlantic coast. Here you will find a large, elegant bay with miles of sweeping sandy beaches and exclusive shops and restaurants. South of La Baule, across the Loire estuary, is another famous seaside resort, Pornic, whilst just to the north is Batz sur Mer. Here there is a renowned Second World War German blockhouse which is now a lively and fascinating museum. With its realistic reconstructions and video footage, it offers a glimpse of life on the Third Reich’s Atlantic wall and well worth a visit.


Having sampled some of the delights of the region, you can return to the calm of the cottage, relax in the garden with a glass of local wine, gaze and marvel at the stars and just listen to the silence