Aerial view of the restored stone buildings among woods and meadows

Visit

The Estate, and what lies around it. For guests staying with us.

The Estate

Woods, ponds and meadows over 180 hectares. A courtyard for long lunches, a greenhouse for work tables, a garden that gives its colours to the workshops.

White sheets on a line in front of a slate-roofed stone building
A misty pond at sunrise
White wildflowers in a meadow
Ferns in the shade of the forest
White curtains on a black metal frame in the garden
A woman in a linen apron walking along a mown path with white flowers
Vegetable rows under white netting, with woods behind
The house and the fields at sunset
Sunlight and apple-tree shadows on the stone and white walls

A place built for work

In 1768 this was a linen bleachworks. Hundreds of people laid cloth on the lawns to whiten in the sun and the wind. The buildings have been restored, and the lawns still carry white cloth.

Stepping stones across a stream seen from above

Close by

  • Sainte-SuzanneA medieval hilltop village among the most beautiful villages of France: ramparts, an 11th-century keep and a working mill.20 min by car
  • Caves of SaulgesA wooded valley with more than twenty caves. Two are decorated, with engravings about 25,000 years old.25 min by car
  • LavalThe city on the Mayenne river, with its old quarter and the Museum of Naïve and Singular Art.10 min by car
  • La Cité du LaitThe dairy museum in Laval, once called the Lactopole, about milk, cheese and the industry that grew around them.10 min by car
  • Lassay-les-ChâteauxA 15th-century castle, and the Château du Bois-Thibault nearby.45 min by car

Further out

  • RennesThe capital of Brittany: timbered streets, markets and good food.76 km, about 1h from Laval
  • Mont-Saint-MichelOne of the most visited sites in France, an easy long day out.105 km, about 1h30 from Laval
  • Saint-MaloThe walled port, and the start of the Brittany coast.144 km, about 1h45 from Laval

Times in the first list are by car from the house. The longer outings are measured from Laval, ten minutes from the house. We can help you plan routes and book transport.

Planning your days?

Tell us what your group would like to see and we will suggest a route.