1 Le Petit Bure is situated in a quiet & peaceful hamlet in beautiful, rural northern Mayenne on the border of 2 other departments, Brittany & Normandy. With only 3 neighbouring houses, our aim is to provide a relaxing base for guests to explore the area or just enjoy the slower pace of life in the countryside. During the day we are fortunate to be visited by a range of wild birds, including swallows, whilst the lack of light pollution makes for spectacular views of the night sky. Recently refurbished to a high standard, the stone built accommodation provides comfortable living arrangements for up to 4 people, whilst enjoying the area. The proprietor lives in the adjacent house. The gîte consists of a combined full kitchen, dining area and living room, where a smart TV is provided with English channels only. The first floor provides 2 bedrooms with velux windows, 1 with double bed and the other with 2 single beds, plus a shower room with basin and toilet. There is electrical heating throughout if required. Outside, guests can enjoy access (shared with the proprietor) to the remainder of the property which includes seating & dining areas together with a gas powered barbecue and a large field (5000 m2). The field is generally left to grow wild to encourage the bee & wildlife population. A separate table, chairs, and sun parasol are offered immediately to the front of the gîte for exclusive use by guests. The gîte has a view onto the internal shared courtyard, where free parking can be facilitated. Children are welcome. Dogs are also welcomed, but be aware the proprietor has 2 dogs (both friendly and sociable with other dogs) who have unlimited access to the entire property and will welcome you with much enthusiasm. The garden/field area is not secured, so guests must safeguard their own dogs.

I retired, with my husband, to France in June 2019 after a lifetime (or so it seemed) of working in the banking sector in the UK, with a view to experiencing further adventures in another country. This adventure led us to purchase a barn for renovation and a gîte. We lived in the gîte whilst the work to convert the barn into our main property was completed. We then wanted to see if our little gîte was attractive for holiday rentals. After much work to ensure the gîte would provide comfortable, homelike, relaxing accommodation, we have now taken the plunge and gone live. We chose to live in Mayenne due to the scenery, peacefulness and kind people we met here. Where we live not only provides easy access to Mayenne department but also visiting the Normandy beaches, memorials & museums, Mont-St-Michel, Rennes, beautiful villages & several châteaux. With many years working in the service industry, behind me, I now hope to share the lovely location in which we live with others. I enjoy reading, especially sat out in the garden in good weather, travel, languages, gardening & learning about new people & places. After completing 5 years of learning French at school, in my dim & distant past, I soon came to realise that knowing how to order a coffee or book a hotel was not entirely useful when your tractor breaks down. Negotiating our new life here, I decided to take further lessons to improve my understanding of the French language and people. To date I have lots of words in my head but not all of them seem to want to be spoken in the correct way. However, I am happy to try and communicate in French, if that is your chosen language. Please, just be patient with me. Currently, I have 2 dogs, both rescues. Charlie, an 8-year-old shih tzu who is the definite master of our household & Teddy, a 15-year-old Griffon. Charlie came with us from the UK & Teddy was adopted from the local rescue as an 11-year-old. He is very deaf but also very gentle.

The local village of Couesmes-Vauce has a bar but the larger village of Gorron (10km), has all the usual amenities (butcher, baker, supermarket) together with an English style tearoom & several bars & restaurants. Further afield the towns of Mayenne (21km) & Laval (55km) offer châteaux, museums & more choice of shopping & eating venues. Laval is the capital of the department. For historians, Fougeres (41km), Vitre (58km) & Rennes (94km) have even more history to explore with mediaeval centres. Rennes is also home to the Parliament of Brittany. Falaise (79km), which is the home of William the Conqueror, may be of interest to my fellow British citizens. The famous Mont St-Michel (73km) is well worth a visit. The Normandy beaches, associated museums & memorials (150km)are approximately 2 hours distant, with Pegasus Bridge & museum slightly nearer at 121km. In many villages surrounding us there are parks, usually with a river running through or a lake, available for walks with or without dogs. Examples are Lassay-les-Châteaux, Gorron, Ceauce, (12km) St Fraimbault Orne (7km). Lassay (20km) in particular fulfils several holiday requirements with 3 châteaux, although only 1 is intact, pretty market square and La Roseraie, rose garden. There are excellent road links throughout the region.