Liz

I am sure you will find some in any of the 'Vert' shops. I have also seen it in Mr Bricolage and all the large garden centres. There is a make called Hillhout which looks extremely sturdy and they have a wide range of shapes and sizes but, naturally, quite pricey. Liz (29)

We don't have horses but I have some friends who do so I have an idea what your requirments might be. I don't think it is unrealistic to look for the sort of property you have in mind in central Brittany, all you need is a realistic budget! The days of picking up a charming longere ready to move in to with a couple of acres for 30,000 euros are long gone. I am not sure exactly what you mean by central Brittany but the parts I know in the Monts d'Arre and Montagnes Noires might fulfill your requirements. But it is true that much of the land that appears to be open accessible moorland is in fact closed off. I think if you have in mind wide open spaces and wild horse Carmargue type country then you will be disappointed. Not far from here is a village called Huelgoat, a bit on the touristy side, but it does give access to an extensive area of forest. There are other similar areas further to the east which have extensive forests. You might also consider places near the Nantes Brest canal, the whole of this is accessible for horses on the tow path, or near the coast west of Roscoff for easily accessible dunes and beaches that can be ridden. I think you might have to compromise a bit on the 'isolated'. There are such places but generally speaking outside the towns and villages houses are often grouped into little hamlets. For example, I would consider that we are fairly isolated being 5 km from the nearest village but there are a few scattered houses nearby, none of which impinges on us in any way. We are also 12 km from the hypermarket and a largish town so I feel this gives us the best of both worlds. If I mention that we have enough land for at least a couple of horses, buildings that would make stables easily and a forest on the door step I will only turn you green with envy . I would suggest that the only way you will know the answer to your question is to take a good look, I don't think you will be wasting your time. Brittany is a large area so you need to either limit yourself to a particular part or to take long enough that you can at least get a flavour of several different areas. Perhaps a couple of weeks touring holiday would give you the best idea. Liz (29)

LAST EDITED ON 01-Jun-04 AT 04:06 PM (BST) We've never hired out bikes to guests but we have occasionally loaned out our own. As keen cyclists ourselves we have several shapes and sizes. Being conscious of the liability aspect we do not volunteer in our gite literature but if people are keen and understand they are borrowing at their own risk we sometimes do it. I have found that the vast majority of holiday makers over 9 years of letting have no interest whatsoever in going on a bike, the ground nearby has to be dead flat and preferably on cycle tracks for people to show any interest and even then they only go a mile or 2 at most. Maybe in your part of the Vende you have these conditions. Apart from accidents to themselves I have always thought what if they get a puncture or other breakdown; you have to check the bikes very carefully after use and have some mechanical knowledge to do this. The bikes also have to be cleaned and children, particularly, are fond of throwing them down any old place and then forgetting to bring them back. No doubt a proper deposit would take care of this. I'm afraid I'm a bit cynical about the British (I'm assuming most of your guests are British!) desire to go bike riding, even the ones who bring their own never go further than a few miles. Personally I don't think it's worth the bother of getting involved, there are several hire companies not too far from here and, no doubt, your area is the same. Liz (29)

Don't know which part of Brittany you are in but I know they sell fresh cream (creme crue as someone has mentioned) in the bio co-op in Morlaix. I have also bought it on Morlaix market. If you are not in the area a search of small stalls in local markets and for a bio co-op might help. Liz (29)

We've just finished ours too - so there ! Pride of place goes to a water lilly kept in a bucket for 4 years since we brought it from our UK pond. We have been trawling round the local suppliers of pond plants and a sorry lot they mostly are. The best we found were at Magasin Vert, oxygenators at 3.95 Euros, so take out a second mortgage for a decent quantity. Water Hawthorn was about 13 Euros in another place so I'm forgeting about that for the time being, but we did find some half price water lilies, so keep looking and you might be lucky. If you find a good mail order I'll be pleased to know. Liz (29)

I haven't got any but they do grow well round here so I would think they would be OK in 50 as well. They get to be absolutely huge as you know and I heard someone mention on one of the gardening programmes that it is a plant to avoid if you see a small pot not realising that it gets several metres high and the same in diameter. If you have the space give it a try. Liz (29)

LAST EDITED ON 27-May-04 AT 05:31 PM (BST) Have you tried Gites de France? I wouldn't waste time with their web site (other than to find a phone number) but a direct appeal to the Regional office might come up with something. I know this is what the French do. You could also try the tourist offices direct in selected towns. Liz (29)

Have you tried DeFRA (used to be Min of Ag). They have information on moving specific plants in Europe and a quick phone call to your local office might help. Liz (29)

I agree with alcazar, it is almost certainly a black bird. Personally I'd rather see a blackbird forage than worry about a few bits of bark, which in our case end up on the lawn. I have also found that out cat thinks I put the bark down for his personal benefit, now that I can do without Liz (29)

I am afraid the week-end you wanted the information for has been and gone, but perhaps for next time? There is no such thing as the National Trust, more's the pity. But there are many houses and gardens open to the public and there are a number of publications with lists in the book shops. The best way I have found to track down what is open is to go in the local tourist office and ask them for a leaflet. Don't be shy, I find they are sometimes reluctant to leave these out on the counter, someone might take them , so go in and ask. There are often also publications/newspaper type things that list what is on in the locality for the next week or fortnight, usually these are published from about Easter to September. There is a government body called something like Monuments Historiques, and they control publicly owned properties. I haven't ever checked if they have a web site but it might be worth doing a search for something like that. One of the problems in visiting historic houses in France, apart from the really well known chateaux, is that they often have a guided tour usually in French only and the best you can hope for is a leaflet in English that you can take round with you. Some of the best places I have visited are privately owned and the tour is done by the owner. On one occasion I spent 3 hours going from cellar to attic of a small local chateau guided by the octogenarian owner. It was so fascinating I went again the following year. Liz (29)

You can advertise on Total France web site for nothing and, if you happen to be in Brittany or the South of France you can advertise on the AngloInfo site. I am sure there must be others. I have sometimes thought what I would do when we come to sell our house and gite and I would first have a look through one of the search engines with a few key words eg property sale France and see what comes up. Some of the firms that do holiday lets also have sections for house purchase and I am sure French Property News, as already suggested, would be a good bet. The exhibitions that abound in the UK often have an area for private sales. as well. And how about Dalton's Weekly? I certainly wouldn't scorn DIY methods, we have only once sold a house through an estate agent. Liz (29)

Yes, there are regulations and basically it means that the post person (very PC!) has to be able to sling the post into the box without getting out of the van from a distance of about a hundred metres . I exagerate slightly but if you buy a box locally it will be to the standard pattern and will have details with it as to the height and placing of the box. You can also buy posts to get the correct height and double entry or single entry depending on the situation. Standard boxes all have a master key so that the postie can open the box and put in anything large. Welcome to Brittany Liz (29)

I don't think you can generalise too much, but in the main it is true that the french do go on holiday in August and a small agency could well be closed down for several weeks. I would certainly not be surprised to find a skeleton staff in place and a lack of enthusiasm to deal with enquiries. You could also find that the seller or his representatives are not readily available eother. Liz (29)

Hi Judy > An excellent likeness if I may say so I'm with you on the shower. I also hate cleaning the loo and making up the beds, particularly fighting with the double duvet. Just curious, is all the cleaning you mention in addition to what the clients have already done, or are you undertaking all cleaning yourself? Liz

>Which products are so essential to >daily life that a British >grocer is needed ? > I can't imagine but I have to admit that when I was told that there was someone selling pasties on a local market I had to go and get one. Liz (29)

I've had a similar experience with Brittany Ferries. The new ferry from Roscoff cuts down the journey time considerably so it is very irritating to be hanging about for ages just to get off. To add insult to injury, the last time I went to Plymouth we foot passengers got to a pedestrian crossing at the bottom of the ramp and were made to wait while the motorised traffic went past to join the passport check queue. I said to the to chap who was holding us back that I thought it was a pedestrian crossing, he didn't look too amused. Liz (29)

LOL, now can we have this translated into French please . There was a programme on BBC TV last night about UK banks and their errant ways. My immediate response on reading the printed description of the programme was 'you ain't seen nothing yet'. In comparison with French ones UK banks are wonderful. Liz (29)

You should get a welcome letter, a membership card and a booklet detailing offers available. I think the booklet comes out every 6 months but it might be 3. I still get all the literature but it's a bit of a waste of time since the first mailing was accompanied by a statement that special offer tickets from cross channel ferry operators can no longer be purchased for travel from the continent to the UK. So you can take advantage now but if you ever move to Ouistreham forget it! I would ring them up. Liz (29)

Needing a spot of retail therapy I popped into Vilmorin (l'espace enchant). One of the better garden centres IMHO. Roses there start at 6 Euros 40 which I didn't think was too bad a price. Mostly Meilland brand I think. On my return I thought I'd have a look at their website to see where their other shops are situated. So far I haven't found that information but I did discover they do mail order in case anyone is interested. I also found this site http://www.jardinerie-rocchietta.com/ . You're a bird lover Danny, tell me what they are. Nothing I recognise from round here! Liz (29)

Hi Val, I suspect people who come and go to the UK regularly don't pay that sort of money. There are all sorts of ways of getting a cheaper fare even with BF. Avoid weekends and bank holidays where at all possible; pick your day of travel carefully, on the Roscoff/Plymouth route Wednesday from Roscoff and Tuesday from Plymouth are at their 'Starting Price' fares. Join the Property Owners Club, the initial charge can be recouped on the first journey if you have to travel with a car at an expensive time. Avoid travelling overnight, it is expensive and even more so if you want a cabin. Look at 5 day and 10 day return fares. Travel on foot if you can, public transport links from Plymouth are pretty good we find and even if you have to have a taxi to the rail or bus station it shouldn't cost more than 4. Try out alternative dates on the BF web site, I found a saving of 20 for 2 foot passengers by moving our possible return date to Roscoff from 30th May to 4 June and a saving of 33% by choosing not to travel in the week before the UK May Holiday. Liz

We were once approached by a french shop assistant when we were 'just looking' and were stumped for an explanation (you know the feeling, you open your mouth but no words come out ). The assistant quickly said 'ah, vous regardez simplement' so ever since then I have always said 'je regarde simplement'. Liz (29)

I haven't checked but I wondered if Saga might have some information on car hire as they specialise in travel for older people. Liz (29)

I agree with Alexis about planting in Autumn, this applies also to lawns. I have always found the best time to sow lawn seed to be early September. The ground is warm and there is the prospect of Autumn rain to keep it going. When we had our present house as a holiday home I planted the garden with shrubs that would probably not need much watering after the first planting. If they did not survive they were out and others that are more able to cope with the conditions brought in. I think you have to be pragmatic when it comes to gardens in holiday property. A mulch of Forest Bark (Ecorce de Pin) or other materials, even lawn clippings, is very useful for preserving moisture around young trees and shrubs. Regarding tool hire, do you have a Magasin Vert nearby? The ones round here hire out a small selection of motorised garden tools. Liz (29)

LAST EDITED ON 02-May-04 AT 04:24 PM (BST) I think Air France, but it is a while since I looked into it and your flights would probably cost as much as the property you've seen . I've used the Pont Aven from Roscoff a couple of times. Cuts down the journey time to 4 and three quarer hours and considerably more comfortable than the old ferries. Liz (29) ps Brittany has moved by the way (for Forum purposes that is!) and is now covered by the North West France section, so you might like to try re-posting. I only stumbled on here by mistake, old habits.....

You may find it worthwhile to look at their french site and forget about your Property Owners membership sometimes. This doesn't always work but they sometimes have offers which are as cheap as the UK ones even taking into account the loss of the discount. If you can get to a port look out for promotional leaflets. We once had a 3 day return for a very good price, unfortunately this particular offer doesn't seem to have been repeated. Liz (29)