Le Moutier

We originally booked for only two nights’ rest from driving, as Le Moutier is conveniently situated a comfortable day’s drive from the Channel ports, but we stayed on and have been back again and again. Guests are welcomed as members of the Coursaget family in the elegant but informal 19th century bourgeois house in a tree-filled garden where Jean-Lou spent his childhood holidays. You chill out with a glass of Sauvignon, made by their friends in the same village who are wine producers, surrounded by Jean Lou’s paintings while you swap life stories. No need to worry that you might regret that second (or third) glass as it is “Agriculture Raisonnee” made with a minimum of chemicals. If your French isn’t up to discussing art, history, politics, cuisine, gardening, education… well Martine’s English is. In fact she teaches English. Our daughters were delighted with the menagerie of dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and once there was a visiting tortoise. Many of the regular guests stop here on their way back to England with their pets to get the obligatory treatments from the local vet. If you are lucky you might get a tour of Jean-Lou’s studio. Martine’s artistry is in the kitchen; she is a stupendous cook and copious, convivial dinners are served with all sitting together at the long oak table in the dining room or, weather permitting, by candlelight in the garden. The comfortable bedrooms are either on the second floor or in the garden house. Pick up the conversation where you left off last night over breakfasts with homemade jam and a selection of rustic local breads and then you will be all set to go exploring. The nearby town St Aignan boasts an impressive zoo and a Roman frescoed crypt. You can’t go into the chateau which is private but you can climb up to its terrace to look at the view. There’s a Saturday market and several restaurants if you can tear yourself away from Martine’s cooking. The town is at the junction of three distinct areas: Touraine, with World-famous chateaux of the Loire and the Cher, the city of Tours is a half-hour drive, then to the South is the Berry and to the East is Sologne with its forests and lakes.