Le Haut Bourg

Fantastic offer coming up!

We finally braved taking the tribe abroad last summer; a run of August births, house moves and lack of funds have meant we have been slow in giving them such an opportunity.  After hours of passport form filling,   nearly  fainting at the shock of the cost for eight little red  booklets  and clutching our EHIC cards,  we were ready for big adventures overseas.  The man of the house took the adventure very seriously and made several trips to the local garage to stock up on european car equipment.  We still have the eight unworn high vis waistcoats.

Almost impossible to have a photo with all of them smiling!

As ever we were tied to the school holidays  and as we did not want to spend too long in the car, Normandy seemed a good option.  A quick search of the internet and we found a place large enough to fit us all in, just under an hour from the ferry and with space the week we needed it.  Amazingly it was a very reasonable price, there was  no pool  but I wanted to relax and knew that would be impossible if there was any chance of our little  adventurer drowning.  It was also incredibly good value, costing far less than the very tatty, right on the main road "cottage" we had rented in the Isle of Wight  the year previously.

Ferries booked we set the alarm clock, downloaded the european sat nav update and printed our tickets.  Obviously it was the first morning in a decade for any of  the children to sleep  later than dawn  . Panicking we  woke with half an hour to get up and all eight of us to Portsmouth.  Amazingly we made  it. The ferry was an event in itself, they had certainly squeezed as many cars as they could onto the boat and putting a child in a car seat with no space to open the door  was no mean feat.

Once we had adjusted to driving on the other side and scarily realised they do a different roundabout give way system in France  we drove the hour to our new home  for the week. Because of the value of the holiday my expectations were not high but anything must be better than the usual canvas walls we enjoy on vacation.  My expectations were surpassed: The house was beautiful, clean, neat and perfect for much needed family space.  The surrounding countryside were full of calm and peaceful inspiration.  There was  wonderful gate with a lock  meaning we could totally relax while the children enjoyed exploring and running free in the gardens.

They couldn't escape!

It was an easy five minute drive to the nearest market town where we quickly discovered the local Aldi, a fantastic find as we were able to stock up on frugal french food to fuel our travels around the local area.  We enjoyed a week of exploring many new places including the beautiful fishing villages and coastal towns.  Such wonderful places of creative inspiration, especially the old picturesque port of Hornfleur.

 

Evenings were spent in front of the wood burner, although it was too warm to actually need to use it, playing games, drinking the delicious local cider   and creating lasting precious family memories. It was a home from home, well equipped, large and comfortable, a very easy place to relax and enjoy being a family in.  We have already booked to return later this year.  

Freedom to run and safely explore in this spacious place

If you would like to use  this fantastic French house to give your family a fun time away together, mention this blog and get a 10% reduction from the already good rental price. The owner can be contacted here, I am happy to share any of the places we found to explore nearby.

Bargain - book it now!