The sign says Gîte rural de Brillac, in the singular, but the people who own the property now have a second gîte available as well. I didn't really see that one because a French family was staying there while we stayed in the one you see below, which is called La Petite Maison. They are both rented for the same reasonable price (in October, about 400 euros for the week, everything included). You can see more information for both on this Gîtes de France web page. The second gîte is called L'Étable (The Stable).
In the photo above, the building on the left is a separate residence. The stone walls in the middle are the ruins of a building that might have once been a house or a barn. The gîte we stayed in is the house with red shutters, and the owners' house is on the far right. L'Étable is part of that building.
The map (thanks to Google Maps) above shows the area. The Vendée river is literally just steps from the gîtes. Brillac is a hamlet of the village of Chaix, on the upper right. There are no shops or supermarkets in either place. You have to drive into Fontenay-le-Comte for those (a HyperU and a Centre Leclerc, among other grocery stores).
Above is a view of the Vendée river when you turn right at the point just above the little pink marker for the Gîtes de Brillac on the map. Cars drive on this road, but traffic is very light, and as you can see, the speed limit is 30 kph (about 20 mph). The blue sign warns drivers that this is principally a hiking and biking path.
Many little canals flow into the Vendée in this area, but because the land is very low and flat the waters flow very slowly. This canal, not far from where I took the preceding photo, is covered with duckweed (called la lentille d'eau in French, I think — lentils, the little beans, are called lentilles too, as are lenses).
The river looks like this around Brillac. This is not far from where I took the photos I posted yesterday, including the cows. You can see that some people had parked an RV (un camping-car) just at the point where the road become a pedestrian and cycling path only. They were out fishing on the riverbank.
That gite ticked all of your boxes, but one thing that would exclude for us is an enclosed 'garden' that could contain our dog. Along with WiFi and a bed that is the most important feature for us!
ReplyDeleteWe don't let the dog out by herself, except in our fenced-in yard. Otherwise, we go out with Tasha when she needs to go out, either because it's just the schedule or, once in a while, if she insists that she needs to go out. It all depends on the dog, I guess.
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