Helicopter lands ~ Manoir de Coat Amour

Robinson R44 Raven II lands at Coat Amour

Guests arrive at Coat Amour using all modes of transport.  The great majority come by car, usually fairly modern ones, although we have had quite few vintage cars here and some veteran ones too.

Some arrive by train, some by bicycle, others by motorbike, some walk and some fly to Brest or Dinard (Pleurtuit) or Rennes, and then hire a car.  We have some guests that have flown their light aircraft into Morlaix (Ploujean) airport.

About to land

Today was a the first time somebody arrived in their own helicopter.   The Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter flew in this morning and landed in our field adjacent to the swimming pool.  It all seemed so simple, and what a way to travel!  It is a very stylish machine finished in a royal metallic blue, with a range of about 250 miles when flying at 120 mph.

The owners often go off for the weekend and sometimes fly in company on safari type jaunts ~ what fun.

Super royal blue metallic paint

Manoir de Coat Amour as seen by You-Tube

In September 2012 we entertained two guests from England, Chris and Nangi and, as you do, spent some time talking about our respective professions.  We all got on famously and we discovered that Chris is a film producer based in Totnes Devon. They were  very enthusiastic about our lifestyle, house and its grounds.

After they had returned home , Chris e-mailed us and suggested that he produce a film for us along the lines of one that he had produced for an hotel in the UK.  It took Jenny and I a hesitant six months to decide, courageously, to go ahead!

Chris and his family returned for a weeks holiday at the end of May with a large camera!  Over a fascinating and most enjoyable week, he collected over two hours of film and terrified Jenny and me  into giving interviews in both English and French. When you see  the film , you will recognise that interviews are not our strong point!

Chris then distilled the two hours into two You-tube films of just under five minutes in length.  One is in English and the other in French. We are very pleased with the results, although a little self conscious and critical of ourselves.

Here are the links :~ English Version  and the French Version

or go onto our web-site and click the you-tube button ~ web-site

We hope that you will enjoy the films for what they are – a bit of fun.

If you want a You-tube film made for you, I recommend Chris Watson of Totnes. Contact him by e-mail at Chris Watson Films thechris.watson@virgin.net and/or 07770 790 762

Pendant le  séjour  de deux hôtes ( Chris et Nangi) au mois de septembre 2012, nous avons appris  que Chris était un producteur de films a Totnes dans le Devon. – (Grande Bretagne) Ils aimaient bien notre Manoir et parc.

Après ils sont rentrés chez eux, Chris nous a envoyé un courriel et a proposé qu’il produise un film pour nous comme celui qu’il avait produit pour un hôtel au Royaume-Uni. Il a fallu pour Jenny et moi une période de six mois pour nous décider, hésitants, courageusement, pour aller de l’avant!

Chris et sa famille sont revenus pour une semaine de vacances à la fin du mois de mai avec un grand appareil photo! Au cours d’une semaine passionnante et la plus agréable, il a filmé plus de deux heures et nous a impressionné  en donnant des interviews en anglais et en français.

Voici le film en français ~ French Version

THE TIMES ~ 20 Outstanding Places to Stay in Brittany

La Maison du Jardinier

Jenny and I feel very privileged (thrilled and excited actually!)to have been mention in the Times newspaper travel section today 14 July 2012.  Our Gite “La Maison du Jardinier” has been chosen as one of the 20 outstanding places to stay in Brittany ~ WOW!

Our heartiest congratulations go to all the other places chosen and particularly to our good friends Peter and Penny Dinwiddie at Kerlerdan ~ BRILLIANT!

Jenny et moi nous sentons très privilégiés d’avoir été mentionné dans le journal “THE TIMES” aujourd’hui le 14 Juillet 2012.   Notre gite “La Maison du Jardinier a été choisi comme l’un des 20 meilleurs endroits pour séjourner en Bretagne ~ WOW!

Nos plus sincères félicitations à tous les autres lieux choisis et en particulier à nos amis Peter et Penny Dinwiddie  à Kerlerdan ~ NICKEL!

Our special cottage La Maison du Jardinier

From this to ~

to this!

Le Salon

La Cuisine

Nice and cosy in winter with it’s wood burner and gas central heating

La Chambre

Creating a New Web-site ~ Part Two

L’Ecurie ~ front garden and parking

Jean Oriot

Time absolutely flies past when one is busy. It seems like yesterday since I wrote Part One of this blog and yet three weeks have passed by.  In the meantime Jenny and I have spent a few days in Belle Isle en Mer, managed to finish off the decorations to L’Ecurie gite and have given one of our letting bedrooms, that we call Jean Oriot, a thorough make over.  We have some details to finish and maybe a carpet to change, but it looks good, don’t you think?

L’Ecurie ~ Living room

The work schedule was really started by the need to replace the roof covering on the gite.  The nails had rusted badly allowing some of the slates to slide off the roof and the frost had seriously damaged the ridge tiles.  The re-roofing works were done in late February and the roofing company, Gilbert Moal of Cleder, did a marvelous job, on time.  The roof looked smart, but the external paintwork did not look very good at all.

L’Ecurie ~ back garden

This has now been finished, using a different colour scheme of charcoal grey and rust red.  This scheme has beed carried through into the main living room, where we have used a pale and mid-grey colour scheme to compliment both the exterior and the kitchen.  Whilst we were about it we redecorated all the other rooms too!  Jenny and I are thrilled with the results.  For more information on renting this cottage and our chambers d’hôtes ~ click here.

L’Ecurie ~ kitchen/living room

L’Ecurie ~ kitchen

Tour de Bretagne ~ Classic Car Rally June 2011

A small fleet of about 30 classic cars from England began their Tour de Bretagne this morning Friday 24 June from the centre of  St Pol de Leon in Finistere.  The cars were all post second world war and varied in condition and type.  I noted two early short wheel base Land Rovers, some MGA 1600s, a couple of Austin Healey 3000s, a Nissan Pau, a Volvo P1800, a more modern Aston Martin, A very unusual Royale Sabre (one of only 78 built). a Triumph Spitfire, and a lovely TR3.  They were accompanied by a Brit Assist breakdown van ~ I hope that it is not needed.

Our guests with their immaculate TR3

A Royale Sabre

The event will be a fantastic way of taking your classic car on a little tour with like minded people and with some interesting cars .  I was curious to see the tulip map routing used by the entrants.  I guess that this is a standard method of rapid map reading on a rally of this sort.  I have to say that I am a bit old fashioned and like a good old map!  What happens when you get lost?  Where do you stay on these little jaunts?

The tour will take in some lovely parts of Brittany and end up each day in Treguier, itself a great place to go.  I must get switched onto events like this.  It would be fun to join in with my Citroen 2CV.  See more photos

MG A 1600 & Triumph Spitfire