Notes from the host
La Grande Yveliniere
HOUSE
Downstairs
Country kitchen with open fire and dining area.
Sitting room with wood-burning stove.
Children’s playroom/fifth bedroom with video.
Shower room/WC.
Ulility room with two washing machines/tumble dryer/second fridge.
Upstairs
Large main bedroom with 6 ft bed and occasional bed.
Large second bedroom with 6 ft bed and occasional bed.
Small bunk bedroom, attached to second bedroom.
Single room.
Bathroom/WC.
WC.
The house was built in 1676, and is part of an ancient ‘corps de ferme’, surrounded by the original barns. The owner Jean Yvelin was part of an illustrious family that extended this side of the Channel. He was cousin to the diarist John Evelyn, and was also the Queen’s physician.
The house is just outside the village of Savigny, down a country lane. While offering privacy it is part of a small hamlet and therefore not isolated. The nearest shops are a short drive away in Belval Gare, or slightly further on in Cerisy-La-Salle, a charming cross country run first thing in the morning if you are in search of croissants.
The rooms in the house are spacious, with original wooden-beamed ceilings and casement windows. It is furnished simply with local antiques and period furniture, but is also practical and extremely comfortable. The kitchen is large and well-equipped, not least because we frequently have cookery photo shoots there. The six foot high fire place makes this room a great draw throughout the year, and most guests chose to light it in the evening, even during the summer. There is also a grill for cooking on it.
There is a large newly converted utility barn with an additional fridge, two washing machines and a dryer, and a butler’s sink that comes into its own when you arrive back from the beach laden with treasure and muddy boots.
Upstairs the beds all have proper feather duvets and pillows. There is a large bathroom with a claw-footed bath for relaxing, in addition to the downstairs shower-room.
GARDEN
The house is situated on a valley side, and there are sweeping views from the garden over the countryside in the distance. It is down a small country lane, with only the odd passing car or tractor.
The house is surrounded by fourteen acres of farmland, with a two acre garden. The lower garden offers a secure children’s playing area, with a big oak table and chairs, and barbeque.
AREA
The Cotentin Peninsula is often described as ‘one of France’s great secrets, it is oustandingly beautiful and unspoilt. While so many people flog further South only to discover traffic jams and polluted beaches, the Cotentin which is a short hop from Portsmouth is virtually bereft of cars, and offers mile upon mile of the most stunning and empty sandy beaches. With the East and West coast some thirty miles apart, it is something like being on an island. And the weather reflects this, squalling in and out and constantly changing, while the sunsets and night skies are spectacular.
Inland the countryside has hardly changed since Medieval times. Farmers have resisted moves elsewhere to raze hedgerows and knock small fields into large ones better suited to agribusiness. The result is winding lanes with tangled hedgerows either side, and a patchwork of little paddocks, orchards and fields, where little has changed in farming methods except for the introduction of the tractor. We sometimes see our neighbouring farmer milking a cow by hand sitting on a three-legged stool, and she and her husband carry the hay on a yoke across their shoulders.
The beaches too carry the kind of life you would expect and hope for, with the noted absence of hawkers trying to sell you cheap reproduction goods and hire out sunbeds. During the day children and teenagers sail and mess around in boats, fly kites and comb the beaches for treasure, and in the evenings gather to play ball and barbecue. It is also not unusual to see sand-surfers and horsedrawn buggies racing along the beach.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The Bayeux tapestry and is an hour’s drive away, and makes a pleasant day out. Closer by, there is the beautiful Medieval abbey of Hambye.
For those interested in the war the Normandy landing beaches are close, and the museum is also worth a visit.
There is a market to be found on virtually any day of the week. Also excellent shopping in Coutances, a ten minute drive, where you will find the finest gothic cathedral in northern France.
There are plenty of opportunities to shop for antiques in the area, especially in Granville, half an hour’s drive away. And the quay here is lined with extremely good seafood restaurants.
Mont Saint Michel is for many a must. And there are lots of chateaux and gardens to look at in the area.
CHILDREN
With young children in mind, there are stair gates top and bottom, and the garden immediately outside the house is cordoned off with a fence.
The house has a small playroom to one side of the kitchen, conveniently placed to keep an eye on your children while you relax in the kitchen or sitting room to the other side. There is a selection of toys, including books and art materials.
The beaches closeby are perfect bucket and spade venues, always uncrowded, at low tide the sea goes out for miles, and at high tide it is shallow for a considerable distance. The seaside villages are all very child friendly, especially the cafes and restaurants.
There is an excellent riding school in the nextdoor village Ouville that runs children’s classes on a regular basis.
There is also an good sailing school in Coutainville, that again runs courses for beginners as well as more experienced sailors.
J
Hosted by Jonathan Bell
