Thank you - we had a lovely stay

This was a last minute family summer break to escape builders' mess before the new term start! Good weather helped, straightforward journey from Calais ad delightful welcome, with extremely helpful conversation (in French) with the neighbour, who had the keys and showed us where everything was. Idyllic rural spot, as the villagers pointed out - only 1 person per 1.8 sq km (I think one said). Another took us to see how the "hirondelles" we had been watching lining up on the telegraph wire ate the bugs attacking his grain. (I think he really wanted to show off his gleaming red tractor.) Coming from a large Victorian house, we enjoyed the space and character of this house. The grandchildren (aged 10, 7 and 4) took to it immediately, and enjoyed the large grassed enclosed garden at the back to let off steam and kick a ball about. A perfect distraction from the Xbox, Netflix, etc at home, replaced with healthy fresh air pursuits! (Although all this was provided, we told them it wasn't working - but in reality, it wasn't - we couldn't get the TV on at all!) I suppose most people eat out, rather than cook. However, on a limited budget (thanks to the building works!), with some faddy children and Alzheimer's to cope with, home cooking was the preferred option - once we'd cleaned up the oven enough to use! There was plenty of crockery, cutlery, etc. We did get to La Belle Epoque in Hesdin for an excellent meal, beautifully presented, with a flourish as all the waiting staff converged on our table with 6 different delicious dinners. I'm not sure if the staff were entertained more by the children than the children were by the antics of the very friendly staff! The Major Domo was clearly happy, and sang us on our way to strains of "Oh Happy Day!" Overall both a relaxing and invigorating stay, with the children, on their first visit abroad, clamouring to come back.

This was a last minute family summer break to escape builders' mess before the new term start! Good weather helped, straightforward journey from Calais ad delightful welcome, with extremely helpful conversation (in French) with the neighbour, who had the keys and showed us where everything was. Idyllic rural spot, as the villagers pointed out - only 1 person per 1.8 sq km (I think one said). Another took us to see how the "hirondelles" we had been watching lining up on the telegraph wire ate the bugs attacking his grain. (I think he really wanted to show off his gleaming red tractor.) Coming from a large Victorian house, we enjoyed the space and character of this house. The grandchildren (aged 10, 7 and 4) took to it immediately, and enjoyed the large grassed enclosed garden at the back to let off steam and kick a ball about. A perfect distraction from the Xbox, Netflix, etc at home, replaced with healthy fresh air pursuits! (Although all this was provided, we told them it wasn't working - but in reality, it wasn't - we couldn't get the TV on at all!) I suppose most people eat out, rather than cook. However, on a limited budget (thanks to the building works!), with some faddy children and Alzheimer's to cope with, home cooking was the preferred option - once we'd cleaned up the oven enough to use! There was plenty of crockery, cutlery, etc. We did get to La Belle Epoque in Hesdin for an excellent meal, beautifully presented, with a flourish as all the waiting staff converged on our table with 6 different delicious dinners. I'm not sure if the staff were entertained more by the children than the children were by the antics of the very friendly staff! The Major Domo was clearly happy, and sang us on our way to strains of "Oh Happy Day!" Overall both a relaxing and invigorating stay, with the children, on their first visit abroad, clamouring to come back.

To be clear: This house is a very old farmhouse, in a small isolated village in rural France. It was certainly not a luxury location at the time of our visit, in summer 2020. And still, we had AN AWESOME TIME despite some issues with the condition of the house! The location: The house is about 50min from the sea, in a tiny friendly farming village. There is no shop of any sort within the village, and even a boulangerie is a mile or so away along a country lane. The nearest town is Auxi-le-Chateau, and necessary amenities are here. Expect to need to drive everywhere. The house: It is 'full of character'. It's got some modern bits (downstairs bathroom and bedroom) but the rest is old, with bedroom floorboards being very wonky and patched. The kids' twin room has a chipboard floor so all sound carries both ways from the kitchen, beneath. The kitchen is weird - the prep area and fridge are in a different room from the small oven and sink. Furniture is generally pretty old, but not in a good 'antique' way. Sadly, the house was not well cleaned or maintained before our arrival. Internet acccess was broken, the fridge was not clean and there were a lot of dead flies throughout which needed sweeping up suggesting it had not been well cleaned for us. Prior tenants' belongings were in bedroom drawers and bathrooms. Worst, the downpipe from the upstairs bathroom leaked, spraying used sewage water over the patio. The highlights: The owner responded immediately to our worries, fixing them and getting an internet engineer within 24 hours. The village is lovely, and good for quiet on-road cycling nearby (although some tough hills). The garden is big, enclosed and well equipped, and fairly private. The stars at night, and the wildlife in the area, are wonderful. Summary: a good place to come to get away from it all, if you are not too bothered about modern construction, doing complicated cooking, or being able to walk to a bar or shop. We would not return as we did not feel is was good value for money but we made the best of it and found plenty to enjoy.