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The word Retreat has many meanings,
however, once you have arrived you'll soon understand why we named our
venue The Retreat.
Set amongst the beautiful French
countryside of the Mayenne, The Retreat is located on an 8 acre site
with no main roads, no noisy industry or access by public available and
apart from the Family living on site, you really will be in a little
world of your own for the duration of your holiday.
The previous owner of the site was a
landscape gardener, which is so very evident when you look at the beauty
of the site with numerous trees, shrubs and wildflowers. The best view
of the site when you are booked at The Retreat we feel is from the rear
of the Gite overlooking the lake. Many an hour is spent by our guests
with a bottle wine watching the sun set over the rolling fields as the
abundance of wildlife go about there daily routines.
Bats, Deer, Wild Boar, Coypu, Lizards,
Eagles, Buzzards are seen daily by our guests along with numerous other
birds and insects (Don't worry though, no really nasty creepy crawlies
live on site!)
The images below show various views
of the lake and site:
(click on the picture for a larger
image then use your browsers back button to return to the gallery page)
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The Gite Entrance |
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The front of the Gite showing main entrance and patio doors to lounge at front of the building. |
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The Rear of the Gite |
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Image shows the rear of the Gite, childrens swing set and glazed room whi overlooks the lake. |
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Rear of Gite |
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Childrens swing set, sunchairs, BBQ area and outside table and chairs for Al Fresco dining. |
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Elevated position |
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Looking up the lake towards the Gite on a crisp winters day. |
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Winter View from BBQ area |
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Looking down and over the lake from the BBQ area. |
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BBQ Area |
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A sunny day in the private rear area of the Gite. Total solitude |
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Cold but beautiful |
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A winter shot of the surrounding countryside and lake with a fresh covering of snow. |
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Snowy lake |
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Snow all around but a sun trap with wonderful views. |
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Get the Fire On! |
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Cold outside, time to retreat indoors and light up the log burner. |
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Snowy Lake |
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Another winter shot, had not snowed in the area for 5 years then we get a foot of snow in our first winter. |
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Island Swims |
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Quietly does it. A stalking spot beside the island on the house bank. |
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Bridge to Island |
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A great area to intercept fish moving round the island, great spot for a bit of stalking. |
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Diverse Flaura |
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Some of the exotic flaura specimens around the lake |
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Full Summer |
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The shrubs and trees are in their full coverage on a glorious summer's day. |
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Spawning Bay |
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Looking towards the spawning bay entrance and the beautiful trees that surround it. |
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Spawning Bay 2 |
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Inside the spawning bay, lots of weed and cover for the fish to get 'jiggy' in! |
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Comfortable Bankside |
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Lush grass surrounds the lake making for comfortable bivvy swims. |
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Easy fishing |
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The main body of water looking towards the island |
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Stalking Heaven |
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The fish love it in this corner. Plenty of cover and warm water. Is the pipe flowing from the top pond? they like that too! |
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Crossing Over |
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Bridge across to the island. No fishing from Island. |
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A shady spot |
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A welcome shady area from the heat of the summer sun. |
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