Vacation Rental Description
Our gîte , L'Ecluse, nestles beside the tranquil Roanne-Digoin canal and with views over the quiet countryside to the River Loire at the rear of the property. Within a 15 minute walk along the towpath or a 5 minute car ride is the village of Briennon which has 2 restaurants, 2 bars, 2 bakers, a bank, pharmacy and small grocery shop.
Briennon used to be the centre of a large tile & brick making industry and all the goods were shipped along the canal. The local museum documents the history and the mayor's office is located in the old manager's office!
Built between 1912-13 the cottage, L'Ecluse, is situated by the canal lock in Briennon and used to be a bistro and a grocery shop for the people driving the barges along the canal. Later in its history, a second floor was added with bedrooms rented out to people working on the canal.
After its purchase in 2002, the owners Jacqueline & David Murphy, renovated the whole property to a high standard whilst being careful to maintain traditional building features and made it their home for their first 6 years in France.
On the ground floor is an entrance hall with the fully fitted kitchen to the left containing hob, oven, microwave, dishwasher and fridge/freezer. To the right of the hall is the downstairs twin bedded room leading to one of the shower rooms which in turn leads to the laundry room. Leading straight ahead of the hall is the lounge and dining (with UK TV, DVD and stereo) area which has stairs leading to the first floor.
On the first floor are two double bedded rooms and one twin bedded room, a bathroom with separate shower and a separate loo with wash hand basin.
Outside, there is level parking for up to 4 cars. Stairs lead down to the garden area of 2.25 acres which is mainly laid to lawn so you can either relax lounging by the pool (12m x 6m) in the sun or take cover under the shady trees.
It has to be said that with full central heating, L'Ecluse makes a comfortable retreat at any time of the year.
The owners do not live on site therefore ensuring complete privacy at L'Ecluse but live about 5 miles away & are always on hand to deal with any queries or offer advice or assistance.
Further afield, there are many pretty towns and villages to explore - many of which have weekly traditional markets with all sorts of fresh produce for sale - and there are many historic churches, chateaux and other places of interest to explore.
Lyon has all the attractions of a major city & is easily accessible - well worth a day trip to see the majestic cathedral and the ancient Roman ruins whilst the local town of Roanne offers great shopping too!
Within easy reach are the world famous Burgundy vineyards to the north or the Beaujolais vineyards to the north-east and it is worth visiting the Côte Roannaise vineyards to sample the local wine.
With many these and many other leisure and sporting activities also within easy reach, L'Ecluse offers the holiday you want and with a real taste of France!
Activities
- Biking
- Boating
- Cinema
- Fishing
- Horse Riding
- Kayaking
- Night Clubs
- Restaurant
- Shopping
- Snow Boarding
- Tennis
- Theater
All the above activities are available within a few miles of L'Ecluse.
You can hire bikes in Charlieu - it is best to book in advance of your holiday which we can do for you. Tennis is available at many villages - you can hire the courts for an hour or longer. Table tennis is available at the gîte.
For ski enthusiasts, there are two ski stations - Loge des Gardes 1 hour away and Chalmazel 1h15m distant.
For day to day shopping, there are many local supermarkets. The Casino in Charlieu is open on Sunday mornings as is also a local market on Sunday mornings in Pouilly sous Charlieu - both 10 minutes away by car.
Other activities include 10 pin bowling at Roanne, sailing at Lac de Villerest, cinema at Roanne & Charlieu and vide greniers (car boot sales) at many villages on Sunday mornings.
