Chez Paille is peaceful location in the stunning countryside, often likened to the English Lake District due to its many lakes and beautiful scenery.
There are numerous man-made beaches as well as numerous lakes, and ponds nearby. The closest fishing pond is in our little village of Cressat which has a children’s play area and picnic tables around the pond shaded by trees for those hot sunny days.
Chez Paille offers a relaxing holiday but is also close to other numerous activities including golf, fishing, and a wolf park. If you just want a tranquil lazy day, you can just relax on a sunbed around the pool or play games in the large field.
25-minute drive from Chez Paille in the largest town, Gueret you will find large supermarkets and a selection of other shops. If you are looking for a quick shop, we have two local villages close by and about 10 minutes by car, Jarnages where there is an all-year Sunday food market, small convenience shop, pharmacy, bread shop and burger bar and in Ahun there is a full supermarket, Wednesday food market, bread shop and pharmacy.
You won’t need to go far to find areas for stretching your legs here: riverside walks can be sorted in Busseau-Sur-Creuse (10 minutes’ drive), while strolls around regal-looking ramparts are on hand at Château de Villemonteix (15 minutes). Pottering around local towns and villages is always a good way to get the measure of a place. The town of Busseau-sur-Creuse (10 minutes’ drive) is as good a place to start as any, and it has a wonderful restaurant! while you’re down that way you may also want to check out the Roman bridge and medieval abbey of Moutier d’Ahun (10 minutes).
Castles in the region include Château de Villemonteix (15 minutes) and its intricate wall tapestries and Château d’Étangsannes (20 minutes), where they offer seasonal guided tours of the elegant buildings and grounds. Guéret (25 minutes) also has an archeology museum if you like historical artefacts.
Around Guéret there are oodles of waymarked trails, beauty spots and geological sites like the Pierres Civières (35 minutes). This area of mid-sized hills, known locally as the Monts de Guéret, is also home to the Wolves of Chabrières (30 minutes), a wildlife park where you can observe long-fanged packs skulking between the trees or tucking into their dinner. There’s also a mega maze on offer at the Labyrinthe Géant des Monts de Guéret (25 minutes), where jumbo-sized board games and other family activities can also be found. The man-made beach at the lake in Guéret is a popular destination for the family in the summer as it has a huge bouncy castle of the lake as well as pedallow and boat rides.
The Limousin area is popular for the beef, mushrooms, and foie gras. We have a local restaurant in Busseau for some fine dining or just a lunch time menu where you can watch the local train go over the viaduct.
Chez Paille Gites are made up of two sympathetically restored luxury barn conversions and the original old farmhouse. Each sleeping 6 people in tasteful and modern decor. There is an open plan lounge, dining, and a large kitchen area. The property offers all modern conveniences with a dishwasher, washing machine, plus large screen TV with French and SKY channels.
The gites are situated in over 2 acres of land and offers a above ground swimming pool, children’s play area and a selection of games, outside dining areas, one to the front overlooking the gardens and pool, and a covered area over the barn conversions to the rear with a BBQ, both with seating areas for 6 people. We live on site in the old, converted dairy.