Holiday away from it all in the Auvergne, France

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HOLIDAY AWAY FROM IT ALL IN THE AUVERGNE

Just South of the Centre of France is a little known area rich in History and full of natural, unpolluted beauty. The Auvergne has Medieval market towns, castles and tiny hamlets nestling in its hills and valleys. For Nature lovers there is a wealth of wildlife. There are numerous varieties of birds and beautiful butterflies hovering over the flower filled meadows. You will discover volcanoes, mountains, rivers, lakes, forests and wonderful views. Wherever you venture across the region you will find new places to visit and explore, either on foot, by bike or by car.

Nestling high in the hills of the Haut Livradois with views across to the Monts de Forez, our home in Le Mayet has all that you need for a special holiday. We are in the East of the Puy-de-Dôme region and the area is known as the Auvergne of the Rising Sun.

You can choose to be as relaxed or as energetic as you please. We have garden areas and meadows to laze in and you have a choice of walks directly from your front door.

For the adventurous, there are mountain bike tracks, hang gliding centers and small winter ski resorts. The gourmet, or the hungry, will love the regional dishes, the wine, the cheeses and the charcuterie. Our local people are friendly and prices are still reasonable.

The accommodation is in the "new" (circa 1863) cottage extension to our Auvergne farmhouse and we have carefully restored it to retain many original features whilst providing modern facilities. It is clean, bright, comfortable and strictly for non-smokers. Having partly restored and lived in the farmhouse for ten years we are now living opposite it, on the other side of the drive, in a recently restored former farm building.

Ideal as an all-season holiday retreat, the Farm Cottage is spacious and although primarily designed for couples can accommodate up to four using the double bed settee in the lounge/dining room. There is a large shower room and a wooden staircase leads from the lounge to the attractive galleried bedroom with its comfortable double bed, large wardrobe and lots of storage space. The kitchen area is bright and well equipped. We provide all cleaning materials, a full range of good quality kitchen equipment, basic cooking essentials, plus tea, coffee, milk and sugar. Self-catering prices for 2010-2011 range from Ł325 - Ł450 per week and include linen, towels and all electricity and gas for hot water, heating and cooking. Shorter breaks are also possible as are longer stays for up to three weeks. Holiday taxes (which are payable to the local commune) are included in your rental price so there are no hidden extras. There is a separate laundry area with tumble drier and washing machine available for your use if required.

We are sorry but we cannot accept pets.

Our local market town of Ambert is 8 kilometres away and the city of Clermont-Ferrand with its main line railway station is one hour away. There are regular trains from Paris and flights from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand airport.

If you wish to fly from England, you can drive from Lyon airport in about two and a half hours. Some "low cost" airlines fly to several regional airports within three to five hours driving distance from us. These include Rodez, Limoges, Geneva and Bergerac. Car hire is easily arranged on line and most of the airports are small and unimposing.

You can also get to us in a day from Le Havre, Caen, Dieppe, Boulogne or Calais. The driving time is between seven and eight hours and you can still arrive in time to join us for aperitifs before dinner. We are Dave and Tina Heppell and look forward to welcoming you to Le Mayet and to helping you have a wonderful holiday.