Welcome

Confolens · Charente · France

The long stone house seen from across the garden, with the swimming pool in the foreground under a blue sky

There’s something about this old house. It gives you a big hug when you walk through the door.
Jacqui & Gary

Friends, family, good food, beautiful places — that’s what this is all about. Make yourselves at home, relax, explore and enjoy our little piece of France.

This is our home rather than a holiday rental. The guide is just for the practical bits: where things are and how they work.

If you need something right now

A tiny old-house warning

You may occasionally spot a cobweb or one of our very skinny, long-legged spiders. They seem able to rebuild almost as quickly as we clear them! They’re part of life in an old riverside house and are nothing to worry about.

Merci d’être ici

Friends. Family. Good food. Beautiful places. Not just a place to stay, but a place to belong.

La Maison de Saule — No. 6

Draft. Gold lines are answers still needed; dashed frames are photos still to take. Both are listed in TODO.md.

Arriving

Arriving at No. 6

6 Rue du Professeur de Lavergne, Confolens, Charente

The old green studded front door set into a pale stone frame, with the blue number 6 plaque above it — The green door with the blue number 6 above it.

Parking

Please don’t bring the car through the gates — use the parking just outside them.

Your key

The door key is in the manual key box. We’ll send you the code privately before you arrive, along with the link to this guide.

The door

There’s a knack to it, so it’s worth reading this before you try.

Getting in

Unlock the door. Pull the left-hand side of the door slightly towards you, turn the handle and push.

Getting out

Unlock the door. Push the right-hand side of the door slightly, turn the handle and push.

A narrow tarmac lane climbing between a high stone wall and a grass verge, with the house roofs ahead — The lane on the approach

The lane running alongside the pale rendered wall of the house, with a high stone wall opposite — The lane beside the house

The side wall of the house on the lane, with shuttered windows and a dark green door at the far end — Recognising the house

A small grey key box fixed to the pale stone frame beside the green front door, with the lane running off behind — The key box, beside the door

The two leaves of the green studded door from outside, with the key in the lock and the lever handle beside it — From outside: key and handle

Close-up of the key turned in the lock of the green door, just below the lever handle — Unlock, then turn the handle

The inside of the front door: a black box lock with a brass key, and the bolt below it, above the star-tiled hall floor — From inside: the lock

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Where to leave the car

A note about privacy

The house is prepared as your private space while you’re staying. Indoor cameras are not in use.

Your welcome basket

You’ll find a little welcome basket and note waiting for you on arrival — a few bits to get you started and, most importantly, permission to put your bags down and enjoy yourselves.

A white trolley against an old stone wall with a chalkboard reading Bienvenue, a basket of snacks and bottles of drink on the shelves below — Bienvenue.

The entrance hall: a patterned black and white star-tiled floor, deep red curtains framing the old white door, and a wooden bench with pink flowers — The entrance hall

A pink-painted corner with a chalkboard reading Bienvenue, a vase of blossom on a stone plinth and a small pink ornament — Bienvenue

Outside

Garden, willow & river

The garden runs down to the River Goire, with the willow the house is named after.

Under the willow: pale blue and grey garden chairs and a small yellow table on a pastel striped rug, a pink rope swing hanging from a branch, and the white house behind — Under the willow.

Photos needed The rest of the outside photographs here are out of date — the lawn, the river deck, the patio, the well seating and the BBQ.

Where to sit

The patio, out of the kitchen or lounge, with three awnings. They wind out by hand.
Under the willow, by the river, for shade.
The river decking — you can fish from it. Take care by the water, particularly after dark.
The stone seating by the old well, at the side of the house. Tucked away, so it’s the best spot for music later in the evening.
The pool. Its own page →

There’s a BBQ out there too.

Who else lives here

Red squirrels, kingfishers, ducks, herons, butterflies, dragonflies — and our determined little long-legged house spiders.

The garden framed by mature trees, looking across the lawn towards the pale house — Across the lawn

A pair of metal garden chairs and a small table on a stone terrace at the edge of the lawn, shaded by trees — Seating in the shade

A tall garden lamp standing on the lawn in front of the big willow tree — The willow

Weathered low stone seats and carved blocks on the grass beside the river — Old stone by the water

The garden after dark with path and lawn lights switched on, trees silhouetted against a deep blue sky — After dark

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The river deck

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The patio and awnings

Bins

Please use the bags provided — you’ll find them all in the drawer near the hob. The kitchen bins are beside the fridge-freezer, and food waste goes in the bin in the drawer below the kettle.

Food waste

Green bags, in the drawer below the kettle.

When full

Take the bags out to the bins at the gate.

Left-hand bin

Card, paper, plastic and tins.

Right-hand bin

General waste.