Ideal Holiday Home, Great Location

A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE this IDEAL HOLIDAY HOME in the countryside situated at the edge of a popular village with an interesting cathedral to visit and much more to see and do. The Property is equally suitable for permanent living.

This property has been well maintained by the current owners and is being sold with the option of keeping the furniture in place so all you need do is turn up with your toothbrush!

This charming house built in local stone and facing west has a fitted kitchen approx. 20m2 connecting with the living room of 35m2 with fireplace, 3 bedrooms and an office. Garden of approx. 2000m2 (1/2 acre) has some nice mature planting. This Property is on Mains Drainage.

GROUND FLOOR: Kitchen on a tiled floor 23m2 with triple exposure, corridor with cupboards, wc, living room 35m2 with wood burning stove, exposed beams and exposed stone walls plus windows to the west, bathroom.

UPSTAIRS: up the stairs from the kitchen you arrive in he office (possible bedroom) with velux, there is another bedroom with parquet flooring and sliding door cupboards, basin in bedroom, velux to the west. Up the stairs from the living room you arrive on a landing serving 2 bedrooms, 1 with velux to the west and 1a smaller one with a window, tiled shower room with a heated towel rail and a velux to the east.

OUTSIDE: there is a garage. Central heating is via oil and most windows are single glazed but in good condition, the kitchen door is double glazed. Septic tank and a nice garden of approx. 2000m2. There is ample off-road parking and the garden has some nice plant species as well as several fruit trees.

Tax Fonciere is approx. 273 euros a year.

Local information:

Food Shopping: Proxi supermarket in Pontmain - open all week including Sundays. Boulangerie/Patisserie in village and also a Butcher's shop in the village.

Nearest larger supermarkets are: Fougerolles-du-Plessis - Ecomarche or Le 3 Mousquataires and Louvigne-du-Desert - Champion or Huit a Huit (stocks fresh milk).

Other facilities in Pontmain: This village receives a lot of local investment due to the Cathedral being a big tourist draw so facilities are better than the surrounding villages. Post Office, based in the Bar/Tabac, Library with internet, Tourist information (seasonal), Souvenir shop, Art Gallery, Newsagent, Restaurant/ Bar, Hairdressers, Mairie, Pharmacy, netball/ dry pitch with childrens play equipment, route marked walks from the Basilica. Bank (Credit Agricole with 'hole in the wall' inside and accessible 24 hours/day- accepts most UK cards and gives instruction in English).

The village park is a 2 minutes walk from the property and it is only a 5 minute walk to pick up your baguette!

Eating out: There are plenty of restaurants in many of the nearby villages. Nearest is Fougerolles du Plessis - Lion d'Or. Also St Hilaire du Harcouet or Fougeres etc. The restaurant opposite the Proxi also does very good food which is cooked to order, but you need to book in advance.

There is also a restaurant just after the pharmacy and a mobile Pizza van every Monday (it parks opposite the Mairie).

Tourist information - office open in village during high season: There are many local areas of interest: The Forest at Fougeres is full of walks, mountain biking, canoeing and horse riding activities, and includes a fitness trail near the lake.

The medieval castle at Fougeres is well worth a visit for people of all ages and Fougeres itself is a great place to visit. There is a water activity park near St Hilaire, and Ambrieres Les Vallees.

There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools nearby, beaches along the west coast, small market towns - Dinard, St Hilaire, Mont St Michel, Bayeux tapestry, War memorials, Fougeres town and castle.

Doctors: There are two doctors in Pontmain, one opposite the Bar/tabac just before the post office and one just up the road from the mini Proxi supermarket. There are hospitals in St Hilaire and Fougeres (nearest A&E - approx 12 minutes).

Other villages/ places of interest: Domfront: is a very lovely medieval town. The centre was bombed during the war by the allies and don't forget to peer through the gate at the end of the castle grounds and read the notice there. Town walk maps are available at the tourist office by the castle entrance.

Mayenne: Our riverside town with the oldest castle in Europe, shops, cafes, supermarkets - electric boats for hire from the Halte Fluviale. In the little town nearby of Fontaine Daniel you will find the centre of the fabric making industry and a Gite property on the lake so picturesque that "Gites de France" use it as there main poster advert.

About 45 minutes drive away you can visit: Laval: which is the “Main Town” of the Mayenne with a very attractive old town centre, boat trips on the river and shopping of course. Alencon the County town of Orne, in Normandy, centre of the lace making trade with a lace museum, good shopping, castle and grounds to enjoy.

A little history about why Pontmain is so famous...

At the small town of Pontmain in Mayenne, France on a cold winter evening, January 17, 1871, the Virgin Mary appeared to four children above a barn on the farm of the Barbadette family. Eugene, age 12, and his brother Joseph, age 10, were the first to see her in the sky. They described a beautiful lady in a dark blue dress covered with stars. She wore a black veil with a golden crown on her head. Two little girls, Francoise Richer, age 11, and Jeanne Marie LeBosse, age 9, also saw her in the sky.

It was war time and the invading Prussians were near.

The village people, strong in their faith, had been praying for a miracle to save them from the enemy. Our Lady appeared over a nearby barn. A written message appeared on a large white banner which unrolled beneath the feet of Our Lady. A message was given to the people that God had heard their prayers and that He would answer their needs shortly. The single apparition lasted three hours. Within eleven days, Prussia had mysteriously withdrawn its troops. An Armistice was signed and the war was over - Pontmain and France had been spared.

This is commemorated in the actual barn which you can visit.

Within a year, the Bishop of Laval Diocese, Bishop Wicart, authorized devotion at the site. Today the Basilica of Our Lady of Hope welcomes the 200,000 pilgrims that come here to ask for her intercession.
You can visit both the barn (groups can say Mass there) as well as the magnificent Basilica which was built later.

The Basilica and the barn are open daily. The Basilica is very impressive and its large size reflects the popularity of the Shrine. It stands in stark contrast to the barn, which has retained its simplicity.

On the occasions we have visited you can just walk in the barn and there do not seem to be any attendants or anyone in particular in charge.

There are a few gift shops in Pontmain selling various statues, books, etc. related to the apparitions. Pontmain is not far from Mont St. Michel, the D-Day beaches and other attractions of this part of Normandy.

The department of Mayenne is part of the Pays de la Loire region at the crossroads with Brittany and the rest of inland France, the department is less discovered than its neighbours and the main town of Mayenne and Laval are worth a visit.

Charming villages are dotted around the countryside and make for interesting property hunting, it has long been the forgotten gem in North-west France so property prices are lower than in Normandy and Brittany.

The countryside offers nature reserves with interesting places to visit, the land being covered with large forests and panoramic countryside.

Paris is not far either and from Laval you can be in the centre of the capital via the TGV (high speed train) within 90 minutes. It is quickly accessible through airports, train stations and motorways.

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