At Château L’Age Baston
You arrive at a big oak portal overlooked by a 16th century Pigeonnier and framed by massive plane trees. Pass through here and you enter the interior, private life of the Château. You will have crossed a border. Welcome to a world where time runs differently and space, light and laughter are the natural order of things.
The Courtyard is a south-facing suntrap and it is where you will eat under parasols or stars and chat and drink and sit and think and paint or write. There are flowers and kitchen herbs, barns with bikes to ride on, workshops to wonder at and no end of things to look at, draw, paint and admire. Go up the 17th century stone steps to find the High Garden with nearly an acre of walnuts, grass and vegetables. There is the ‘Frog pond’, the potager and greenhouse to the right; fruit trees, hammocks, and the Artists Studio to your left. Straight ahead, beckons the path to the woods with sweet chestnut, oak and beech. There are cowslips and bluebells in spring and rafts of cyclamen in late summer and early autumn.
Go past the Studio vines and under the arch and you reach the secret garden. Through the wall by the cherry tree takes you down to the 11 metre solar heated, salt-water pool. You may like to swim in the silky water or stretch out on the loungers under the gazebo.
If you go through the tall stone archway with the bell and date of 1820 you go down to the barns where the giant donkeys live and to the beautiful little fermette ready for restoration. Below this is another grand field with a lovely shady copse of mature trees and a superb view up to the front of the house. In all there’s about 20 acres of woods, fields and gardens waiting for you come and live and learn in. Just wander down the tree lined drive, go through the big oak gate and make yourself at home.
