Four nights in France with our four month old, let’s hope he likes alpacas
The first step: driving on the right in a right hand drive car!
After the easy ferry over to France, it was time for the drive to the farm, which we did in our own time over a couple of days, making sure we only had a short couple of hour drives at a time, making it pressure and stress-free for us with our four month old, Rubén.
This was a great introduction to our getaway, with beautiful sights; dozens of impressive churches and chateaux and the tastes of France; pastries in the continental breakfasts!
And so we arrived on Monday 6 February! A wonderful catch up with our friends Will and Sophie and an introduction to the fluffy alpacas for our first evening, we became very relaxed quickly.
Wayne is a runner and so on our first morning for him, was a frosty morning sunrise and views of the sleepy villages of Sanzay and Argenton. The breathtaking photos he took almost made it tempting for the rest of us to join him… almost!
After the run, it was breakfast time for the alpacas. Up close and personal with them, this was so much fun and Rubén loved getting so close - he found a favourite in Clove, who ate from his bowl. Afterwards, Wayne helped Will with the daily poo pick and Sophie showed us the luxury wool produced from the herd.
As it was Tuesday, we went to the local producers market in Bressuire, which was incredible. We bought fresh fruit and vegetables, local goats cheese and a beautiful fillet of salmon - perfect for pescatarian, Wayne. Rubén got plenty of attention at the market; babies seem to be a big hit here in the Deux-Sévres!
Later that day after lunch, we headed to the zoo, Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine. It was incredible, perhaps the best zoo we’ve ever been to. There were so many incredible animals and habitats, our favourites being the giraffes and penguins. It was the perfect afternoon out and we could’ve spent longer there too. At only 30 minutes away from the farm, we will definitely be going back next time we’re here.
Walks with alpacas
Would you like to walk the alpacas through the magnificent areas in Argentonnay?
Walk the alpacas around the chateau
It’s a wonderful experience with the calming affects of spending time with the animals and the beautiful Chateau de Sanzay
So, how is the gite?
Completely comfortable for the three of us. It’s warm and peaceful with comfy beds for us and a travel cot (by request) for Rubén. The kitchen was well-equipped and the shower was incredible.
The decor is kept simple and felt like a perfect match for our rural surroundings and having a baby in-toe too!
On our second morning, we were surprised with the alpacas in the front garden, and we were left a bag of alpaca treats to give them. It was amazing, and not just because it was Mary’s 30th birthday!
With lots of alpaca kisses and plenty of selfies which were perfect for our memories and Instagram, we decided to have a restful day, with walks around the village of Sanzay and a day pottering around the farm. Will and Sophie prepared a wonderful birthday meal for the evening, and we provided birthday cakes from the local boulangerie - they were delicious! That evening, nature gave us with the most beautiful winter sunset with the chateau in silhouette. Perfect.
Sleeps up to 6 people, fully equipped with all comforts of your home, whilst camping at an alpaca farm
Each booking comes with a bag of alpaca food, for you to get some extra alpaca time out-of-hours over the fence.
The next day, we took Will and Sophie’s recommendation and made reservations at the local Restaurant Le Lac, which was such a treat. The atmosphere and food was exquisite, and baby Rubén was very welcome there too. It was too cold at the beginning of February to sit on their terrace, but the view made us want to come back in warmer weather. The surroundings were the best place for a slow walk after a three course lunch, it was like a winter wonderland with parts of the lake still frozen over.
After our fourth and final night at the farm, Wayne took his final run of the holiday whilst Mary and Rubén leisurely packed to leave whilst Will and Sophie had customers for the morning feed. We had one last coffee with our friends and took our final photos of where we’d had so much fun over the last few days, knowing we will be back! Another slow drive back up to the ferry port with a couple of stop-overs again. Wayne’s french vocabulary had built up well over the last week, helped by Will and Sophie too for local dialect, which made things more interesting and smooth, met with very kind responses.
Thank you so much Will and Sophie, we are amazed with the farm and have had the best stay, we can’t recommend it enough! This time we stayed quite close to the farm and that was part of the charm of our holiday, but we recommend you take a look at what else there is to do (Will and Sophie have done the hard work for you) here.
A gift for them that lasts all year, giving a teddy and adoption certificate on the day of celebration with the visit to the farm to meet their adopted alpaca and seasonal newsletters to look forward to!
The year-long adoption let’s you be a part of our journey and included in key milestones. As a supporter of the farm you help us keep the high standards of welfare the alpacas receive; great nurishment, enrichment activities, treats and plenty of interaction time.
Your adoption includes:
A personalised adoption certificate
A personal factsheet about your alpaca
Seasonal email updates from your alpaca
An alpaca shaped wooden keepsake which includes a piece your alpaca’s fleece
A voucher to visit the farm to meet the alpacas (can be exchanged for 10 minute personal video call, or, a branded keychain)
*This is an administration package named “adoption”, there is no ownership of the animals with purchase
The package comes flat-packed, with instructions for assembly. Colour of teddy variable to photos; brown, caramel, white, cream.
If you adopt an alpaca with us, you’re not only getting yourself, or someone for a gift, a year long subscription to newsletters all about your alpaca and the farm, you’re supporting this small business and becoming a part of our journey. As well as this, some of the possibilities your adoption fee pays for and gives your alpaca are:
Feeds her special nutirents alpacas need for 1 year
Her annual injection and any necessary parasite treatments
3 fence repairs to keep her safe
2 cans of petrol to help us maintain healthy pasture for her
10 bales of hay, which will feed her for the duration of the adoption
7 bags of carrots… which is too much for one alpaca to eat in a year, but given the chance, they would!
A paddling pool and hours of splash and cooling-down fun
1 hour of 1-1 training to help her with trust and confidence to ensure safe and necessary health checks