Energetic help renovating French country chateau and parkland in Rouge, France

France

Favourited 254 times

Host rating
Feedback
40
Last activity
04/03/2021
Nº of Facebook friends
358
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Availability

2021

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What's this?

Details

Description
We were mad enough to have moved 7 years ago to a history-packed "chateau" in 15 acres of parkland with ancient oaks and small fishing lakes. The chapel is 16th century the stone staircase is 14th! Ceilings are 4m high - the main wing is 19th c and comfortable! Billiard room included....We work as translators from home here and in London and our resident friend and partner in crime, Ivan, is a Ukrainian architect . We would love you all to come to help in our renovation building projects and in the garden ( ivy off walls. Bonfires, mowing, fishing, establishing a veg garden and in the house painting and cleaning!). 5km from Chateaubriant and 45 km from Rennes. Can teach you French or English and feed and lodge you.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Jean Noel and Ivan can teach you French and French history and many building skills and when Lucie is not in London, she can teach you English and a bit of cooking.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Energetic help outside and in to prepare the house and grounds for potential parties and rentals. Relentless mowing and strimming! Renovation and painting and decorating...
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Accommodation
Double room with ensuite Shower room or bathroom. View of parkland
What else ...
The local town has an independent cinema, race course, olympic pool and good transport links to places of interest. Nantes/Rennes/ Angers/ Vannes/ st Malo etc
We are very relaxed (not great at routine!) and love having outgoing people staying, conversation, cooking, drinking, reading, history... We work a lot and don't go out but are happy to lend you our car to explore. We used to be language teachers and now run our own translation business
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (40)

19/09/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Ryan & Anastasia)

Ryan and Anastasia are deeply life-enhancing company. They brought light and love and music into our home.
The cultural, conversational exchange was a real delight and yes, of course, they gave their all, working efficiently and peacefully with us to help us further our project here. We cannot recommend them highly enough.

(Excellent )

04/09/2018

Left by Workawayer (Ryan & Anastasia) for host

We had the great privilege to stay at Jean Noël and Lucie’s château in Brittany for an enriching and unforgettable two weeks! Jean Noël and Lucie are such wonderful hosts — we truly could not have asked for a better first Workaway experience. From the very first moment, we were made to feel at home and as part of their family.

Jean Noël and… read more

(Excellent )

26/07/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Steven)

Really friendly to have around- and super helpful and methodical had a great time visiting local sites and sharing our library with Steven. Come back any time

(Excellent )

15/06/2018

Left by Workawayer (Lehel) for host

Lucie and Jean-Noel are wonderful people, they invited me to their impressive chateau, and although we were unfortunately unable to meet in person during the week I spent there, we kept in touch online and my stay at the chateau was memorable. They have a good library abundant with excellent books both in French and English, a classy park with… read more

(Very good )

16/04/2018

Left by Workawayer (Daniel & Rita ) for host

We felt so bad to leave earlier than we thought...
We were enjoying so much the experience to stay with Jean-Noel, he welcomed us in a great way, explaining everything and make us feel very confortable.
This is a quiet and peaceful place, full of the beauty of nature, a great place to relax, and come down to the earth for real!
The tasks will… read more

(Excellent )

02/03/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Franziska & Peter)

Franziska and Peter changed our lives. Their immensely can- do attitude and quiet initiative cradled us and lead us to renewed energy and drive for our immense project that is the chateau! Franziska's creativity in the garden, in the kitchen, in the flower arrangements transformed our home into a magazine beauty and Peter and she worked… read more

(Excellent )

07/01/2018

Left by Workawayer (Franziska & Peter) for host

Last summer we spent six unforgettable weeks with Lucie and Jean Noël at their Chateau in Brittany. What a magical place and open-minded people. It was our first workaway experience and it could not have been better. From the first moment we felt very welcome and at home. After traveling for several month it was a wonderful feeling and we very… read more

(Excellent )

26/02/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Kylie & Nathan)

Amazingly spoilt to have hosted Kylie and Nathan. Life enhancing. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Hope to host you both again one day!

(Excellent )

26/02/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Miles)

Total delight to host. Hope to see you back at the Chateau one day

(Excellent )

09/11/2017

Left by Workawayer (Miles) for host

I had a great stay here doing some gardening and other odd jobs around the chateau. Jean-Noel was very helpful and patient when I wanted to practice French, a great historian, often recounting funny anecdotes about famous figures and painters . In addition, I was able to use some of their oil paints which was very kind. Also, they have a very… read more

(Excellent )

26/02/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Joost)

We were blessed to have Joost and Rosalinda in February. Never had the work been that hard, never had the wheather been that cold. They coped marvellously well. Fortunately we had a few sunny days when they could relax having lunch in the sun, and once to the races (a must see when staying here). We would recommend them highly and would be… read more

(Excellent )

24/02/2018

Left by Workawayer (Joost) for host

My girlfriend Rosie and I stayed here for just under three weeks this winter. It was our first Workaway but the experience was exceptional. Jean-Noël is a great host. He is very generous, kind and full of interesting stories and speaks fluent English. His friend, Yvan, the architect who oversees the workawayers work in the chapel is also very kind… read more and charismatic. Unfortunately, we didn't meet Lucie, Jean-Noël's wife, as she was abroad during our stay.

We spent most of our working hours (5hrs/5 days a week) in the adjacent medieval chapel which is currently under renovation. Our tasks were varied, including chipping away at the chapel foundation, drilling, digging, carrying out wheelbarrows of earth, making clay and fixing tiles. When the weather was sunny we also had the chance to work outside selecting rocks. Other general tasks included chopping wood and cleaning; such as dusting the furniture, sweeping the floors or hoovering carpets. Although the work was sometimes arduous, Jean-Noel is very relaxed in terms of the working schedule, allowing workawayers to tailor their hours according to their preferences. The great location, food and kind people definitely make the work well worth it.

Overall, we felt very lucky to have our first workaway experience in such a spectacular place. We were given a very spacious room with fireplace, en-suite bathroom and toilet with views of the grounds. The chateau is filled with other activities such as a giant snooker table, great selection of books and some board games. Chateaubriant, the nearby town, has a pool, cinema, plenty of shops and a bowling alley, and if you are lucky you may even catch some horse races going on at the hippodrome. We had our own car, which allowed us easy transport and weekend trips to several other places int he region such as Nantes, Rennes, Saint-Malo and Mont Saint Michel, and a local beer brewery run by a Dutch couple (Sainte Colombe). However, the chateau itself is a great place to stay and relax on your days off if you dont have your own transport, and Jean Noel is always very helpful and attentive to all of the workawayers needs.

We would definitely recommend this place to all new and old workawayers - we left feeling very fulfilled having helped with several key tasks in the chapel and seeing the progress of the renovations, as well as a warm feeling towards our excellent hosts. We hope to come back whenever we next have the chance and experience the laid-back French country lifestyle again!

(Excellent )

07/10/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Luis Daniel)

Daniel and Samantha were very courteous and friendly and helpful and we enjoyed their company enormously. They threw themselves into the varied and various tasks our chateau requires from cleaning to weeding to construction. Proving themselves to be very adaptable and extremely hard working. They socialised happily and easily with our friends and… read more

(Excellent )

02/10/2017

Left by Workawayer (Luis Daniel) for host

We regret our late feedback.

This was our first Workaway experience.
We spent 5 weeks in the month of July-August in this grand French castle. The hosts Lucie and Jean-Noel are an adorable couple full of stories to tell you. We were encouraged to know the surroundings (Chateubriant, Nantes, Saint Brevin) Lucie is an excellent cook we always had… read more

(Excellent )

23/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Benedicte & Kalpesh) for host

Lucie and Jean-Noel welcomed us wonderfully for our first Workaway in France with fun evenings and great discussion about pretty much everything. The work was varied and in a beautiful setting and always rewarded with good food and wine and comfy rooms. We hope to see this place becoming an 'incontournable' cultural place for the locals thanks to… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Benedicte & Kalpesh)

It was wonderful to meet Kalpesh and Benedicte. We hope to see them here again. Enormous fun to be with, easy going, helpful and hard working. Real can-do and completion orientated. We really enjoyed hearing about their travels and experiences.

(Excellent )

19/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Bernat) for host

Je suis trés content de cette experience work away d'avoir rencontre Lucie et Jean Noel et de la decouverte du formidable chateau et ses environs.
J'ai effectué des travaux forestiers et de jardinage qui m'ont beaucoup plu. Le midi et soir j'ai toujours eu de très bons repas avec du bon vin et des discussions très intelectuelles, même si je ne… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Bernat)

Bernat transformed our parkland. Incredibly skilled tree surgeon and great company. Bliss to spend time with him. Hope to see him here again whenever he wants...

(Excellent )

25/05/2017

Left by Workawayer (Olga & Andrei) for host

Sorry for late feedback! Our stay in this place was very interesting! Lucie and Jean-Noel are very friendly and intelligent people. The accomodation was great: private bedroom and bathroom. There was a lot of different food and wine) We could use their bicycles to explore the neighborhood area. Unfortunately there is no any bus line to the nearest… read more

(Excellent )

01/11/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Olga & Andrei)

We loved hosting Olga and Andrei! They brought humour and interesting conversation and energy to our very disparate international group of workawayers. Great fun to be with and they left our place having completed some horrible jobs for us- clearing and cleaning. Very kind and very willing. We really enjoyed hearing about Russia and Georgian food… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Mari & Rene)

Mari and René changed our lives. Their help was transformative at the chateau. We hold them dear in our hearts.

(Excellent )

02/11/2016

Left by Workawayer (Ricard) for host

I will write my fantastic experience in Spanish to encourage all the Spanish speakers and the people in Catalonia to follow my steps and have an incredible days with Lucie and Jean Noel.

Pasé todo el mes de Septiembre en fantástica compañía. De día ayudando con la renovación de la que fue mi casa, y poco a poco ir dejándola como el castillo… read more

(Excellent )

30/09/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Ricard)

Ricard will surely go far, he is incredibly self motivated, hard working and discreet. A really companionable presence anticipating the needs of those around him in a quiet, efficient and generous way. He helped with masonry, renovation, fencing, household tasks, and was a natural mentor and team member . His Uncomplaining and sunny personality… read more

(Excellent )

02/11/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Tony & Wendy)

Tony and Wendy really brought energy to our project. They fitted in with our guests and other workawayers and took ownership of what ever task we threw at them. We really enjoyed their company and input. Real team players. We wish them well in their future in France and hope to stay in touch!

(Excellent )

01/11/2016

Left by Workawayer (Tony & Wendy) for host

Lucie and Jean Noel are an amazing, generous couple who are restoring a unique Chateau in a fantastic setting! We were always treated as friends therefore making any task pleasurable! Tony gained knowledge and personal satisfaction helping to restore an exterior stone wall with Jean Noel and Jean Francois and I thoroughly enjoyed helping Lucie… read more

(Excellent )

01/11/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (James)

James McCarthy is perfect. His help was transformative emotionally, intellectually and practically. Has left a lasting, life-long impression. :)

(Excellent )

13/12/2015

Left by Workawayer (James) for host

A wonderful three months of my life have been spent with Jean-Noël and Lucie through Autumn and into Winter this year. The place has been a delight to help out with, and Lucie and Jean-Noël the best hosts one could hope for. The days were filled with a wide variety of activities from relentless mowing and strimming to building vege gardens,… read more

(Excellent )

01/11/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Jorge Antonio)

Jorge was mature beyond his years and we really enjoyed his company and conversation. He helped relentlessly and cheerfully with us. He fitted in well to a large international group of workawayers of all ages.
He will go far!

(Very good )

01/11/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Aidan)

Aiden spent three very constructive weeks with us helping complete fencing and renovating projects. Really fun to be with, enormously practical and relaxed. We enjoyed his humour and conversation and were sad to see him go. We look forward to hosting him again whenever that might be.

(Excellent )

02/10/2016

Left by Workawayer (Egill) for host

My stay here was simply amazing! Lucie and jean joel very one of the most fantastic, inspiring and in-love couple ive met! The chateu was also incredible with the rooms and the history and parkland. The food was truly amazing and the late night chats after dinner were always a highlight. I will forever keep lucie and jean noel in my heart for… read more

(Excellent )

26/09/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Egill)

Egill was great fun to meet, full of stories from Iceland, very fluent in English and a keen traveller and friendly group member. He worked thoroughly and hard on all our building projects. He complemented our team perfectly because he actually preferred the slog of chipping cement render of 14th Century walls and mixing mortar than project… read more

(Very good )

27/09/2016

Left by Workawayer (Sophie & James) for host

When James and I arrived here, welcomed with warmth and infectious enthusiasm, we couldn't believe our luck. This historic chateau is absolutely incredible - the stone walls, generously high ceilings, abundance of living spaces and winding staircase transport you back in time, while the warmth and comfort brought by the furniture and renovations… read more

(Excellent )

26/09/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Sophie & James)

Sophie and James were truly life enhancing. They left us with the feeling we had been spoiled by their excellent cooking, company, conversation and generous help. James proved to be an exceptionally patient and efficient project manager and constructor of our renovation and wall building mission and Sophie managed a full week of twice-a-day… read more

(Excellent )

26/09/2016

Left by Workawayer (Stef) for host

First workaway adventure and it was a really good one. I spent three amazing weeks in this lovely place with Lucie and Jean-Noël. All meals were delecious and with plenty of good wine. If you want to experience the French country life, this is the ideal location to discover it! The chateau is amazing, a big garden with some really old and amazing… read more

(Excellent )

24/09/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Stef)

Stef was a real pleasure to host. He was sociable and thoughtful and funny and with the addition of his language skills did much to keep our international group of workawayers cohesive and content. Stef worked really hard at whatever we threw at him and had a very practical and can-do approach. The chateau's 4m high windows are now sparkling, a… read more

(Excellent )

17/09/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Claire & Thomas)

Tom and Claire were a real pleasure to host. They worked incredibly thoroughly and independently together and transformed our garden in a matter of days. Weeding, strimming, gutter clearing. They were great company and fitted in immediately into a very big group if different nationalitles and age groups. We can't recommend them enough.
Hope to… read more

(Excellent )

15/09/2016

Left by Workawayer (Claire & Thomas) for host

We had a fantastic 10 days staying with Lucie and Jean-Noel. We did a lot of work in their beautiful gardens which we really enjoyed. The accommodation was excellent and the chateau is breathtaking. The food and drink was always plentiful and tasty with lots of variety and lots of great dinner conversation too! We met some other workaway'ers… read more

(Excellent )

19/07/2016

Left by Workawayer (Aureliano) for host

It's been an incredible experience! It took me too long to write about it because of my travels, and i'm sorry for that...
The place is perfect! A mix between a lot of nature and history.
The castle is beautifull, it has a cafe, a billard room, a tower stair, and it's own chapel; it's a magnificent building. And the park is perfect with a lot of… read more

(Excellent )

04/06/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Aureliano)

Aure was a fantastic help. Practical, very hard working, kind and humerous. A real pleasure to have around - a good team worker and also very autonomous. A real addition to any project and wonderful company.

(Excellent )

04/06/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Robert)

(Excellent )

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