We are pretty rural, our driveway itself is almost a kilometre long, so we do recommend our guests have a car. Public transport is limited so if you want to explore the area (and it’s really pretty so we’d recommend it), it’s worth having a car. Our local village is tiny so there sadly aren’t any restaurants or bars within walking distance.

We’re really sorry but we don’t allow any pets in the Chambre d’hote. Even Monty isn’t allowed in the guest side of the house. We had hoped to allow dogs by letting them stay with Monty in our side of the house, but he found this too stressful. Plus it meant that we were responsible for everyone’s dogs from when they went to bed, until they got up in the morning, which made getting breakfast ready much more difficult. So sadly we’ve had to take the decision not to allow pets.

There are all sorts of things to keep you entertained. If you love food and wine you can visit some fabulous markets and tour the vineyards of Saumur, Anjou and Touraine. If antiques are your thing we’ll tell you all of our local brocanting secrets. You can relax at the lake beach in Sillé-le-Guillaume or canoe down the river Sarthe. You can drive the twisting scenic roads of the Alpes Mancelles and visit Saint Ceneri le Gerei, voted one of the most beautiful villages in France. For families, there are local zoos and theme parks plus plenty of space to play at the Château.

Yes of course – we have two children of our own so we are very family friendly. We have two family suites that allow parents and children to have their own space. We offer an earlier kids tea so that adults can have a relaxed meal in the evening if they’d like to. If we have lots of families staying we can organise informal BBQ nights. There’s lots for children to do at the Château – we have a trampoline, swings, bikes and a tree house – plus woods and meadows to explore.

Yes you have. Our journey here at the Château has been followed by the folk at Escape to the Château DIY for Channel Four in the UK. Dick Strawbridge and his lovely wife Angel have been incredibly supportive of our new venture, offering us their time and advice both on and off camera.

Filming the show has been another huge adventure. It was great fun and we’re so excited that Channel Four felt that our little renovation project was worth all the effort that goes in to make these programmes. We feel so fortunate to have this record of our time here and of the progress we have made in rescuing this beautiful house. You can see our episodes on week (episodes 6-10) or series two of Escape to the Chateau DIY on 4OD.