Normandy B&B accommodation, France

We have restored this abandoned bakery using natural materials and paints. It is heated using a wood-burning stove and has a compost toilet and shower to minimise water use, low-energy lightbulbs to save power. We try to make our own if possible (soap, natural paints, home-made bread and jam). Breakfast is made with local produce such as farm apple juice and jams. If you eat your evening meal with us you will be getting produce from our own garden and the local area.

We believe very strongly in environmental awareness and have set up a non-profit association to promote permaculture, rural heritage and sustainable development. Part of our work is to create an educational garden where the public can discover organic gardening techniques. You are welcome to come and have a look at what we’re doing, and you can even get your hands dirty if you want! All the takings from our B&B go directly to our non-profit Association (similar to a charity in the UK). Everyone staying in our B&B thus becomes an honorary member of the association and helps to sustain our project! For example, one night in the B&B will pay for an heirloom fruit tree which we can plant in the orchard; or buy a tonne of straw which we use as mulch to increase soil fertility and reduce water-loss. The garden will be open to the public all year and also hold workshops and courses. We will also work with local schools to organise projects around sustainable development and organic gardening.

We recycle our waste wherever possible – through municipal recycling (bottles, metal, etc) and by composting all organic matter in the garden, we even collect kitchen peelings from the local restaurant for our compost heap. We do other recycling projects – such as taking unwanted old windows from the local carpenter which we will transform into a greenhouse. We use recycled toilet paper and biodegradable cleaning products. The B&B already has a compost toilet which reduces water consumption by 40% and avoids pollution of the water system. A compost toilet in the main house is planned too. We collect rainwater for use in the garden and for the animals, the garden is chemical free with only home-made fertilisers. All the paints we use are home-made casein paints. We plant trees every year to compensate for our CO2 emissions (200 in the last 2 years, plus 200 in 2008). Our Association (which benefits directly from the B&B) was set up to promote permaculture, rural heritage and sustainable development. It will aim to do this, not only by setting up the educational garden, but in other areas as well (working with other local associations, national networks such as WWOOF and Amis de la Terre, through its website)

We live in the heart of Le Perche Regional Natural Park, a protected area with an important cultural, natural and historical heritage. You can visit anything from a snail farm to a nature reserve to a potter’s workshop! We will provide you with a full range of tourist information so that you can discover all the hidden treasures of the region.