Outdoor Fun at Eco-Gites of Lenault

Posted by Rosie

One of the things we made sure we had when looking for a place to turn into a gite was that it would have enough space for our younger guests to play outside.  As parents of 2 young boys we knew that sometimes on holiday you just wanted to relax in the garden where-as the boys wanted to run around and play!  We also realised we needed to build something pretty quickly for the boys because despite all the space here at Eco-Gites of Lenault there were mutterings that they had had to leave their wooden tower and slide back in the UK :(  

Did we succeed?  Is there space for children to play outdoors!  Can the adults sit and relax?  Read on and you can make your own decision.

Play Area at Eco-Gites of Lenault

The play area Simon built comprises a large hard-surfaced play/boules pitch (boules supplied) and a grassy play area where you'll find the double play towers, covered sand-pit, swings (including a baby swing), rope-ladders, slide, mini climbing wall and connecting bridge.  But I haven't finished - there's the covered play barn (useful if the weather does turn wet as I blogged about here), other outdoor toys and the large netted trampoline (although you do sometimes have to ask the cats to get off before you can go on!).   If there is one wail we hear from children staying with us, it's "Do we HAVE to go out, we're having such FUN here!"  But fear not, all this is within view of the gite garden with it's patio area, garden furniture, sun parasol and bbq - perfect for the adults to relax in whilst the children play to their heart's content nearby.

Has anyone seen the ducks?

Learning about chickens

Do you and your children like animals? We have plenty.  There are our 2 dogs, Poppy and Saari, our 4 cats (Henry, Firkin, Foggy and Fumée) and a variable number of ducks and chickens, pigs as well as turkeys and sheep in the summer and autumn.  The pigs are Kune Kunes (a rare New Zealand breed) who love nothing more than having their tummies tickled but you might find the sheep a bit more wary.  Firkin is the really friendly cat and Poppy loves having sticks thrown for her ... where-as Saari prefers to sit and watch her friend haring about!  Children are welcome, when-ever possible, to come and help us feed the animals and collect the eggs.  You can then buy those very eggs and enjoy their lovely fresh taste.

If you and your children like walking there are miles of local footpaths that start right at our back gate.  You can take bikes along them or just wander around at a leisurely pace admiring the wild flowers and local wildlife. You'll see loads of birds and if you are lucky possibly even a red squirrel.  There's one squirrel we regularly see down the valley but Saari STILL hasn't realised that if you chase a squirrel it will dash up a tree and for all intents and purposes disappear into thin air!

So?  Did we succeed?  Will both adults and children enjoy a bit of outdoor living whilst staying at Eco-Gites of Lenault?  I think so!  If you think so too why not visit our website for further details on everything we have to offer and how to book a countryside holiday here.

Once again I'm linking up with Coombe Mill to see what other countryside activities children have been up to this week.