Hello, let us introduce ourselves.  We are Louise & Peter and we own and manage La Croix.  We have enjoyed many a family holiday in France and the Loire Valley with our children Ellen & Matt and are so pleased we have a corner of France that we can call our very own.  Our La Croix story started in 2010 when staying  at Gue de Ray in our friends, Jon & Ali's gite, Le Figuier.  We had been talking about buying a holiday home for years and had been amazed at the value for money in France when compared to those in Devon & Cornwall at home but it was on a cycle ride around Lac du Rille where our story began.  We came across Gue Morin a hamlet of houses a couple of km away from the village of Breil.  The middle house in one of the pretty terraces was a bit of a wreck and was boarded up and empty.  The position and location of the house was beautiful overlooking  the river 'Le Lathan' on its way to the 'Retenue de Pincemaille' or 'Lac de Rille' as it is also known.  With the Mill House and its wheel across the road it was a really lovely location.  We decided to make some enquiries on the price and started to look at quotes to renovate it into a holiday home.  After a return trip to the Loire a month later for an internal look and a bit of negotiation in French on the price we settled on what we thought was a fair figure and together with the quote our builder, Tony had provided we were at the start of our French house renovation process.  We knew things didn't move quickly in France (part of the attraction I suppose) but we hit a few problems. The main one, which in the end we failed to overcome, was the fact that we needed to add a 'Fosse Septique' for sewage - an essential requirement!  We had factored this into our plans and so we  never thought we would get to the point where we couldn't  install one.  The problem that we were faced with was an old 'well' in the neighbours property being too near to the site of what would be the new Fosse. We needed their consent that they didn't use the water from the well as drinking water .  The consent was one step too far for them it seemed and the purchase fell through!  Eleven years later we often cycle past Gue Morin, as it is on our circular route around the Lac de Rille - the house is still derelict and very much the wreck it was when we wanted to buy it!  Such a shame.  We then had to revert to Plan B, but we didn't actually have one at the time!  We were keen to continue with finding another property and so did a 'Place in the Sun' type trip and went out with an Estate Agent one weekend in March 2011.  We viewed 5 properties in a day and there were a couple of them that we really liked and so we had lots to think about.  That evening  back at Gue de Ray with Jon & Ali we heard stories of another property down the road that our builder was keen to renovate as it had been derelict for years. It was quite a local landmark with its old caravan parked next to it.  We agreed to go and have a look, although we were thinking that the project and rebuilding necessary was probably too big and too costly for our budget. So the next morning we all went down to visit La Croix for the first time ever.  It really was a mess with only half of the house previously being habitable and the rest of it either never used or falling down.  It's sad to think that if it had been left in this state it may now just be a pile of rubble.   As soon as Pete got his tape measure out I knew he thought there was scope and potential with and although it was the one that needed the most work it also gave us so much more!  Lots to think about on our return to the UK and time for some plans to be drawn up so we could price up the work required.  To cut a long story short the financials and the plans all worked and we agreed to purchase La Croix (and its caravan!).  Tony and Benoit got to work and we project managed from the UK making a number of trips out between us throughout 2011/12.  Work began in September 2011 and our fist trip as a family where we slept there was in April 2012.  It wasn't finished at this point but it was habitable and really quite lovely.  The Summer of 2012 we used it as a family and our first guests were family and friends to road test it.  Our first real year of gite bookings was 2013 and we have welcomed many guests since.  We have continued to maintain, update  and improve the house since and we still love visiting.  It is such a relaxing and welcoming house and a great place to get away for some peace and quiet.  We hope to welcome you there and introduce you to the beautiful Loire Valley.