Grounds and Gardens

Le Moulin sur Célé
A 14th century converted mill house and tower

Things to do at Le Moulin sur Célé

There are plenty of local activities, however the most enjoyable being Le Moulin’s gardens, beach and riverbank.

Terraces

There are two large sun terraces, the biggest one running from the main house to the tower. This is the perfect place to read and survey the day. Patrick keeps it full of fantastic potted plants and flowers along its length. It’s the perfect place for evening dinner or early drinks with views down the valley one side and the river on the other.

The second terrace is through the French doors of the kitchen and covered with a vine to give protection from the sun on particularly hot days. It’s the best place to have breakfast or dinner.

The Terraces

Le Moulin sur Célé - Exterior, Pool & Gardens

The Riverbank and Beach

Le Moulin sur Célé - Riverside & Surrounding Area

The Riverbank and Beach

The beach and riverbank is only accessible through the mill. This can be locked to ensure intrepid little people are always accompanied on the river bank. The beach and riverbank are the perfect way to spend lazy, fun filled days. The river bed is soft, easy to walk into for swims and larking.

There are outdoor tables and chairs for riverside meals, as well as easy chairs for relaxing riverside. They are usually left on the river bank but Patrick occasionally puts them in the bottom of the tower, so ask him and he will make sure they are all set up.

There is also a fire pit for late evening, after dinner riverside sitting (Patrick will get fire wood from the bottom of the tower). There are usually a couple of comfy double hammocks strung between the riverside poplar trees for serious lazing. Be sure to use the barbeque down by the river, Patrick will make sure you have all the barby equipment.

Canoeing

Canoeing

The Lot and Célé rivers are renowned for the most beautiful canoe trips. This activity alone draws large numbers of visitors each year and The Lot department local government has a large budget and does a fine job of keeping rivers and banks clear and easy to navigate. They also maintain many weirs with safe canoe slides for many miles of uninterrupted gliding down the river.

Le Moulin has two canoes taking 2 or 3 people. These should only be used after instruction from Patrick. Patrick will transport these up the valley for either a half day or full day canoeing. The end of the trip ends on Le Moulin’s river bank.

Fishing

The house owns the fishing rights to the Célé along its riverbank, this stretches along the length of garden and fields.

Fishing in the Célé is a big local occupation and more details can be found at: www.valleeducele.com

There are two fishing rods and a tackle box which is regularly restocked. We tend to use spinners and have landed brown trout and a few unidentified course fish. For keen fishermen, fishing on the Célé is always a pleasure.

Grass Tennis Court

Patrick keeps the grass tennis court well rolled and in good order.

Let him know when you would like to use it and he will put up the back stopper nets (he takes them down in the evening as the woodpeckers fly into them).

The Croquet Lawn

Again Patrick keeps this well rolled and ensures the rooting wild boar keep out! The croquet and tennis kit are kept in a separate store room on the other side of the house, near the lawns themselves, Patrick will show you where all the kit is and set it up for you.

Relax with films & games

The chill out film and games room is in a beautiful environment with the back drop of a wonderful fire. It’s exactly the wind-down everyone needs after bright, fun filled days of activities.

A huge raised fireplace is the focus point of a large sitting room full of character, with creamy stone walls and exposed beamed ceiling running along its length, with French windows onto the pool terrace.

There are cushions running along the edge of the fire place to curl up right in front of the fire, along with two comfortable cream sofas and an armchair.

There is a large (but not obvious) wide screen TV, connected to a DVD player. It’s an easy to use system, just switch it on and put in the DVD.

The film selection is of vital importance and this one hits the mark. Brimming with classics, westerns, romance, children’s animation, thrillers etc. Find the perfect films for you and your guests, from Amelie to Gladiator, it’s got it all and the collection is growing.

Relax with films & games