Your hosts
Ina from Germany and Didier from the Cantal met in Briandes in 1979 and decided to stay there, restore the buildings and create a farm and gîtes.
We love to share our lifestyle and welcome families and groups of children and adults for weekends and longer stays, educational courses, family reunions, seminars, retreats etc.
Our philosophy
Our children’s future on this planet is our main concern:
We have taken a realistic view of our impact on the environment by setting up a responsible everyday organisation.
Our house uses solar energy for hot water and a photovoltaic system produces the equivalent of our private electricity consumption. The house is heated using solar energy and a wood stove.
All our gîtes have:
- Water saving devices on the taps and showers. Briandes’ water comes from a natural source 250 m deep and is UV treated, so it is excellent for drinking. No need to bring bottled water.
- Energy-saving light bulbs and electrical devices classified A or A+
The “Grand Gîte” is heated by a pellet stove and a wood fire. The wood and pellets are included in the price.
There is a photovoltaic installation on the roof of one of our farm buildings that produces the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of our gites and the rest of Briandes village.
We recycle our waste and avoid using disposable products like plastic cups and plates. We use our organic waste to feed the chickens or to make compost which is an essential element for our vegetable garden. We grow our own food, in the vegetable garden and on the farm. We don’t use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers in our garden.
We have renovated the gîtes ourselves using natural materials: stone, wood, hydrated or hydraulic lime, keeping to the old style of building as much as possible.
We try to use eco-label products for cleaning and washing. We provide cleaning products (washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets and floor cleaner).
