Le Pressoir Cottage

This cottage was formerly home to our Breton cider press, as its name suggests. The cider press now stands as the central feature of the courtyard. When we did the renovations at La Garenne, we had to lift it out of the roof using a JCB as it was too big to bring out through the main doorway. It had been in the barn for over 100 years, as no one probably dared to attempt the task of moving it! Brittany, among many things, is famous for its cider. True Breton cider has no preservatives, concentrates, or colourings; this is the real deal, pronounced by the New York Times to be “a heavenly drink that can only be described as a champagne of the apple”- so make sure you sample some while you are here! During the time La Garenne was a small self-sufficient community, the old orchard apple trees, which border the field in front of our property, would have provided Le Pressoir with fruit to produce enough cider to sustain those living and working here.

Le Pressoir has a generous living area with a woodburning stove and plenty of space to lounge around. The kitchen and dining area are separated by a thick stone wall, through which the chimney runs. There is also a large family bathroom downstairs, with separate shower and bath units. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms; a master galleried double bedroom and a triple bedroom which is accessed from a door through the main bedroom. Outside Le Pressoir, we have built stone steps up to this second bedroom in keeping with the traditional Breton style of having stone external steps up to the first floor. This cottage is a favourite of many of our guests for both its views and spacious downstairs arrangement.  A cot is available on request.