Charming 4-Bed House with Garden on Sarthe River

Property Description

Charming, spacious house set in the sought-after Bourgneuf neighbourhood of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe - just half an hour's drive from Le Mans, or an hour TGV into Paris.

The house is in the middle of the cobbled Bourgneuf street that follows the bend of the river Sarthe, with the Alpes Mancelles hills running along the backs of the houses. The entrance hall leads through past a downstairs toilet to the back courtyard, with two outhouses and a 'cave' built into the mountain itself.
Inside, there is large open plan living room and kitchen, with an open fire that warms the whole house beautifully in winter.
Wooden stairs take you to the first floor, which has two main bedrooms with double beds, with double windows opening out on to the river and horses in the floodplain opposite - and the 9th century castle up on the hill. The windows have new wooden shutters and both main bedrooms and the living room and kitchen boast wooden beamed ceilings.
There is a third, smaller bedroom looking out over the back courtyard, and a tiled bathroom with bath and shower attachment.
The top floor has a fourth bedroom, which has been used up to now as an office, and next door is a large attic, which could easily be converted into another large room if required.
At the end of the road, opposite an old watermill, there is a private locked garage built into the mountain.
Across the road from the house, there is the locked garden fronting the river, with pear and apple trees and a mooring for a rowing boat. You can row up to the watermill in one direction, or round under the ramparts of the castle, which was captured by William the Conqueror and then swapped hands back and forth between the English and French over several hundred years.
Fresnay-sur-Sarthe is a busy, interesting town of just over 2,000 people, midway between Le Mans and Alencon. It is enjoying a revival of local businesses, and stages a bustling Saturday market each week. Dotted around the town you can find English, American and Canadian families, who have moved to this delightful part of France, or use it as a second home, particularly during the warm summer months.