Category Archives: Basse Copette

These posts give some background to Basse Copette, your host and the immediate area – information not covered on the pages of the website

A New Year and a New Website

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Wishing all my guests and friends of Basse Copette the very best for 2012. If you have already stayed here I hope to welcome you back sometime soon, and if you are thinking about a visit – I look forward to welcoming you to Basse Copette.

The previous Basse Copette homepage

The previous Basse Copette homepage

It is a new year, and there is nothing better than starting a new year with a new … um … website! Having had a great website created in 2008, and then my tinkering around the edges for a few years, it really was time for a change.

After a lot of hard and very creative work from Pauline Kenny, one of my Archaeology Travel partners, here is the new website. If you visited my old website I am sure you will agree with me that this new website not only looks great, it is also very easy to navigate and find the information you require when considering a at B&B or self catering stay at Basse Copette.

Previous guests will also notice a number of improvements, and there are more that are currently in progress.

Now I just need a photographer or some photography lessons. Trying to capture the cottage’s ‘wow factor’ tests my photography skills to their limits.

Happy New Year, and here’s to seeing you (again) at Basse Copette during 2012.
Thomas

To mark my new website:
5% Discount on all bookings with deposits paid before 31 January 2012
15% Discount on bookings paid in full before 31 January 2012

Image of the Week: A January Sunrise at Basse Copette

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A January sunrise at Basse CopetteAfter a blustery few days, where the rain was literally horizontal, this morning’s sunrise was a particularly welcome sight! I really did not think my rather simple camera together with my primitive photography skills (i.e. point and press – if it is not painted on a cave wall I am challenged) would get this shot looking as good as it does. Perhaps I still remember the real thing! What has not come out as I remember it, are the touches of pink on the clouds. It is clouds like these that makes me understand why Monet found Normandy so paint-able.

Official: it is Winter

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Winter arrives at Basse Copette, a perfect excuse for a winter break in Upper Normandy

And off they go ...

As my guests will attest, Basse Copette really is a small rural hamlet seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. Where, I sometimes think, time has forgotten us and gone rushing on ahead. Instead of rushing forward, on to yet another crucial meeting, another must see event, the passing of time at Basse Copette is marked by its inhabitants in a much more calm manner, almost daily in their day-to-day activities. Most of my neighbours are in their late 60s and into their 80s, and have lived here for most if not all of their lives. Lives that really are governed by the changing seasons; and I mean more than adding a few extra layers during winter. After seven years here (now the second longest I have ever lived in one place) I am starting to become more aware of this myself. And I was reminded of it yesterday when the cows came down off the slopes of the hills behind Basse Copette. Continue reading →

French Christmas Markets: Amiens

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French Christmas markets ... in France

French Christmas markets ... in France

French Christmas markets are a great part of the build up to Christmas, and the best way to experience one is of course in France itself. The city of Amiens hosts the biggest and most spectacular one in northern France. From the last weekend in November to just after Christmas the streets of the city are filled with over 120 individual stalls and all sorts of rides and attractions to amuse the younger visitors. And during the month of December, the façade of the Cathedral is lit up to appear as it would have done in medieval times. So if it is a quiet romantic few days away you are looking for in the lead up to Christmas, or a pre-Christmas treat for the children, a weekend Christmas break is a must. Only 35 minutes away is the small hamlet of Basse Copette. On offer, luxury but affordable bed and breakfast or self catering accommodation, for a weekend or a few days in the week. A Christmas market break at Basse Copette offers a great deal. Continue reading →

Summer Holidays in Normandy

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Summer Festival Queen

Summer Festival Queen

Rural areas of France provide wonderful summer holidays, and Normandy is no different. Basse Copette is a small, rural hamlet in the Bresle Valley of Upper Normandy. There are only 6 residences, and very much off the beaten track. What it lacks in on-the-door-step attractions it more than amply makes up for in rural charm. We are close to some great attractions (Monet’s Garden in Giverny), and others make for a great day out (Paris, Disneyland), but there really is something unbeatable about being in France profonde. For example, each year from the the end of spring to the beginning of autumn most Communes and bigger villages host their own particular summer festival. And then there are the rather unique and often quirky ways of celebrating national events. These add a wonderful and often unexpected quality to a holiday. Continue reading →

France Christmas Markets: Rouen

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France for Christmas Markets

France for Christmas Markets

France has wonderful Christmas markets, and the Marché de Noël in Rouen has a most spectacular backdrop: the cathedral that Monet has made so famous. Directly in front of the Cathedral is one of a couple of skating rinks available, which is surrounded by numerous stalls selling all sorts of drinks (of course there is mulled wine) and food. Then scattered throughout the streets of this older part of the city are various stalls selling all sorts of things that make great gifts. Most Marchés de Noël start during the last weekend of November and go through to the first week of January. Basse Copette is close to two great French Christmas Markets: Rouen and Amiens, and on offer are inclusive 3-day breaks to give you the opportunity to enjoy both! Bring the children, or as most couples do, take a break from the maddening rush that is the lead up to Christmas and relax at Basse Copette. Continue reading →

Normandy Gite September @ Basse Copette

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Try a Normandy gîte this September, try Basse Copette. September is a wonderful time to holiday in Normandy – the schools have gone back, the weather is still wonderful and all the tourist attractions are still open – after all it is heritage weekend towards the end of September in France. And Basse Copette is no different – being on the Picardy and Normandy border everything these two regions have to offer are on your doorstep: a day trip to Paris, Monet’s garden at Giverny, World War 1 and 2 memorial sites.

Basse Copette offers luxury self catering accommodation for up to 8 people – i.e. which could work out as only €90 per person per week, or €13 per person per night! Perfect for couples travelling together or alone or families. Continue reading →

Holiday-Secure @ Basse Copette

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In 2008 a young German family came to Basse Copette for their two-week, summer holiday. They arrived late afternoon after an early start and a long journey. Having arrived, all the children wanted to do was to get in to the pool and all mum and dad wanted to do was to get the bags and supplies into the barn and to get settled for their two-week stay. Both wishes were satisfied soon enough, and everyone enjoyed their first night in the barn. The following day with the excitement of arrival over, mum wanted to call her parents to let them know they had arrived safely. Mum went to get her mobile phone from her handbag only to find it was not there. After an increasingly frantic search of the barn and the car mum became as certain of where she last had her phone, at a rest-stop they had stopped at to let the children run around. Continue reading →

Spring Break at Basse Copette

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Spring Breaks in Normandy, France – booking now.

Spring Break in Normandy: the first daffidols of 2009

Spring Break in Normandy: the first daffidols of 2009

Near the hamlet of Basse Copette is the small town of Bouafles. The town’s church is on a small hill that overlooks much of the town. At this time of the year the hillside is white, and not just from the frost. The hillside is covered with snowdrops. These flowers are a welcome sign, spring is on its way! Basse Copette is the perfect spot for a spring break in Normandy, France – at just an hour and a half from Calais. So come and see the landscape come alive again. Spring is a wonderful time in Normandy, and at Basse Copette it is no different. The winter landscape is stark, and has its own striking attraction. But as the trees in the surrounding forests start to turn green and the weather starts to get a bit warmer – the landscape takes on a different feel altogether. During spring the French equivalent of the ‘car boot sale’ start – just the thing for bargain hunters. Continue reading →

Your host at Basse Copette

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I moved to Basse Copette at the beginning of 2005 from England. Before that I taught archaeology at the University of Manchester (before that at the University of Southampton). I trained as an archaeologist in South Africa – specialising in prehistoric art of Africa and Europe. I am still an active researcher, and greatly enjoy being a more independent scholar. This allows me much more freedom to do what I enjoy most, such as offering guided tours of the archaeology, art and architecture of France. My research has featured in a number of made-for-TV documentaries, including for the BBC and Channel 4. Continue reading →