La Volée is a piece of paradise in South West Normandy. It lies in the heart of the ‘bocage’ country in the top corner of the Normandy-Maine national park in France, just over two hours on the Granville line from Paris.

La Volée is a horse-farm in a unique natural setting, with a hamlet of three houses, and a big barn with planning permission and an apartment at the end. The horses are at liberty with a big run-in horse shelter. There is an old cider orchard at the top with another, smaller horse shelter. The land, which covers 10 hectares, drops away behind the houses into a secret valley with pasture, spring-fed ponds, and tree plantations.

Holidays

La Volée is home to Erica’s herd of nine mountain horses who are gaited – see the sections on horse activities and the story of the herd  – and have been trained for trail riding, which is varied and plentiful in the area. There is also excellent off-road walking and great cycling with a long-distance Voie Verte (greenway) nearby. Bespoke holidays with horses can be arranged, or you might just want a quiet nature retreat (with wild swimming if it’s hot!). You
can stay in comfort year-round in the renovated gîte, or hire space for your campervan or tent. A small caravan with hammock under the apple trees is being redecorated for guests.

Friends of the farm hold workations
(working holidays) here in the school holidays, and if you like to lend a hand,
the farm is registered with Workaway! Or you might be a resident of Paris or
London who would like to escape to the country for a long weekend with
opportunity to ride (you could be collected from Flers station not far away).
The farm would also be an excellent place for a writer to work in a restful,
private setting! See description of the farm and of the location.

An exciting new opportunity

For those who aren’t just looking for a holiday but want a permanent change of lifestyle, a rare opportunity is available to buy a share of La Volée and make this your home. Erica’s former partners have regretfully returned to the UK for personal reasons and are selling their quarter share. (Another quarter could be made available for those wanting to own on 50/50 basis.) We could revive the retreat business at La Volée that ran for several years, or we could agree a different future together! For instance, this would make an excellent venue for a woodsman with a horse-mad daughter. Open to your suggestions! See Partnership Offer section of the website. Come and stay to check it out if this appeals.