Life is better in Brittany and Normandy

I've been banging on for years about what a great bargain we stumbled across 19 years ago when we picked up our house in Brittany for just £12,000 plus fees - so about £16,000 in all. Obviously we have spent a few quid doing it up BUT it still hasn't cost us any more than around 80k in total including the purchase price. Of course it has been our 'holiday' home (sometimes anyone within an arm's length when they say "have a nice holiday" is in danger of a swipe... I'm thinking here of my wife rather than myself) and, because we don't live there year round, we have spent many times the cost of the house on ferry crossings... but "Has it been worth it?"   You bet it has!! and sometimes spending most of one's time over there renovating is not everyone's idea of anything approaching a holiday! Saying this does sort the men out from the boys (in this day and age you're almost bound to upset some people with a choice of

Our time spent in Brittany, when it comes to RandR is spent alternating between two lakes which are pretty much equidistant from our place ... the biggest, proves to be quite a draw in the summer. Not surprisingly being 12 kilometres long, it has plenty to commend it. But - in a Breton way - it could never be called oversubscribed with those wishing to swim, scuba dive, walk, ramble, cycle, sail, water-ski, fish, windsurf, canoe, jet-ski or even enjoy a dinner cruise. All of these pastimes are there and all are used and indulged in but it's never 'full on'. It never gets so busy as to get anywhere near uncomfortable or crowded. There's a lake a short walk from the end of the garden The second lake about 6 kilometres long and a wee bit skinnier has far fewer amenities but somehow  is more attractive for us at least... more exclusive supporting open water swimming, canoeing, pedalos (the pizza restaurant at the southern end of the lake has boats for hire in su