holiday cottage rental for 4 to 5 people

I would recommend this cottage to anyone looking for peace and quiet.

Francine is a lovely lady; always smiling and very happy to help.

The tranquility of this old mill is enhanced by the constant sound of running water from the waterfall falling into the stream.

We were very lucky with the weather and it was a shame we couldn't brave the pool (it is September) but we did paddle in the stream which Francine thought was hilarious.

A 40 minute drive will take you to Arras wher a 50 minute train ride will have you in Paris. A must for anyone. Actually a tip was that we drove an extra half an hour to catch a slightly slower train to Amiens where the train ticket was half the price for first class. Book early online. Download the SNCB app and you don't have to print anything out; just show your phone.

Francine & Roland are very attentive and do everything to make your stay enjoyable. The cottage is immaculately clean and well stocked with an eclectic mix of items. The swimming pool was a major bonus in 32C temperatures and the cottage was a comfortable haven during the thunder & lightning storms. The kettle, teapot, mugs & toaster are all there, maybe just check out the store room. The Carrefour in Anvin will have most of your needs. The museum in Azincourt is a little dated and overpriced but still worth a look. Be aware that neither bedding nor towels is not included in the rental costs, so either take your own or make it clear that you want to hire them in advance. Totally recommend the cottage as a base to explore from.

If you want a quiet holiday away from the hustle and bustle of normal busy life then this a perfect place to stay. The cottage is very quaintly rural French but contained all the basics we needed for a self-catering holiday. The kids loved the swimming pool (despite the weather) and we enjoyed the wildlife, lack of traffic noise and the generally laid-back pace of life.

The hosts were helpful and friendly and even gave us produce from their vegetable garden. Francine speaks about as much English as I do French (I took my French GCSE over 20 years ago!) and Roland speaks no English at all, but we always managed to understand each other.

I would recommended this cottage for anyone who enjoys the simple things in life.

Some extra notes for my fellow English travellers…

As another traveller noted, there is no kettle (electric or stove-top) so if you want to boil water you will need to use a saucepan. There *is* a teapot and a splendid coffee machine, however if you want to drink your tea/coffee out of anything larger than the teeny-tiniest expresso cups, you will have to provide your own mugs. We bought some splendid mugs from the Carrefour in the nearest town (~2km away). They were only €2 each and as they matched the colour of our kitchen, we brought them home as a memento of our holiday. The kitchen utensils are a bit eclectic but keep the meals simple and you’ll be fine.

All the TV channels are in French - but who goes on holiday to watch TV anyway? The Woman’s Football Euros were on when we were there and were much more enjoyable to watch without the patronising BBC commentary. If you cannot survive without watching a screen then bring some DVDs.

For such a rural location, mobile phone reception is surprisingly good. I’m with EE and got 4G+ via Orange F. Hubby struggled on Vodaphone but that might be more to do with his ancient handset. You might want to keep this to yourself though - we told everyone in the UK that we were out of contact so we could have a proper holiday without work & mundane emails spoiling it.

The hosts were very attentive and kind and they made every effort to make sure we had all we needed to enjoy our stay. We have some delicious home made jam from Francine in our fridge!

Very nice cottage/villa in a lovely setting with welcoming hosts.

As is often the case in French properties you might want to take bath towels and a kettle if you want to make tea.

We very much enjoyed our short stay.