After spending many fabulous holidays in France, and staying at some wonderful gites, and some, well not so wonderful..(I'm sure we've all been there), in 2009 my partner and i struck out on the idea of finding our own wee French Dream. Well we found it in the form of Bois Mort,a delightful farm hamlet, that we thought was so typically French. A few years later our neighbour's house came up for sale, and we decided to buy it and faithfully restore it, as it was in a very poor state. So now we have Maison Maurice, The old goat shed, a charming out side summer kitchen, and our newest venture Chez Aline. Each gite is independent of one another, with their own private spaces, but also a communal aspect in the form of the heated pool and log burning hot tub area, not to mention the summer kitchen, where some very happy evenings have been spent, where laughter has been shared and new friends made. Here at A Bois Mort, I am always developing new ideas, and for the season 2016, I'm opening a wee honesty shop, selling my own home made produce and handy items, also it will be the hub for the gites where you will find all the tourism information you will need for your visit.

Hello my name is Richard Smith, i divide my time between this beautiful part of France, and the wonderful city of Edinburgh, Scotland. I spent the earlier part of my life as a chef,and later on went on to run my own small catering and housekeeping business in Edinburgh. I have always loved hospitality in all its many forms, and being lucky enough to run my fabulous gites, was just a natural progression for me. I still love cooking, and i am fortunate enough to be able to offer this service to my guests in the gites,anything from a 4 course dinner to a simple home made Burger, made from beef that is sourced from my neighbours, I truly am very lucky to be able to live and work in such a place abundant with the finest of local ingredients. I also have a keen interest in gardening, I grow all my own vegetables, and have some fruit trees, and utilise all these wonderful fresh ingredients in my cooking and recipes. Should you choose to stay at A Bois Mort, a warm Scottish welcome awaits you!......see you Soon. Best wishes. Richard.

A Bois Mort, is located in the beautiful Deux Sevres, a department of the Poitou Charentes region of France, the second sunniest area in the country!. The gites are to be found in the farming hamlet of Bois Mort, what to expect?, well chickens roam freely about, and don't seem to bother about us humans, The beautiful Parthenaise cows, roam lazily around the fields, and from time to time hang their heads over the fence to say hi!. Mainly agricultural,fields of maize and sunflowers sway in the breeze and there are also many walks right on your doorstep, where clues to the past of the area can be seen in the form of random vines sticking out of the hedgerows. Equidistant between 2 lovely villages, Gourge' and St loup sur thouet you will find all the commerce you need, and the ancient town of Partheney is a scenic 20 minute drive away, for larger supermarkets and bars, restaurants, tourist information etc. A Bois Mort, is superbly located for visits to larger cities like Poitiers and Niort, each with fascinating histories, and shopping!, and to the North the wine town of Saumur with its beautiful Chateau and fab market held each Saturday, all this within a leisurely 50 min drive!