First, there were trees
For so long one has been stacking up
Who never dreamt of building one's high retreat?
Just a couple of meters above, and it's already different. As a child, you started with an old sheet arranged as a canopy on two chairs, your first hideaway, for yourself and for your treasures. Then outdoor, you searched, scanned the area, looked for the ideal spot : the fork of an apple tree (not too high then!), a hollow bush, a corner in the shed, depressions between gnarled roots of an old chestnut tree, a tree branch. "This is it ! I will base my treehouse camp here!..."
You therefore gathered the materials, bits and pieces found here and there : boards, posts, sticks, an old cover, a big piece of wood as a seat, an old umbrella, stones to mark the territory, strings to tigh up together these items, by hook or by crook. The building of your treehouse was never thoroughly finished, you always added something, improved, mended some accessory. It was the scene of many games, so many dreams, a perfect hideaway...
A persisting kid's dream
Many years after these moments of happiness, long after having accomplished other works, we replayed this scene. Oh, of course, the stage had changed, gained momentum, the project required more ample means. Stéphane had long matured the idea.
How Château Gauthié tree houses sprouted up
Settling at Château Gauthié, we Florence and Stéphane had rejoined on the family estate Francette and Jacques, Stéphane's parents. Francette had at first opened her beautiful manor as a bed and breakfast, bringing her charming and refined style in the rooms as well as in the lovely garden. And we have since teamed up for the welcoming of guests at Château Gauthié.
Stéphane had then found in this green environment the perfet set. The satisfaction found in the bed and breakfast activity in the castle prompted an idea of continuation : the treehouse would be a lodging, a bedroom with bathroom.
Green of the woods and rolling hills, the park was a perfect spot where finding the right tree was easy. Though a confirmed handy-man, Stéphane had to find a carpenter, the dimension of the building requiring a higher technical know-how.
Scanning around for a carpenter, he met Rémi Bécherel by chance, who had been trained by the Compagnons du Tour de France, the top-quality apprenticeship organisation of construction professionals, famous for their best of practice and high technical skills. Rémi was just launching his own carpentry business in the South est of Dordogne. Rémi and Stéphane raised this first treehouse, the construction lasting a couple of month sliced up by several interruptions. That's how Rémi manufactured his first tree house, and Stéphane learnt a new occupation under the strict supervision of the master-carpenter !
Since then, Rémi Bécherel has created his business called Nid Perché ("perched nest") and has built other tree houses cabins : investing in tools, employing staff and installing a workshop, his production organisation has improved and professionalized.
Tree houses for kiddies, tree houses for grown-ups
This treehouse right in the heart of a magnificient oak tree is a haven of nature closeness and tranquility. We would retire there once in a while, lavishing in its ideal tranquility. For a romantic interlude, and that beats all for a tree house, away from the children ! A refuge for grown-ups !
So our children claimed for their treehouse. Stéphane built it, with the technical help of Rémi. This treehouse we won't dislay on this website, it's their kingdom, and only "live" can it be shared!...
But request from other parents to stay with their kids or for little group of friends wishing to spend a special week-end motivated Stéphane for another construction. For a while had he already spotted "a group of trees, which would be prefect for a great tree house, with wide opening, a large deck to sit and watch the birds..."Ther he was again ! And probably had found an excuse to saw, cut, lift timber, boards, work the wood...
This time, it was more than a tree house : a peched house, with larger volumes yet discretely hidden in the underwood. And a new opportunity to torture one's mind with how, which shape, which architectrue, which indoor arrangement ... Calling again for Nid Perché, the self-contained wood cabin in the trees was opened in July 2008 and has already made the days of hapy residents, enraptured by the spell of the place. As soon as the cabin was available, our family invested the place for a few days : for once, we could sleep in the trees, together with the kids. What an enjoyement !
It's your turn...
One of the many pleasures of opening one's home to travelers as a bed and breakfast is the joy they express, the happiness they have during their time spent here. It's a real delight to share the charm of this place. Working hard on making it pleasurable, the satisfaction of guests is an immense reward.
It's your turn to come and spend an special week-end, to enjoy the quiet setting of a charming vacation in rural South West France : enchanting Perigord offers so many tourist attractions for you to discover. But you can also spend the whole stay in the trees...
Prices...