Pays De Loire
Information on the Area
Etang Maison Verre is situated in the Mayenne department of the Pays de la Loire just outside the commune of St Cyr le Gravelais on the outskirts of the typically French village of Le Pertre. Le Pertre has a small range of shops for the essentials and also boasts a forest and a lake with a man made beach. Further afield there are some beautiful medieval towns to explore with Laval 15 miles to the east and Vitre 10 miles to the west.
Laval
A historic town which dates from the 6th century, the town is dominated by the castle which was built in the 11th century to protect the town and travellers passing through from Rennes on their way to Le Mans or Paris. Another feature is La Grande Rue which has some beautiful examples of timber frame houses. A good website to look at for information is:www.mairie-laval.fr
A walk down La Grande Rue will bring you to the Old Bridge which spans the Mayenne river where you can hire boats. The Jardin de la Perrine also has lovely views of the river, this can be reached via a narrow passageway between two houses on La Grande Rue. Of course Laval of today also has some excellent shops with hypermarkets on the outskirts and many sporting/leisure facilities.
Vitre
This charming town can boast many examples of beautiful architecture with many streets of porch and timber frame houses, thanks to its prosperity during the 14th to the 17th century due to the export of large canvasses to the entire world. Many buildings have been preserved including the old walled city and the church of Notre Dame.At present the Benedictine convent is being restored. The medieval castle, built in the 11th century was reconstructed from the 13th to the 15th century. There are many beautiful parks and gardens to explore including Tertres Noirs, the jardin du Chateau des Rochers and the jardin du Parc. The modern Vitre is an excellent town for shopping and dining with many wonderful restaurants to choose from, more information can be found on: www.mairie-vitre.fr.
