We really hope that you enjoy your time here as much as we do! We have put together these packs to help you make the most of your stay. Please take the time to read through them as they have important information on the apartment and local services.

 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE     

1)      Open shutters on lounge windows

2)      Turn up the electric heaters if needed (see section entitled Heating in this booklet for further info)

3)      Turn on the water supply. Go to the electric box in the kitchen (small wooden door behind the microwave) – above the bottom row of switches you will see written WATER PUMP – flick this switch up (it is actually a set of 3 joined switches) to turn on the water. It may take a while for the water to get pumped up into the apartment from the tank below so you may need to be patient.   NB: Please do not drink this water – see section entitled Water in this booklet for more info)

4)      Turn on the hot water. This must only be done after the water pump has been switched on for about half an hour. Never turn the hot water on without the water pump being on as well (see section entitled Hot Water in this booklet for more info). Go to the electric box in the kitchen (small wooden door behind the microwave). Above the top row of switches you will see written HOT Water – flick this switch up to turn on the hot water. You will see a red light come on the water tank in the bathroom.

5)      Put the kettle on, sit back and enjoy J

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LEAVE 

1)      Please ensure the fridge is empty of any perishable items

2)      Please ensure there is no food out that the mice can get at

3)      Take any rubbish down into town and clean out ash pans of fires if used

4)      Please leave the place clean and tidy

5)      If winter time, please turn electric heaters down low and leave switched on

6)      Please strip beds and put bedding into laundry bin – same with towels etc if you haven’t already washed them

7)      Check chlorine levels for water pump. Go under the apartment and you will see the water tank on the right hand side covered in insulation material. There is a removable front palette and on the ground a small rectangular plastic container with a silver lid with a feed to the pump resting in it. The level in this plastic container must be up to the top. If the level has dropped, please use the plastic bottle of Eau de Javel near the tank to fill it up and then replace the lid, the palette and insulation material.

8)      Empty water tank – turn off hot water and water pump via fuse box in kitchen by flicking switches down. Then turn on taps and shower to drain the water tank. Then go downstairs to the main water tank, remove the front palette and you will see a lever tap at the bottom of the orange tank. Open this lever and let all the water drain out then reclose lever. Replace palette and insulation material.

9)      Close the shutters on the lounge windows

10)   Leave all interiors doors open to allow air to circulate!

11)   Lock the doors downstairs and both the front doors (glass and wooden)

12)   Keys – please leave downstairs keys in key cupboard and check with us as to what we need you to do with the front door keys.

ADDRESS

The address of the property, in case you need it, is

La Plaine, Route De Meouilles, 04170 St Andre Les Alpes.

BANKS

There are two banks in St Andre but only one has an easily accessible cash point which is the Credit Agricole. Go down to Spar and take the main road into town. At the first roundabout that you come to take the second exit, go past the camper van parking area and then turn left into the bank car park – the cash point is in the lobby.

BARBECUE

There is a gas BBQ in the wood shed. To light – put green switch on gas bottle to vertical, push green button on other side once and light. You can get replacement gas canisters from the petrol stations in town.

BED

The mattresses on the bed in the main bedroom can be raised up so that you can sit up in bed and read or get a better view out of the window!

BEDDING

Sheets / towels / pillowcases etc are kept in the chest of drawers in the kitchen. Spare quilts / pillows etc are in the storage box under the stairs going up to the mezzanine bedroom - lift the lid on the square after the first few steps to get at it. There are sleeping bags in the storage cube that the stereo sits on in the lounge and blankets in the storage cube in the main bedroom.

BREAKAGES

Accidents happen so please don’t worry. If the item is easily replaced then we would appreciate you getting a new one. If not, please let us know so that we can try and find a replacement to bring with us on our next visit.

BICYCLES

There are mountain bikes under the house and some great rides. There is a also a moped, Montessa Trail Bike and Ducatti – these are not for general use so please speak to Mark before attempting to use these.

BREAKFAST

A pleasant start to the day is to walk into town - over the bridge and follow the footpath along the river then turn left at the little square with the water pump and up into the main square. Go to the Bar de Commerce for Le Petit Dejeuner Complet. Please note that they stop serving food here from the end of September – Spring! Otherwise buy your pastry from one of the Boulangeries and go and have a coffee in the bar and eat it there – they don’t seem to mind! 

CANOES

There are two canoes and paddles under the house. You can canoe on the lake and launch them from the bottom of the bank in front of the house. We do not have life jackets, so please be sensible as the lake is very deep in places.

CANYONING

This is excellent fun in the Gorges de Verdon but do not do this unguided as the rapids are very strong. See the other file for info on local companies that run these – they all speak good English

CLIFF DIVING

Turn left at the Spar and follow the road out of St Andre. Go over the first bridge you come to and, just before the tunnel, pull over into the parking on the right hand side. You can dive off the bridge or from the rocks.

DISHWASHER

Simply put a tablet in the drawer, turn the dial to Eco 50 and push the ‘Depart’ button to start the cycle. When the word End is lit up on the display turn the button back round to the top again to turn it off. We buy the 3-in-1 tablets that contain the salt and rinse aid so you don’t need to add anything extra. Please do not put any glasses in – they need to be washed by hand  L

DOCTOR

There is a Belgian doctor in the town who speaks very good English – Docteur Lambrecht Lieven. Telephone number for the surgery is 0492 890002 or 041010620

The surgery opening times are as follows where it is a ‘free for all’ i.e.: no appointments needed, you just turn up and wait your turn.

Appointment only times are:-

The surgery is called the Cabinet Medical - go down to Spar and take the main road into town. At the first roundabout that you come to take the first exit (Chemin Du Moulin) and it is the first property on the left- you will see a blue Cabinet Medical sign on the gate.

You will need to pay for any treatment but this can then be claimed back using your E111 form. The E111 from and the paperwork from the doctor must be sent to the social security people in France and they send reimbursement to your UK address (please note that it takes a long time and you may not get 100% of the costs back).

Address to send paperwork to is: Caisse Primarie d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) 3 rue Alphonse Richard, 04000 Digne, France.

DVD

You will need to check that the right scart lead is plugged into the TV as there is also one for the video. Follow the scart lead from the DVD up and plug it into the back of the TV. Pick Channel av on the TV remote – if the picture comes up in black and white go up or down a channel until it is in colour.

ELECTRICS

We have three phase electricity and each phase is rated at 20 amps which is 5kw per phase.

It is important that you don’t have too many things on the go at the same time as it will overload the system (for example all the fires, hob, oven, dishwasher etc). If you do use more than 5kw per phase at the same time, the safety breaker will cut out. This isn’t a problem except you have to go downstairs to re-set it. Switch off as many things as you can that you think may have overloaded the system, and then go into the green shed and straight ahead of you there is the electric box. The main black switch will have flipped down to 0 – just push it back up to I and the power should come back on in the house.  There is also a fuse box in the kitchen behind the microwave (small brown wooden door) which may need resetting if a bulb blows etc – the switches are all clearly labelled.

Please bear in mind we also get a lot of local power cuts here anyway especially in a storm in which case you just have to sit it out until the power comes back on again. There are torches in the top drawer of the chest in the kitchen and plenty of candles!

NB: The water is operated by an electric pump so no power = no water!

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS

There is also a phone book for the area on the bookcase in the main bedroom. Don’t forget you will need to add 00 33 and remove the first 0 from the number if you are dialling from an English phone.

Please see section entitled Telephone numbers for local contact details.

FIRST AID KIT

There is a basic first aid kit in the cupboard under the kitchen sink – otherwise the people in the Pharmacie are very helpful and friendly.

FISHING

There is excellent fishing in the lake but you must have a permit. Go to the TABAC in town and purchase a Permit de Peche and go hook yourself something for dinner! There is a Fishing notice board on the other side of the bridge to our house which gives lots of information.

FOOD SHOPPING

Local market – there is a market in town every Wednesday and Saturday.

Local shops – butchers / bakeries / fruit and veg / tobacconist etc in town

Supermarkets

St Andre – local Spar supermarket which is expensive but good for odd things. Closes for lunch – check opening times on door.

Castellane – there is a big Casino at Castellane (you can’t miss it – it’s on the main road just before you get into Castellane) which is much more reasonable but be warned – it is MOBBED in August with all the tourists! Closes for lunch (usually same opening times as the local Spar).

Digne – there is a huge Carrefour and also an Intermarche supermarket which are open all day. Digne is about a 40 minute drive from here but it is well worth taking the drive to stock up and do a major shop as you will save a LOT of money this way. Head for the Commercial Centre when you get to the town outskirts. Also, Digne is a lovely old thermal spring town which is worth a trip in itself.

NB: you might get asked for ID in the big supermarkets when paying by credit card.

GAMES

The chest in the main bedroom has a load of board games in it such as Monopoly, Pictionary, Chess etc so please help yourselves.

HEATING

Electric fires

Bathroom, kitchen and lounge – simply press the switch on the bottom right hand side and then turn the dial to control the heat. They are thermostatically controlled so will click on and off as the temperature changes. Press switch on side to turn off again.

NB: In very heavy rain, the lounge window can leak along the bottom seal and the water then runs down the wall behind the electric fire. Please turn the fire off if you see this happening (as obviously water and electrics don’t mix!!) - closing the shutters can help prevent the rain from coming in

Main bedroom – turn the button to M and then turn the dial to control the heat. They are thermostatically controlled so will click on and off as the temperature changes. Turn button to A to turn off again.

Wood burning stoves

There are two – one in the lounge and one in the main bedroom. They radiate a lot of heat and will warm the place up very quickly especially if you leave all the room doors opens for the hot air to circulate round.

Please read carefully the booklet at the back of this file on how to start the fires and maintain and regulate the temperatures. Don’t forget to empty the ash pan on a regular basis. Please ensure the fire is turned right down and the doors to them are tightly shut if you go out and leave the fire unattended. Also, please take care when closing the door to the fire – please don’t slam them shut.

NEVER put anything on top of the fires when they are in use – the surface temperature can get to over 600 degrees so don’t be tempted to put ski socks or gloves on top to dry as they will eventually burst into flames. Take our word for it – this has actually happened to us!!

Wood – there is plenty of wood and kindling out in the wood shed. Please use the wood in the back shed first as the rest is drying out for next season. Go alongside the wood shed by the big ‘pond’ and in through the green tarpaulin to get the wood. If, on your travels, you see any nice bits of wood on common land, then any contributions to our store are very welcome J

NB: Closing the outside wooden front door at night and the window shutters also helps keep a lot of the heat in.

HOT WATER

The tank is in the bathroom. Please see info on ‘What to do when you arrive’ to see how to switch this on. It is left on all the time and simply heats the water up when the water in the tank gets used. You will see a red light come on and hear it when it is heating the water up. When there is no light on – it is full of hot water. You can usually get two good showers from a full tank!

NB: Never turn the water heater on without the water pump being switched on as well

HOUSEHOLD MANUALS

All the appliances / equipment have manuals which are kept in a red file in the kitchen cupboard nearest the door to the lounge

INSECTS

As we live by a lake we do get mosquitoes in the summer months. Make sure you cover up in the evenings if you are eating outside and burn some citronella candles to help control them and use insect repellent and sprays. Don’t ever have the windows open and the lights on at night otherwise the house will be full of them and you will get eaten alive while you sleep. Also, we have a fly screen on the front door which helps control them and also keeps the flies out.

KEYS

There is a blue key cupboard in the kitchen by the dresser. The keys to downstairs (i.e.: under the apartment) are on a key ring that says C.R.S 53 on it – the silver one is for the first door and the big brown one is for the door on the left as you go in.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES

The kitchen has all the mod cons you should need – have a rummage in the cupboards as there are things like coffee makers, juicers, Raclette machine (like fondue – excellent fun and delicious!) microwave etc.

Please see section entitled Oven for details on how to operate this.

LANGUAGE

This is not a holiday resort but a typical provincial French town so don’t expect the locals to be able to speak English. Everyone is very friendly however and they would rather you speak halting French to them than perfectly good English. There are language courses on CD (Michel Thomas) and tapes (Pimsleur) here and also a big dictionary! There is an excellent free website as well www.freetranslation.com where you simply insert the text and select the translation you require (i.e.: English to French) and it does it for you. It isn’t foolproof but it’s better than nothing if you are really stuck trying to read / translate something as it will give you the general idea.

LIGHTS

There are a lot of spare bulbs in the cupboard under the hob.

LOGS

Please see section on Heating

MAIL

All of our French mail should come to us in the UK but please could you occasionally check the mail box (the silver US style mailbox next to the wood shed) to check there is nothing in there. If you do come across a letter or anything that looks important (any flyers etc can just be binned) please can you post it on to us at:- Mark and Helen Taggart, Orchard Cottage, Littleton Drew, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 7NB, Angleterre.

Please see heading entitled Post Office for opening times

MAPS / GUIDE BOOKS

There are plenty of maps (bookcase in bedroom) and Lonely Planet books (bookcase in lounge) - there is also a lot of information on places to visit in the other file. This is a fantastic part of France so make the most if it and go and explore – if you only do one thing go and take the drive along the Gorge de Verdon towards Moustiers – absolutely stunning scenery.

MICE

Please ensure that you don’t leave any food out on the surfaces in the kitchen crumbs on the floor & remove rubbish regularly.

Also please store opened foodstuffs in containers in the cupboards as they can get into the tiniest spaces– there are plenty of storage jars and Tupperware containers in the cupboards.

 We also put down blocks of poison (harsh I know, but we need to control it) which you may see around the place especially in the barns and outbuildings – they are usually green or pink blocks (some of them in small foil dishes) so please don’t handle them.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Look at the maps to plan your outings. There is good cycling if you follow the road alongside our house which then turns into a track that goes to Angles – steep demanding ride!

NEWSPAPERS

The Tabac sometimes has a Sunday Times or Telegraph if you are lucky!

OPENING TIMES

Everything closes for lunch! You can usually write off any shopping, getting petrol etc from about 12.30 until 2.30 /3pm so it’s always worth checking the opening times on the doors. The benefit however is that most places then don’t close till around 7.30 / 8pm in the evening.  Also, most places close on a Sunday.

OVEN

There is an operational booklet in the drawer under the oven. It is a fantastic oven for cooking but a little bit complicated until you get the hang of it! One main thing you need to bear in mind is that it won’t work if the clock is flashing 0.00 if you’ve had a power cut. You will need to reset the time before it will operate, but this is all explained in the handbook.

PARAGLIDING

This is an amazing flying area and you will be able to watch them flying from our garden. If you want to do a tandem flight, go and see the flying school, Aerogliss, which is on the right as you head down towards the Spar supermarket.

POST OFFICE

The post office (La Poste) in town is open from 9am – 11.30am and 2pm – 4pm and only open on Saturday morning. You can also buy stamps (timbres) from the Tabac.

PROVISIONS

The place is well stocked with basic provisions, washing powder etc – all we ask is that you replace something if you use the last of it so that we have a continuous supply for everyone to use. Also, if you use food out of the freezer please could you replace it as we like to keep this well stocked.

RECYCLING

You will see recycling bins around town:-

La Verre = Glass  (no lids)

Journaux / Magazines = paper / magazines

Cardboard boxes – can be left in the cage outside the Spar for other to use

RESTAURANTS

Please see other file for information (we have highlighted our favourites) or ask at Tourist information. In the summer months (July / August) the shack by the lake on the main road (Chris and Dede’s) do good very cheap food and it is nice in the evenings to have dinner by the lake.

RUBBISH

Even though you will see the rubbish cart go past the house several times a day, please don’t expect them to stop to collect the rubbish – strange but true! Please bag any rubbish and drop it into any of the many bins that you will see all around town.

SAFETY

You will hear lots of creaking in the wind – please don’t be alarmed – the house and especially the barn are very old and you do get used to it! For your own safety please take care when looking round the rest of the building as the terracotta roof tiles are falling down and be careful where you walk and don’t put any weight on floorboards etc that look unsafe – treat it as a building site and be sensible but also please feel free to have a good look round as it is amazing down there!

Also – don’t stick your hands into holes or spaces without checking first as we suspect there are some big lizards and other guests living with us.

SECURITY

The area is generally safe and crime free but please ensure the house is locked up when you go out. Please be aware that the same does not apply if you go to places like Nice and Antibes – take all your valuables out of the car as thieving is rife in the major towns.

SKIING / SNOWBOARDING

There is some information in the other file and an excellent website www.valdallos.com – all ski resorts will hire you the kit you need and sell daily insurance. The French ski school (Ecole Ski France ESF) offer excellent tuition.

The ski resorts are about 45mins drive away – you need to take the road towards Allos which is turn right at the Spar and stay on that road. First resort you come to is Le Seignus Bas and then other resorts further on up the road – see file for more info and prices etc.

SPORTS

Too numerous to mention here but please see these headings for further information and also check out the other information file for more details.

SWIMMING

You can swim anywhere in the lake where you can gain access. Good places are:-

The Island – turn left at Spar and follow the road out of St Andre. Go over the first bridge you come to and, just before the tunnel, pull over into the parking on the left hand side. Follow the little track along the edge of the lake until you reach the grassy island (about 10 minute walk) – great place to spend the day and take a picnic as lots of shade when it’s hot.

The Beach – turn left at Spar and follow the road out of St Andre. You will then come to a sign on the left saying Chris and Dede’s pizza and then just after that you will see a big parking area with easy access to the lake. You can hire pedalos and canoes in the summer.

Le Sirocco – turn left at Spar and follow the road out of St Andre and then take the right turn towards Castellane. After about 20 minutes you will see Sirocco on the right hand side where you can hire loungers, pedalos etc in the summer.

Secret Beach – about 20 minutes walk from the house but hardly anyone knows about it so worth the trip. Turn right out of the house and follow the road down past the house on the left and the château on your right. At the dip in the hill there is a small bridge that passes over the stream and you will notice a small stony track heading off to the right. Follow this track along and you will eventually reach the tip of the lake and then the path heads up and along till you finally reach a very small island right on the water’s edge.

SUNBATHING

Watch our for the sun especially in June / July / August when it is particularly strong and always take lots of water with you. Also topless sunbathing doesn’t seem to happen in St Andre – you have been warned!

TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Local Telephone Numbers

 Don’t forget you will need to add 00 33 and remove the first 0 from the number if you are dialling from an English phone.

The following people are our friends who live in town or nearby and who speak some English and maybe able to help you if you get stuck and can’t get hold of us.

TELEVISION

French TV is not the best entertainment! Channel 1 is Eurosport although the picture quality isn’t brilliant. See sections entitled DVD and Video on how to link these up.

TOILET

We have a septic tank so please do not flush anything other than toilet paper down it. Everything else needs to go out with the rubbish!

VACUUM CLEANER

Rowenta cleaner is kept in the bathroom. If you need a new bag, they are in the cupboard under the hob. If you can’t fathom out how to change it, there are instructions in the red file in the kitchen.

VIDEO

You will need to check that the right scart lead is plugged into the TV as there is also one for the DVD. Follow the scart lead from the video up and plug it into the back of the TV. Pick Channel av on the TV remote – if the picture comes up in black and white go up or down a channel until it is in colour.

VISITORS BOOK

We love to hear people’s comments and recommendations, so please feel free to complete a page in our visitor’s book under the page entitled Guest.

WALKS

There are some fantastic walks in this area. Consult the maps – there is also a book on the bookcase in the lounge for walks along the Gorges du Verdon and some walks around St Andre in the other file. Take water with you on long walks as the altitude does make things more difficult out here!  For walking information click here

WASHING MACHINE

There is a booklet in the household manual file but the main things you need to know are:-

Powder – goes in middle section of drawer

Fabric conditioner – in right hand section of drawer

Once you have set the machine, press the On button (fifth button along) and a red light will come on and the door will lock. Door lock button will flash when programme has finished and door can be released.

WATER

Our water comes from a well in the garden and is then pumped up to a holding tank which is in the house under the apartment. It is then pumped from there up to the water tank in the flat. You will probably notice the odd sulphurous smell of the water – it is perfectly harmless to your skin and you do get used to it. We do have a chlorine pump which is supposed to treat the water before it is pumped up to the flat but this can be quite erratic and doesn’t always work (hence the bad smell!).

It is fine for the dishwasher, washing machine etc but please do not drink or cook with it – you will need to use bottled water for this which can be bought cheaply from the supermarkets. Please can you also ensure that there is some bottled water left for the next set of guests as there is nothing worse than arriving to find you have no water to drink.

If some reason the water stops you need to reset the switch on the water tank. Go downstairs under the apartment and you will see the water tank on the right hand side covered in insulation material. Remove the insulation material from the top and you will see a little black box on top of the water tank. Unscrew this and remove it then press down the brass bar / trigger you will see and it will click and you should hear the water start pumping again. Replace black cover and insulation material.

NB: Also don’t forget it is an electric pump, so you won’t have any water if there is a power cut!

WEATHER

Being the South of France we are normally blessed with fantastic dry weather with blue skies most of the year round J If you want to check a weather forecast (METEO) tune into Channel 7 on the TV at 7.50pm or 8.50pm. You won’t be able to understand a word they are saying as they speak SO fast but you can work it out from the maps!

WOOD BURNING FIRES

See section entitled Heating

Anything not listed here please call Mark or Helen on the numbers listed above.