Parenthèse

In the Orléans forest, a former campsite is now home to around twenty tiny houses, each well sheltered from the next.

After crossing a few roads in the middle of fields from the motorway, we follow the signs and park the car. We pass another traveller wishing us a pleasant stay. Apart from her, there’s no-one around – everything is signposted. We follow them and, a little further on, we find little trolleys into which the girls hasten to climb. At 35°C, they were quite happy to be pulled by Daddy to our tiny house. We followed a path through the woods, past a pretty greenhouse where we’d come back later and discovered our house for the night and its terrace.

Where do we sleep?

Our tiny house is called Isis. Decorated by Pénélope Bagieu, there’s a fresco covering the bathroom door. Some of her graphic novels are stacked on the shelf, giving us the chance to discover California Dreamin’, the story of The Mamas and the Papas. The view from the bottom bunk plunges us into the forest. The top bunk has the charm of a mezzanine bed. We’re seduced by the setting, the girls, by their one-night cabin.

What do we eat?

The basket arrives around 5pm, just the right time to light the fire in the brazier on the terrace and hope to have nothing but embers left when hunger strikes. On the menu: barbecued meat and potatoes and vegetables (to be cooked in the tiny house‘s well-equipped mini kitchen). The dessert was probably the most fun we had: smores, in other words, marshmallows softened over the fire, sandwiched between two biscuits and a small piece of milk chocolate. I’m tempted to say that we sold out, but I’m the one who really loved this combination. The girls ate a few marshmallows, but the excitement was at its peak. The next day, the breakfast basket arrived at 9am. With children awake at the crack of dawn, we were a little worried but we had enough to last us and we made the most of the bread, pastries and good local produce as soon as they were delivered.

What do we do?

As in all cabins, the main activity is walking. In the middle of a heatwave, that didn’t seem to be the best thing to do… Instead, we took advantage of the sofas set up under a canvas in front of the tent while the girls drew on the chalkboard and small table.

The aim of our stay was to make a stopover on the road to the South-West and it was perfect! The 4 of us had the space we needed in the largest tiny house. It would probably have been cramped for 5 of us. So it’s a great destination, but perhaps not for large families.

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