An authentic roulotte dating from the 1920s and decked to dazzle you

Go back in time to the fairs of the 1920s, when this roulotte whirled across northern France in a blaze of colour... After a very long sleep, it arrived at La Serve, high in the Beaujolais hills, and was woken up by Pascal and Pascaline who dedicated many hours to its painstaking restoration. Now, resting in the gardens of the house, its charms have been unveiled once more.
Once inside, you'll feel as if you're about to have your fortune read: the interior style remains that of its youth, and the travelling fairs of the twenties. Breakfast is served in the house or in your outside garden sitting room. Tiled loos and showers are in the guests' section of the house, along with a large kitchen and breakfast room, though you are free to gather wood in the forest to build a campfire outside your roulotte, for an authentic aroma of woodsmoke and sausages sizzling. This is the real deal!

• Esentials
• Getting there
• Eating & Drinking
• Things to do
• Booking terms
• Meet your hosts

The essentials

The important stuff

• Check-in is between 4pm-6pm.
• Check-out is at 11am

Sleeping arrangements

Cooking

• Campfire (forage your own wood!)
• Large shared kitchen with dining area and:
• Fridge
• Hobs
• Sink
• Breakfast (included) is served in the house

Washing

• Loos and showers are in the house, around 30m away from the roulotte

Heating, lighting & bedding

• Bedlinen is provided but please bring a towel with you

Entertainment

• A library of beautiful books
• Small fishing lake
• Footpaths lead off from La Serve

Getting there

La Serve is quite remote, so bear this in mind when considering your travel plans

Ouroux, 69860, Rhone, France

By ferry

LD Lines go from Portsmouth to Le Havre, and Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Caen or Cherbourg. P&O Ferries go from Dover to Calais or try DFDS Seaways from Dover to Dunkirk.

By train

Take the Eurostar from London and change in Paris. The nearest stations to La Serve are Belleville sur Sâone or Macon Loché. Pascal and Pascaline can pick you up from the station by prior arrangement, at a cost of €50.

By bus

If you plan to arrive by bus, the nearest stop is in the town of Monsols.

By plane

Fly to Lyon airport.

By car

Take your own car on le shuttle - Folkestone to Calais in 35 minutes. Alternatively, hire a car from the port or airport of your arrival. Take the A6 -the Autoroute du Soleil which takes you south - leave it Belleville-sur-Saône, and take the road for Villié-Morgon which leads you to the road to Avenas. At Avenas, take the road for Col de Crie, Monsols and continue for 5km. At the crossroads, you will see a red sign for La Serve saying "Les Roulottes 200 m à droite." Go right and follow the signs. (La Serve is 5km from Avenas so you don't need to aim for the village of Ouroux.) There is a designated parking area around 30m from the house.

Eating & drinking

At La Serve

Breakfast is served either in the large kitchen, which roulotte guests share, or in the smaller salon shared by guests of the two follies. Delicious bread, croissants, homemade yoghurt, preserves, and more is included in your stay. A lunch or dinner hamper prepared by Pascaline can be ordered in advance, and costs €30 for two.

Further afield

There are two local shops accessible via footpath from La Serve, 2km and 5km away.

La Terasse This local restaurant is 6km away and has incredible views. Check for seasonal opening times - open every day July & August.

Things to do

At La Serve

A library of books is at your disposal, along with games for children. There is a small fishing lake at La Serve - bring your own rod.

Outdoors and active

Footpaths head in every direction, taking in beautiful hillside scenery and lush forests. Rambling, horse riding, quad biking andaccrobranche - tree climbing! - are all available locally.

Meet your hosts

La Serve is situated at an altitude of 700m above sea level, in the Beaujolais hills, home to the famous red wine. You are truly in the midst of nature here. Pascal and Pascaline bought the house 23 years ago, a complete ruin, and restored it with much hard work, carried out almost exclusively by their own hands. It has been not merely restored but rejuvenated, reborn as a magical place where calm and tranquility reign, and where guests can feel at peace. For the past twelve years it has been home to several traditional roulottes, former homes for travelling circus people, and was one of the first places to offer them as quirky, original places to stay. Pascal and Pascaline can certainly teach the world a thing or two about glamping - they've perfected the art of offering guests an unusual experience in stunning surroundings, with all the little touches that make a place truly special. In addition to the roulottes, which they now construct and carve themselves, Pascal and Pascaline are very creative and their latest project involves 'folies' - full of hand-carved wood, antiques and trinkets from the far east, these spaces to stay are unlike anything we've seen. Deservedly so, La Serve is beloved of many guests who return year on year. Travel here slowly, and maintain the pace, once you enter this ocean of greenery.

Wildlife and environment

Though you may only meet a few other guests during your stay, come prepared to make friends with the residents: horses, sheep, chickens, dogs and cats all have a part to play in the daily life of La Serve and make up one big family. The estate is surrounded by natural prairies and forests, so look out of your window for green, green and more green...