Our first booking & Châteaux Road Trip to meet some of the Chateau DIY couples!
As we get our first EVER guest booking, we had to make ourselves scarce for the weekend so agreed to pop down to meet up with some of the other fellow Château owners near Alençon, from the Channel 4 show, Chateau DIY. It was a very frosty and cold weekend, which made the whole trip all the more magical - like a scene from Narnia!
First we met up with Tim and Rebecca @chateaudelaruche3863 (check out their amazing Instagram account @chateaudelaruche) who greeted us with tea and cake as we discussed the ins and outs of owning a Chateau. They are much further along the journey than us, so it was just the motivation we needed and to see and hear all about their hard work to make a succesful business.
There is also a great tour from Stephanie @TheChateauDiaries which covers way more than we managed during our time there due to over excitement! • INSIDE AN INSTAGRAMMER...
We then headed down to meet Terry and Ash who are the proud owners of @chateaudelalacelle
They have been busy working on their "400 Guest Suite" for months, which we were lucky enough to get a tour of before it's grand reveal to the world.
We thought our place at Château Trois Cloches was a project, but all we can say is WOW! Their's is something else!! Its inspiring to see the contrast between the original state of the Chateau, and the rooms they have finished. We ended up staying for some Normandy Pommeau (sort of like a light apple brandy), and discussed life in France in their finished quarters. We chatted in front of the log burner with the dog and cat sat on our laps. It was a lovely evening and nice to share stories and the problems that inevitably come up owning these places. Chris is now obsessed with wood panelling, and inspired by the amount they have at Lalacelle!
It was so nice to get away for the weekend and have an inspirational trip. It was great to see two very different projects, but both very lovely couples who are as mad as us for following their dream.
And the thing we all had in common? - its always worth it in the end, and we all have no regrets whatsoever!
Thanks for watching. Hope you liked it, and please subscribe to be notified of more videos as they get released. Its a huge help to us.
Chris & Jolyon
xx
Or follow us on Instagram - @ChateauTroisCloches
Patreon site: @chateautroiscloches.
*Chateau DIY is a spin off show of Escape to the Château - the popular show with Dick and Angel.
A bit about us - We are Chris (the tall one) and Jolyon (the less tall one). We met working at the Foreign Office, and got married in another Château south of Paris in 2018. We have both always separately had a dream of living in a Château, so it was a match made in heaven. We also have our gorgeous St Bernard, Bo, - she loves Trois Cloches, and can regularly be seen working in the garden, digging, or moving branches for us. The end goal is to have a beautiful Chateau available for big groups to hire, or the perfect location for a wedding! We try to capture as much of the renovations as possible for KZhead, so do follow along to see the transformation. We are big believers in bold maximilist design, which fits with the Chateau's Belle Époque era. Château Trois Cloches translates to Castle of 3 Bells. So ding dong, come and ring in the changes with us x
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Was great to finally meet you both and show you around, look forward to meeting up again and visiting your beautiful chateau 🥰
Aw thanks guys. It was so nice to get to meet you and It was really kind of you to invite us round and letting me get some content too! Can’t wait to return the favour! J&C xx
we were lucky enough to stay with tim and rebecca last summer and visited Terry, Ash and Tracy too. Chateau de la Ruche is my idea of a perfect chateau and we had a magical time there. everyone at Chateau de la Lacelle were so welcoming and their work is fantastic
Yeah what they have been doing in that corner of France is nothing short of amazing!
I have followed Escape to the Dream, Restoring the Château for quite some time, and Terry, Ash, Tracy and Jonathan are the loveliest hard working châtelains you could meet! (Actually there are quite a lot of other wonderful people in Chateau YT). I’m so glad you met them!
Yeah we’re blown away by some of the stuff they have taken on themselves it’s so impressive!
Always love seeing Terry and Ash. Good luck with your restoration and reservations.
Thank you 🥰🥰
Thanks xx
I always like seeing my chateau people in one video.
Wow. I didn't realize what giants you two are until seeing you stand next to Terry and Ash. 😉
😅 yes we are tiny stood next to them ☺️
Haha Chris is pretty tall, I think I was just a bit further forward or on a bump in the pic
I always get the most intense cleaning done when there are visitors arriving.
It certainly focuses the mind ☺️
It is wonderful for you to meet others, you have become part of a solid and supportive community . Crack on‼️🇨🇦
The conservatory is spectacular!What a room! The decor of the guest room is lovely - well done!
Thanks so much 🥰
Nice to see you two out and about, and to visit other chateaus and visit Ash and Terry also😘
They only visit MALES only chateaus lol 😈😈😈
It was a lovely weekend x
I am so glad you enjoyed your weekend and visits with Tim and Rebecca, and Terry and Ash. I have been following both for quite a while now. You all are in different phases of DIY, and they all are enjoyable to see. I loved the timelapse clean up. If only cleaning was that fSt and easy. You both mDe your guests feel welcomed for sure. The footage of the frost on the trees is so beautiful. It felt Christmasy. Cheers to you both.❤
Yes the timelapses are cathartic for us to watch back too but in the moment it's hard work! Thanks for the nice comments! x
I enjoyed the video and really applaud you château owners for all the work you do, and how you support each other. Keep up the good work!! Tracy from Canada
Thanks Tracy!
I discovered you both today, how great, especially seeing you already inviting Terry & Ash over, I’m very fond of their videos & them both. It’s almost like a full time job catching up with all the chateau happenings! All best to you both! John in Monmouth 🌈🏴
They are legends! It was very inspiring seeing what they've acheived!
Loved the video guys. Great to see that you have managed to get time to visit other chatelaines. 💗🇬🇧
Thanks so much xx
Isn’t it funny how Jolyon and Terry have matching hands 😉😂❤️🥂xx
You really dressed the bed nicely for your guests. I’ve been watching Terry and Ash for a while now. They had one hell of a job to restore their Chateau. Most people would have bailed. I hope you got many tips from them and the other lovely couple
Yes it was great to hear how they've taken forwards lots of the more challenging jobs and inspiring to see that even some more challenging and complex jobs we should be bold and have a go at ourselves.
YOu have such a great place guys! Nice for you to get away also for a time. Terry and Ash cetainly have done so much to their place. The transformation continues to be brilliant. Thanks also for showing the region a bit. That's great.
Once you start a renovation you always make a fantastic job of it so carry on with the great work. Love your style. Tricia E xxx
Thanks ☺️
Love it when my favorite chateau owners are friends ❤❤❤❤❤and support each other 😍😘
Enjoyed your visits. Great to find inspiration from other chateaux 😊
Love your chateaux.. the best…I love the way you both work together and love your style..fantastic❤️🙏👍
Thanks so much! 😊
lovely video so nice for you to visit other château's
Thanks Kath! x
Hi there, just subscribed to your channel. Terry and Ash and the fam@ Chateau de Lalacelle are wonderful people and would be a great support to you! It’s great to see the chateau owners getting together and helping each other with exposure, as well. You’ll find there is a veritable ocean worth of us obsessive chateau followers lurking about on KZhead. Looking forward to watching your journey and wishing you all the best in your endeavours! ❤️🇨🇦
Thanks it’s such a lovely and supportive community! We’re very lucky to have all the lovely comments to keep us going when the going is tough! X
I just came across your channel today, it popped up as a suggestion. So great you get to meet others here in France. I live in southern Normandy (near Vire, but in the Manche department). It's nice to come across other gay people here. If you're ever in this area, stop by for a coffee/tea or other drink. Would love to meet more people who are making a home in France (I'm originally from the US). Your chateau is beautiful, and I love the name of it. I like your description of "maximalist" decor. I'm a huge fan of French antiques.
So lovely to get to know others in Normandy. How long have you been there?
And yes will definitely get in touch if we are heading that way again!
@@chateautroiscloches I bought this place last year, and moved into it the middle of last June. I'm in the process of redoing the staircase wall, so I'm experiencing a tiny taste of what you guys are doing. And please do get in touch if you're this way. I'm not exactly sure where you are, I wonder if I've been near there. Going to be doing a lot more local traveling this Spring to see gardens, etc (and especially Giverny! It's been decades since I was there!). Really looking forward to that! And thanks to your video about Honfleur, I'm going to visit there in the next few weeks, I've never been there.
Great job on the clean up. Great to see Châteaux owners mixing. Good luck with all your endeavours.
Thanks ☺️
Love it, how gay men restore Chateaux in France in style.
🫡
I have seen you on chateau diy but didn't realise you had a KZhead channel until you popped up as a suggestion, probably because i already follow Terry and Ash. I have subscribed and will catch up on the earlier ones
Thanks, I hope you enjoy the other vlogs!
I waited to see TIM AND REBEKA!! Love them since the T.V. show
I know, we just didn’t get round to getting our camera out as we were having such a lovely catch up
How brilliant that you all can get together and visit one another Chateau’s. Really enjoyed this episode nice one guys and well done x ❤
Thanks so much! x
Previous message was meant for Julian and Chris👍
Thank You for sharing ❤
If you ever have time you might like to view Chateau Avensac with Phillip and Mark and Journey to the Chateau with Patrick and Stuart. Good to watch you all and how you progress, problems and all. Glad you had a iittle break. Will you have to leave each time you have guests? I guess it could enforce some small holiday breaks for you and give you the opportunity to travel through France if nothing else. Best wishes.
They would be fun to visit…they are lovely too.
Thanks for the recommendation. We'll check them out. Yes at the moment we'll have to vacate the property but hopefully in the longer term we'll convert part of the stables into a gite we can move into.
forgot to add i love your decorating style and you are doing a great job!
Thank you so much! 🥰
So Terry wasn't lying when he said Ash was 4'2".😂
cool
What a same you didn't show more of the amazing details at La Lacelle when Terry and Ash were explaining what was done instead of just showing you all just standing together.
I know, I only had one camera unfortunately, and I didn't want to impose by spending ages setting up shots in every angle but they have loads of great videos with lots covering the detail at @chateaudelalacelle so you should check their videos out there if you don't already follow them.
Hope Jolyon has overcome the recent health concerns....🍷🍷
Thanks Steve, making good progress.
Excellent news! Thoroughly enjoying watching you both...🍷🍷
Brilliant video thank you 😊 I really enjoyed it x
Glad you enjoyed it
Where have you put everything 😮
Wow 😮😊 Where did you put it all?? 😊😊
A lot went into the bin, otherwise just in the cupboards they should have been in, in the first place 😂
sound is quite poor
I’m very much a stereotypical gay. 😉❤️🥂xx
But you break all the moulds at the same time ;-)
There is NOTHING stereotypical about YOU Jimmy. You are one of a kind.😊❤ love you ❤❤❤😊😊😊
I’m extremely stereotypically gay when it comes to DIY. I bloody love you too. ❤️❤️❤️xxx
@jimmyconnolly3461 My DIY skills are non existent. I must be a stereotypical woman di Jimmy. 💋 😘
You’re my twin, sweetheart 🇮🇪❤️❤️❤️xxx
what's up with your coat?
lol where in the video? probably too many baguettes, but it could have been a mini tripod.
It does look like he painted the Chateau in it doesn’t it😊❤
Haha it’s a camouflage pattern, not paint, honest !
Thanks for clarifying. It did look like it was tattered. ☺️