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Living Room - Very cosy and comfortable -
Antique French armoire holds beach towels, yoga mats
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THE CHARMING COTTAGE at Beaver Dam Farm Resort for Riders, Carriage Drivers, and Families.
The Charming Cottage is charming indeed. The owners lived ten years in the Alsace region of France, and brought back colorful Alsatian furniture and pottery. The Cottage is filled with beautful art work and antiques. Everything you'll see is original. Wonderful art, antiques, beautiful horses, and amazing perennial gardens are what Beaver Dam Farm Resort is all about. -- If you love the peace and beauty of an idyllic countryside. If you love animals and beautiful things, then you'll be in the right place vacationing at Beaver Dam Farm. Wonderful beaches are 15 min. from your door, and a short walk up the driveway is a fantastic ocean view.
At Beaver Dam Farm, even the gardens are filled with wonderful sculpture, and it's all original, and all local. Arriving at Beaver Dam Farm, probably the first thing you'll notice are the extensive gardens. The word 'extensive' hardly describes these gardens that are everywhere. The owners specialize in hardy, old-fashioned roses, and the perennial flowers that everyone associates with a cottage.
Beaver Dam Farm Resort for Riders, Drivers, and Families is a work in progress. There are always new gardens being created, and wonderful fam buildings going up.
The owners have been breeders of the gentle Norwegian Fjord Horses since 1979, and are well known in the horse industry. For 18 years, Beaver Dam Farm has hosted a program called Nova Scotia Riding & Driving Vacations. -- They have now retired from this aspect of their business, but still give Short Courses to guests staying at the farm. If you want to learn the basics of horsemanship, you can do it during your stay. Or, take the short course on Safety Around Horses -- Or, the Short Course on How to Buy A Horse.
Beaver Dam Farm is located in the tiny French Acadian village of Pomquet, population about 600. The farm is 15 minutes from the university town of Antigonish -- a wonderful town with good restaurants, professional theatre, shopping, festivals, music, cultural events, and a nice place to stroll and meet people.
The Charming Cottage is charming indeed, but it's much more than a cottage. It's the owner’s winter home which they have made very comfortable and attractive. The Cottage is surrounded by all things beautiful; meandering perennial gardens and lush green pastures populated with beautiful Norwegian Fjord Horses.
The Cottage is filled with Maritime art and antiques from Europe and the Maritimes. Everywhere you look, inside and outside, you'll delight in all the original art. There's not a reproduction to be found in the Cottage or gardens.
There's a particularly beautiful garden in the back of the Cottage called "Mother's Garden" where you'll see a lovely stone sculpture of a feminine figure made by artist, Joe Arsenault from Antigonish. It's a recent addition and the Rivoire’s are very proud of it. There's a great view of this garden and the sculpture from the big bathroom in the Cottage.
In the Cottage, walls have been knocked out to create an open floor plan that allows you to appreciate all the art from any angle, and if you're standing in the kitchen area, the dining area or the livingroom, the layout allows for conversation while meals are being prepared.
The kitchen has tile floors, slate counter tops, a wood stove, and a Jenn-Aire cooktop and oven. As everywhere in the Cottage, original oil paintings and other art are all over the kitchen. There's an old-fashioned coziness about the Cottage - You'll feel it in all the rooms.
The kitchen has about every gadget you'll want. The owners like good cooking and after spending ten years in France and years ago running a French restaurant in the United States called Le Coq Au Riesling, they know what's required to produce good food.
In the living room, there's a very large, antique painted armoire from Alsace, France. The two twin bedrooms, the Red Room, and the Green Room, are small but comfortable with good quality bedding and attractive furnishings.
There are two full baths in the Charming Cottage. The small bath has a tub, sink and toilet and the very large bathroom has a washer and dryer, shower, toilet and sink with spacious counter and cabinetry.
The Charming Cottage is a farmhouse. The floors are spruce, cut and milled right on the farm. There's an old sink in the back hall used in winter to soak hot bran mashes for the horses. It’s entirely surrounded by marvelous perennial gardens. Carol Rivoire is an ambitious and avid gardener and the gardens are truly magnificent all summer. You can choose to sit in front of the Cottage in almost total privacy or in the shade of the old maple trees. There's a picnic table for meals and a small cafe table for sitting with a cup of tea or glass of wine.
Go around to the other side of the Cottage and there are more gardens and more places to relax. On this side of the Cottage is the garden shed and the wood house where you'll find the clothesline upon which you very well might prefer to hang your clothes rather than use the dryer. Line drying clothes is a Maritime tradition, and such a nice one. Just the peaceful act of pinning the clothes to the line is therapeutic. And then, at the end of the day, it's so nice to gather the fresh clothes and bedding and take all that freshness into the house with you. There really is nothing like it.
If you take the path, and wander in back of the Cottage and out through the gate, you'll find yourself surrounded by roses, and gorgeous perennial gardens. Carol has planted over 500 antique, old-fashioned roses, and they all grow beautifully in our Maritime climate. Guests exclaim when they see the gardens, and often ask if we give our plants steroids. Nope! Not steroids, but massive amounts of horse manure.
The Charming Cottage is located next door to the 130 year old barn, and the wonderful new Stable/Art Gallery. Walk out the door, and stroll up by the barn and you're right in the middle of all the action. Across from the old barn is the new STable/Art Gallery. And in front of the Stable is a wonderful terrace encircled by pots of flowers and herbs. Sit here and enjoy. It's delightful. -- Please feel very welcome to pick flowers for your Cottage, and herbs for your dinner. Depending on the time of summer you're with us, we have a small vegetable garden that produces big crops of tomatoes, cukes, rhubarb, radishes, peas. You're welcome to help yourself to whatever is growing.
Pomquet Beach is only 10 min. from the farm, and it's a fabulous 6 mile beach with colonies of the rare Piping Plovers. The sandy beach has a nice boardwalk that takes you from the parking lot out over the dunes to the beach. As you follow on the boardwalk, there are large signs explaining the ecology, geology, and history of the beach and the village. And on the beach, there are lifeguards during the season as well as changing houses and composting toilets.
You can leave Beaver Dam Farm, and go in any direction and find spectacular scenery and a variety of greeat beaches -- all within 15 min. or so of the farm.
Just down the road is a wonderful place called Chez de Lauriers in the heart of the Acadian community of Pomquet. It's an old farm set on top of a bluff overlooking Pomquet Beach and harbour. The view is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Chez des Lauriez is managed by the people of Pomquet, and every summer they hold Acadian concerts, lobster boils, and Acadian dinners at the farmhouse. It's great! You'll have a fabulous time, and you'll learn about the special history in this place; how the Acadians came from France in the 1500’s, and how many of the original families are still here. After an Acadian specialty lunch at the farmhouse you can take the hiking trail that runs along the cliff with the ocean below you. It's a wonderful walk, and highly recommended.
Drive out the farm's road, turn right, and 2 min. later to the left you're on the road to Cape Breton Island where one of the world's most majestic drives is located - the famous Cabot Trail. If you're in this area you simply MUST do The Cabot Trail. It'S one of the wonders of the world, and even in summer, it's not crowded. .
But you don't have to travel in order to have a good time at Beaver Dam Farm. Carol gives lessons in horsemanship and training for people who would like to learn to drive horses in carriages. There are wonderful trails all over the farm for hiking. You can walk from the Charming Cottage past the old red barn up the hill where you'll find Carol and Arthur's summer home, Hill House. It sits on the top of the hill and overlooks Pomquet Harbour. It has a beautiful view, and there are more gardens up near the house. Adirondack chairs are arranged on the lawn overlooking the ocean for guests to sit down and enjoy the view. The farm's dog, Champie, will come out for a pat, and the horses will probably gather around for a look at you. Just sit, relax, and enjoy it all. There's truly no better place to be in the summer-time.
Other plans for this summer at Beaver Dam Farm Resort are -
Fitness Classes, Art Lessons, French Cooking Lessons, Nature Walks on Pomquet Bech. -- If there is sufficient interest, these will be available.
Please visit our webiste for more information and a lot more pictures of the farm and local area.
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 Non Smoking
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 Golf nearby |
Ocean nearby |
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| Cooking Utensils Provided |
Deck |
Fireplace |
| Full Kitchen |
Games |
Garden |
| Gas Grill |
High-Speed Internet |
Jacuzzi |
| Linens Provided |
Lounge/Common Area |
Spices |
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| Alarm Clock |
Blender |
CD Player |
| Coffee Maker |
Dishwasher |
DVD Player |
| Iron and Board |
Microwave |
Oven |
| Phone |
Radio |
Refrigerator |
| Satellite TV or Cable TV |
Stereo |
Toaster |
| TV(s) |
Washer/Dryer (access) |
Washer/Dryer (private) |
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| Boating |
Cycling |
Golf |
| Hiking |
Horseback Riding |
Mountain Biking |
| Shopping/Restaurants |
Swimming |
Walking |
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| Check In: | 3:00 p.m. |
| Check Out: | 10:00 a.m. |
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Carol Rivoire
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This advertiser has listed properties on PerfectPlaces.com since Sep 8, 2008
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Owner/Manager Website: Charming Cottage
Dedicated site: Tiiu Poder
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