345 lines
8.8 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
345 lines
8.8 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
travel
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destinations
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europe
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france
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8250971
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-----
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# France holiday planner 2011
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## In our comprehensive summer holiday guide to France, Fred Mawer chooses
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ten reasons to cross the Channel this year.
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![Normandy, France, holiday planner][1]
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Image 1 of 3
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Normandy is celebrating its 1,100th anniversary this year Photo: ALAMY
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![Cottage, Provence, France holiday planner][2]
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Image 1 of 3
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A self-catering cottage in France can cost a lot less than one in Britain
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Photo: CORBIS
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![Paris bistro, France holiday planner][3]
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Image 1 of 3
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Exchange rates can make meals in France seem dearer than they used to, but if
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you eatout wisely there are still many bargains Photo: ALAMY
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[<][4] [>][4]
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* [![France transport guide][5]][6]
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Article
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[France transport guide][6]
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* [![Guide to villas in France: holiday planner 2011][7]][8]
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Article
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[Guide to hotels and villas in France][8]
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* [![France cultural and activity holidays: holiday planner 2011][9]][10]
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Article
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[France cultural and activity holidays][10]
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* [![France cultural and activity holidays: holiday planner 2011][11]][12]
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Article
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[France camping holidays][12]
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* [![][13]][14]
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Article
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[France activity holidays][14]
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[1][4] [2][4]
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[![Fred Mawer][15]][16]
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By [Fred Mawer][17] 9:31AM GMT 13 Jan 2011
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[Comments][18]
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We could have come up with many, many more, but here are 10 reasons to put
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[**France**][19] at the top of your holiday list in 2011.
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**1 Relax on the ferry **
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Thanks to last year's ash-spewing volcano, BA strikes and soaring Air
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Passenger Duty, this year is likely to see many converts to maritime travel.
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Taking a ferry (or Eurotunnel) to France is likely to be less stressful on
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most counts. The amount of luggage you can take will be limited only by how
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much you can fit in the car - and you're not hit by the punitive baggage
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charges imposed these days by most airlines.
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**2 Which means it can be cheap to get there **
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## Related Articles
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* [Italy holiday planner 2011][20]
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06 Jan 2011
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* [Your guide to Paris][21]
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10 Jan 2011
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* [Tripping Lyon's light fantastic][22]
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10 Dec 2010
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* [Provence: your tips][23]
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08 Nov 2010
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* [A short break in the City of Light][24]
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11 Oct 2010
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* [Paul Gauguin's Brittany][25]
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30 Sep 2010
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The cost of crossing the Channel has come down enormously over the past
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decade, particularly on the short routes. In the summer months, you can get
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the car and family to France and back for under £100. Even taking into account
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petrol and toll costs to reach your destination, the total travel bill for a
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family is likely to be much, much less than you would pay to fly to Spain or
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Italy and hire a car there.
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**3. Or let the train take the strain **
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And not only on point-to-point Eurostar journeys between London and Paris.
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These days, you can make a single booking with Eurostar for travel from any of
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100 or so cities in Britain to any of about 70 in France. Connect to TGV
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services in Lille instead of Paris and you need only change platforms, not
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stations. Book well ahead and the cost of taking the train can be reasonable
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compared with flying - particularly when you consider that there are no
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charges for extra luggage to pay.
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**4. Save by self-catering **
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You can pay a lot less for a cottage in France than in Britain. Holiday
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Lettings calculates that for a week's rental last August the average price
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paid for a three-bedroom cottage in Cornwall advertised on its website was
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£950, compared with £670 in Brittany and £650 in Normandy. So even factoring
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in ferry costs, a two-week break in northern France can work out far cheaper
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than one in the West Country.
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**5 For the camping **
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No European country comes anywhere near France for the range and quality of
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campsites - Michelin, that most stringent of authorities, is recommending
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2,500 of them this year. While tour operators' camping packages can be
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surprisingly expensive, with your own tent a family can stay at a luxurious
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site in the grounds of a chateau for around £30 a night - see [www.camping-
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castels.co.uk][26].
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**6 For the food **
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While the current exchange rate can make meals in France seem dearer than they
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used to, if you eat out wisely there are still many bargains. I recently had a
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splendid, blowout _prix-fixe_ lunch in a Paris bistro in the Marais for around
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£13. Dine in restaurants given Michelin's "Bib Gourmand" award for "good food
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at moderate prices". Outside Paris, that means you will pay under €29 for a
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meal (excluding drinks) - less than Michelin's ceiling price for Bib Gourmand
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restaurants in Britain.
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**7 For new attractions **
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Big openings last year included the spectacular new Centre Pompidou modern art
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gallery in the sleepy eastern French city of Metz (see [www.centrepompidou-
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metz.fr)][27], and Terra Botanica ([www.terrabotanica.fr)][28], an intriguing
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horticultural theme park in the Loire. This spring, a major museum devoted to
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Rene Lalique, the jewellery and glass designer, is due to open in Alsace (see
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[www.musee-lalique.com)][29].
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**8 For new luxury hotels in Paris **
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The Shangri-La Hotel Paris ([www.shangri-la.com)][30], an ultra-classical
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reworking of a late 19th-century palace built for Napoleon's great nephew,
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opened just before Christmas. Back in October, Le Royal Monceau reopened as
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part of the Raffles chain (see [www.raffles.com)][31], after a two-year-long
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transformation overseen by the designer Philippe Starck. All the rooms come
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equipped with acoustic guitars.
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**9 For the Seine Music Festival **
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From July 3 to 10, the tour operator Martin Randall Travel
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([www.martinrandall.com][32]) is arranging a luxury cultural cruise from Paris
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to Rouen and back for up to 120 guests. Laid on en route will be nine
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exclusive classical concerts in chateaux, churches and theatres, talks by a
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musicologist and architectural historian, and a visit to Monet's garden in
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Giverny before the masses arrive. From £3,600 with full board, including
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travel and all entertainment.
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**10 For Normandy's 1,100th anniversary **
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The Duchy of Normandy was created in 911 and the anniversary is going to be
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marked by a programme of special events across the region. Full details were
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not available as we went to press, but will be posted on [www.normandy-
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tourism.org][33].
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* More information See [www.france guide.com][34], the French Government
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Tourist Office website; and [www.franceyesyoucan.com][35], for the Association
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of British Travel Organisers to France
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### France holiday budget
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**Holidays for families**
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For a week in early August, for the whole accommodation, including ferry
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travel on short Channel crossings:
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* **£800** Three-bedroom cottage without pool, Brittany coast.
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* **£1,650** Three-bedroom, mid-range villa with pool, Provence.
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* **£1,200** Two-bedroom mid-range mobile home, Vendee campsite.
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**Holidays for couples**
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For a week in June, per person based on two sharing a room, including return
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flight or train:
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* **£850** Cultural coach holiday, Provence highlights tour, b & b.
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* **£950** Independent hotel-to-hotel Dordogne walking holiday, half board.
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* **£800** Beach holiday in Corsica, three-star hotel, b & b.
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**Car hire**
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* **£175** Economy-sized vehicle for a week.
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][36]
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* Share: [Share][4] [ ][37] [ ][38]
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[Tweet][39]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/8250971/France-
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holiday-planner-2011.html
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Telegraph
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## [France][19]
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* ### [Travel »][16]
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* ### [Sun and Sea »][40]
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* ### [Family holidays »][41]
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* ### [Europe »][42]
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* ### [Booking guides »][43]
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In travel
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[![][44]][45]
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### [Telegraph Cottages: Choose from hundreds of French holiday cottages][45]
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[![Carnival season kicks off in Venice, Nice and Viareggio][46] ][47]
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### [Carnival in Europe][47]
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[![La Grande Odyssee: an 11-day sled dog race across the French and Swiss
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Alps][48] ][49]
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### [La Grande Odyssee][49]
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[![Normandy, France, holiday planner][50] ][51]
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### [France holiday planner 2011][51]
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[![][52] ][23]
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### [Provence: your tips][23]
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][36]
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Share:
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* [ ][4]
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* [ ][37]
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* [ ][38]
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* [Tweet][39]
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* Advertisement
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![][53]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][54] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][55]
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[![Telegraph Cottages France - Find holiday cottages in France with Telegraph
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Cottages][56]][57]
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[Europe »][42]
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[Italy][58]
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[France][19]
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[Spain][59]
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[Turkey][60]
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[Greece][61]
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[Portugal][62]
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[Croatia][63]
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[Rest of Europe][64]
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[Holiday Search][65]
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Advertisement
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## [Telegraph Cottages »][66]
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* [UK][67]
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* [FRANCE][68]
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* [ITALY][69]
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Loading
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[View more Telegraph Cottages here][66]
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var puffs_5978637 = new Array();
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