An evocative escape in Jumigny, France, where time blissfully glides by on a champagne breeze, La Lisière near Aisne, incites a calming stay in the French countryside.
What’s apparent about this extraordinary place outside of Paris – only 90 minutes away from France’s capital – is its ability to completely reset your system. The one that’s yearning for change, for a new sense of vigour, that surreptitiously rises to the surface when we spend time in nature.
Set within an historic manor estate on the threshold of Champagne, Le Lisière occupies a landscape of rolling farmlands, wild meadows, ancient stone walls, a church tower, and the ridge of the Chemin des Dames. Surrounded by the countryside of Northern France, neighbouring the little village of Jumigny, with the region of Reims just 30 minutes away, and Épernay around 45. So you’re not far from the famed French urban culture. But you are equally at liberty to let the notion of sublime isolation run wild with your holiday hearts, too.
The story of the estate travels back well beyond the 19th-century. Beneath the historical house lies a barrel-vaulted limestone cellar, that’s retained its form, and acts as an ancient museum of cave curiosity. Into this magnificent setting, two mirrored-glass cabins have been placed with an almost improbable lightness. Rather than imposing themselves upon the land, they disappear into it. Their reflective façades catching the changing tones and textures of the meadow, the surrounding stone and the shifting light. So that the architecture belongs to the landscape it inhabits.
The cabins – The Pigeonair & The Cave – sit within a living wildflower meadow conceived by Patrick and Sylvie Quibel of Le Jardin Plume, whose distinctive approach to planting is rooted in movement, seasonality and the beautiful unpredictability of nature. The gardens envelope you from the outside, encasing you in those blissful beds, moving with the wind, transforming with every hour, gradually becoming an integral part of your experience at Le Lisière.
Each cabin is entirely self-contained, with its own terrace and private outdoor sauna. It can be just the two of you, in one, or perhaps the four of you in both. The owners have stamped their signature style into every aspect of the interiors. Introducing a warm and unexpected South African sensibility through custom hardwood furniture, handwoven textiles and beautifully made linen from some of the country’s most accomplished artisans. It’s an understated meeting of two landscapes – the elemental calm of rural France and the tactile richness of South African craftsmanship.
A place to return to yourself
On arrival, a bottle of champagne from the neighbour’s champagne house is chilling in the fridge for you. Ready to pop and fizz to the surface, alongside your new self. A subtle first gesture that encourages an understanding of where you are. A taste of the soil, the climate and the traditions that have shaped this extraordinary part of France.
Whatever is on the cards for the day, there will be no urgency for those plans to get underway. A slow, very slow rise from bed, a coffee on the deck, a sauna, follow by a rinse beneath the outdoor shower, then another coffee on the deck. Listening to the birds, lapping up the rays and letting the scent of a warm crunchy loaf break itself for you to lather the fromage.
A gentle amble through the meadow, resting in the shade reading, and completely resigning from any obligation. Perhaps a little meander around Fismes to stock up on the essentials. You have to stop off at the boulangerie in Beaurieux, sourcing the finest bakes for you to do some more lathering of rich, creamy good stuff. Then back to resume the resetting of the system.
On some of the days, you might like to drive the Route du Champagne. Exploring the region, visiting all of the villages and Champagne Houses, winding the scenic lanes with your favourite travelling buddy. Stocking up on more charcuterie treats for the impending feast that’ll be spread across the table when you return to your countryside cabin.
Le Lisière is a place that’s been created for you to completely retreat to. Its architecture, landscape and history gently return you to yourself. And perhaps that’s the discreet luxury of being here. You leave with no grand revelation, only the feeling that you have become a little more present, a little more curious, and somehow a little better at being alive.
Written by Colleen Ogilvie
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