A canalside home in Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre

Today I'm going to tell you about another canalside home for sale in France. This two bedroom home is in the pretty village of Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre, which is in the Cher department in the Centre - Val de Loire region of France. The house was on the market for €99,400 when I posted this in November 2023. In July 2024 I noticed that it had been reduced to €90,000.

Ménétréol is a winegrowing and farming village, and as you might have guessed from the name of the village, the grapes they grow here are the Sauvignon blanc grapes used for Sancerre wines. The population is small, only 310 inhabitants in 2020. Despite its diminutive size there is plenty to see and do in the village. The village is full of character. The surrounding countryside and vineyards are quite idyllic, and there is a footpath along the disused railway which has spectacular views over the centre of the village from its historic viaduct. You won't need to go far from your doorstep to find somewhere to eat and socialise, as Le Floroine restaurant is next door, and Le P'tit Zinc just to the left of that. The next house along used to be a bakery, but I'm not sure what is there now. Sadly I am not aware of a shop in the village other than the small range of goods sold by Le P'tit Zinc. However, this property is only 5 minutes away from the beautiful little town of Sancerre, which has all the facilities you would need for daily living.

The house faces the Canal Latéral à la Loire (which means parallel to the Loire). This canal connects the Canal de Briare and the Canal du Centre, covering 196 kilometres (122 miles) in all. The canal was built to bypass the previous route via the river Loire, which was an unreliable navigation for boat traffic, both during the winter floods and the summer droughts. The canal's most impressive features are the two massive stone aqueducts at Digoin and at Guétin.

As usual the French agent didn't provide an exterior photo of the house, but I have identified it for you on Streetview. You can see it on the link below. If the map I have inserted below doesn't work, or doesn't show at all, try this link instead.

In the photo at the top of this page, taken from the nearby bridge, the house is just to the left of the photo. In the photo below you can see it quite clearly. It is the house the arrow is pointing to, with the dark grey shutters. It appears from the estate agent's photos that the house has been well decorated and modernised, but perhaps with some work requiring completion, particularly the outside spaces.

The house features two living rooms and two bedrooms. The total floor area is 80 m², and it sits on a plot of 131 m². It The estate agent decribes it like this:

"At 2h 30 mins from Paris, 5 minutes from Sancerre and 40 minutes from Bourges, come and discover this atypical village house of 80 m² on the edge of the Loire lateral canal. This pleasant house consists of - on the ground floor an entrance with cupboard, a living room with wood-burning fireplace, a kitchen opening onto a living room with terrace, a bathroom with WC, and a bedroom with a bathroom with WC. On the garden level we have a bedroom with a wood-burning fireplace with a terrace, a bathroom with WC, and 2 cellars. If you like peace and a pleasant view of the canal, don't hesitate to come and visit before it's too late. Fees are the responsibility of the seller."

My translation of the original and my comments above are provided in good faith, but please contact the agent to confirm the full details.

The estate agent is Alexandre Guilbon, an independent agent in the Optimhome Estate Agency group, tel: France (+33) 69 880 2264. At the time of posting he is the sole agent. Here is the link to the listing on the Optimhome website.