Travelbound

We have three archery targets safely located within the chateau activities area. All young archers will be closely supervised by our trained instructor and will learn about several aspects of modern archery including safety and bow work.

This fantastic playing surface can be used for: basketball, 5-a-side football, tennis and netball. Instructors can help to arrange mini-tournaments and give advice on how to play and how to improve. All equipment is available upon request.  

We've created lots of fiendishly deceptive schemes to encourage lateral thinking and teamwork. With the help of a trained chateau instructor see if your team can work out: Giant's Fingers, Birthday Bench and the famous Spider's Web!

This is great fun and requires trust, team work and a high level of communication. Participants take it in turns to lead their team through a rope course, in between trees and around obstacles all whilst blind-folded!

Once you've mastered how to use a map and compass you'll never get lost again! This is a great opportunity for pupils to race against each other as they search for fixed grid references and compass points.

Our new surface is endorsed by superstar groundsman Jason Booth, head groundsman at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium in Leeds - home of Leeds Carnegie RU side who play in the Guinness Premiership and RL Super League Champions: Leeds Rhino's. Jason has been voted Groundsman of the Year twice and regularly visits the chateau to consult with the pitch maintenance team.

These workbooks are exclusive to Travelbound and are designed and written by language teachers to follow the KS: 3 National Curriculum.  The workbooks offers practical information and presents pupils with assignments which involve: understanding money, food and the French language. Each day at the chateau can be split into a classroom session with our course tutor and then an 'out and about' assignment with emphasis on communication and using the language learnt in the classroom.

Each of our assignment courses that involve our workbooks are coordinated by our qualified language instructor. The instructor/tutor is present throughout your group's stay and will lead and assist pupils and teachers wherever necessary. The tutors are responsible for undertaking all language activities including: classroom preparation, presentations of assignments and directing the practical, out of the classroom, sessions.

The medieval town of Caen has a fantastic market which offers a wide selection of food, clothing and jewelry. This is a great way for pupils to get to use their language while haggling for bargains and buying local produce. The stall holders are friendly and will offer assistance wherever they can making the experience as enjoyable and worthwhile as possible.

Your tour guide will show pupils how to make some of the caramel products that are sold throughout Normandy as souvenirs. This is a good opportunity to see how the tourist industry helps keep local industries alive and also offer a good chance to practise listening and asking questions in French.

This is a great way to find out more about traditional methods of food production as pupils discover what it takes to rear goats and produce cheese on a local farm. The cheese making process is explained from start to finish and involves presentations, hands-on demonstrations and testing the finished product.

This large organic apple orchard demonstrates to pupils the process of apple cultivation from flowers in bloom to harvest. The creation of apple juice, cider and Calvados is explained during a visit to the cellar and distillery and a tasting session finishes off an enjoyable couple of hours.

A trip to a traditional French bakery lets pupils learn about the complete process of bread making before allowing them to get involved themselves. All bread that is prepared and made on the premises by the children can be taken away to eat later.

Cookery courses can be organised at a local restaurant and include a hands-on demonstration involving the preparation and cooking of traditional chicken or fish dishes. Pupils will really appreciate the whole process from kitchen to restaurant plate and working in an actual French restaurant may motivate future aspirations.

Today is Market day! As part of a pre-constructed assignment pupils will each be given 10€ to spend at the local market. Once the produce has been brought pupils will return to the Château du Molay to prepare a cold lunch which will then be judged by the Château's Head Chef. A list of items and potential purchasing ideas will be discussed prior to the shopping trip.

This farm still uses traditional methods of making foie gras which consist of stuffing geese or ducks with corn until their livers are engorged. Fois gras mousse, parfait and pâté are still very popular in France, and all over the world however, the method of force-feeding, known as gavage, is extremely controversial and banned in some countries. A school trip here will help pupils to compare different attitudes to food production and consumption in relation to the UK.

Our very own chef will teach your group how to cook and prepare some classic European dishes including: Cassoulet de Toulouse, pizza and French bread. Pupils will be given recipe cards, chopping boards and all the ingredients they need and under the watchful instruction of our head chef they will learn how to cook through a hands-on, practical demonstration. Cooking outside on the traditional oven is a great experience and eating the finished product is even better!

The use of wind farms, as a sustainable energy resource, is common throughout Normandy and the facility at Chicheboville currently supplies power to over 10,000 people. Groups will receive a FREE guided tour of the site and the wind turbine so they can learn about the benefits of using renewable energy, and how this fascinating and revolutionary technology works.

Pupils can gain first-hand experience of buying and selling locally-produced products. This will enable them to study the methods of sustaining a diverse economic base within the region and also bring into question the advantages of reducing food mileage.

Groups will follow the production of cheese & milk on this fantastic organic goat farm. There will be the chance to help out with the milking process while learning about the advantages and challenges of farming with an organic approach.

The aquarium in Granville is home to an impressive range of fish, shellfish and minerals. Your group can enjoy a guided tour from a biologist who will explain more about the marine life of Normandy and the pressures upon the natural environment.

We are always interested in how we can make more sustainable improvements to our chateau. Your group will spend a half-day exploring the buildings & grounds, before making an ideas & recommendations presentation to teachers and chateau staff. Topics such as: reducing water wastage, improving bio-diversity and helping the local community can all be covered and hopefully you will return to see your ideas in action!

Groups are invited to plant a fruit tree in our Eco-Avenue. Not only will these trees contribute to balancing your trip's carbon emissions but they will one day provide fruit for the chateau kitchen, helping us to reduce our own food-mileage.