I scan the long row of doors, moving my eyes along the entire length of the building as Nico talks.

‘Next to that is Odile Moreau’s pottery room and kiln, then we have Dee-Dee’s textile studio. Beyond that is our craft centre, and Dee-Dee oversees that, too, at the moment. The art studio is the double unit in the bottom corner. Some of my workshops are held there, but in the warmer months I often take the class down to the lake or into the woods to draw and paint.’

The sound of an approaching vehicle carries on the air and the exhaust is clearly blowing. A white van pulls into the courtyard, parking up near the entrance and, when the driver gets out, he waves across at Nico, who puts up his arm in acknowledgement before turning back to me.

‘At the far side, the next two sections and the detached building a few metres away are all accommodation. The tutors have rooms on the second floor of the château, as you know, except Bastien, who has two rooms in la petite maison, which everyone refers to as the cottage. My suite of rooms is on the ground floor at the rear of the château.’

I haven’t had the full tour of the château yet and I’m rather curious about it.

‘Do guests ever stay in the main house?’

‘Rarely these days, although we have eight rooms available on the first floor. There are sixteen rooms in total in the courtyard, but I can’t remember the last time we exceeded that number. It’s a fine balance between offering a personally tailored, interactive experience and making sure we earn enough for everyone here to make a living. We shut for three weeks over the Christmas period and our tutors tend to stagger their holidays throughout the year so we can remain open.’

That’s quite a weight this man has on his shoulders. Maybe the château is his sanctuary. And I can understand even the other tutors wanting their own personal space to relax in at the end of each day. After all, this appears to be their permanent home, too.

‘It’s an inspiring set-up, Nico. And such a beautiful setting.’

One look at his face and I can see that he wants to draw our little talk to a close. He keeps glancing across at the van and the driver, who has now disappeared.

‘Why don’t you go across and wander around the studios? Familiarise yourself with the layout and the facilities.’ With that, he turns to walk away.