This immaculate country house of 234m² is set in wooded land of 4,719m² and has amazing panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. With the closest neighbour over 250 metres away, the property is completely private and a veritable haven of peace and tranquillity!
From the road, a private track leads up to the country house and continues around to a two-storey barn, which could be used as a garage. As you approach the property, you will immediately notice a lovely carved wooden balcony on the first floor of the house, which overlooks a delightful south-facing dining terrace, from where the panoramic views of the Pyrénées are truly magnificent!
The main front door of the house opens into an entrance hall with a wooden staircase to the upper floors. The ground floor comprises a huge reception room, a kitchen, a utility room, a bedroom, an en suite bathroom and a separate WC.
The spacious kitchen to the left of the entrance hall has smart fitted cupboards, a large dining area and two doors out to the south-facing dining terrace. There is a utility room across the hall from the kitchen.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a magnificent reception room (65m²), which resembles a banqueting hall - and it even has a gallery! The room has a cathedral ceiling and a very practical double-sided fireplace with insert, which is next to a cosy sitting area. The room also has a formal dining area and a second sitting area at the far end. Delightful arched French doors open outside to the south and west, making the room light and airy - just perfect for hosting large family meals, parties and celebrations!
Next to the fireplace, a wooden staircase leads up to a wonderful mezzanine gallery, which overlooks the reception room. The mezzanine would be ideal for using as an office space, a study, a library, a sitting area/television area/home cinema, a games room, a guest bedroom...
There is a ground-floor bedroom to the right of the entrance hall, which has an en suite bathroom with a bath and a double vanity unit. There is a separate WC adjacent to the bedroom and the entrance hall.
The first floor comprises a master bedroom with an en suite shower room and access to a south-facing balcony, another bedroom with an en suite bathroom (bath, shower and double vanity unit), a family shower room with two showers and two vanity units and a separate WC.
The second-floor loft-style bedroom is currently an open-plan room furnished with four sets of bunk-beds (and room for two further sets), so ideal for children to share. There is also a large sitting area/games area, part of which could be used to create an en suite shower room, if desired (children staying in this room currently use the family shower room on the first floor).
This room would also be ideal to transform into an office space - or it could be used for Bed & Breakfast guests, especially groups of walkers/cyclists/motorcyclists... NB: please note that this room has sloping ceilings.
Outside, the land of 4,719m² includes areas of woodland and forest behind the property. Around the house and the barn, the land is flat, with ample space to instal a small swimming pool, a summer kitchen, a barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste, a treehouse in the forest...
Situated in the Basque Country, there are always things to see and do in this beautiful area, whatever the season. For mountain lovers, there are walking trails straight from the house - and ski resorts just 30 - 50 minutes further up in the Pyrénées. If you prefer watersports, there are many fast rivers for canoeing and white-water rafting... or for a more relaxing day out, the leisure lakes in the Béarn and the beach resorts on the Atlantic coast are perfect for family picnics, swimming and sunbathing!
THE COUNTRY HOUSE
Ground floor:
- a south-facing dining terrace with amazing panoramic views of the Pyrénées
- an entrance hall (10m²)
- a huge reception room with a double-sided fireplace, a sitting area, a dining area and arched French doors opening out to the garden (65m²)
- a kitchen (17m²) with a dining area and French doors out to the dining terrace
- a utility room
- a bedroom (13m²)
- a bathroom with a bath and a shower
- a separate WC
First floor:
- a south-facing balcony
- a mezzanine area (23m² total/12m² Loi Carrez) overlooking the ground-floor reception room, which could be used as an office/games room/television area...
- a bedroom (17m²) with an en suite shower room and access to the south-facing balcony
- a bedroom (13m²) with an en suite bathroom
- a family shower room (for the fourth bedroom on the second floor)
a separate WC
Second floor:
- a huge, open-plan loft-style bedroom (56m² total/32m² Loi Carrez) NB: please note that this room has sloping ceilings
THE BARN AND LAND
- a two-storey barn/garage of about 55m² on each level
- a private drive up to the country house
- a south-facing dining terrace with fabulous panoramic views of the Pyrénées
- land of 4,719m², including woodland/forest
- ample flat land next to the house for installing a small above-ground swimming pool, a summer kitchen/barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste...
THE POTENTIAL!
In perfect condition, this splendid country house can be moved into straight away! For families with children, there is a primary school in the local village; secondary schools are a little further away in Tardets-Sorholus or Mauléon-Licharre.
For anyone who works from home or who would need an office/consulting room, either the mezzanine above the main reception room or the ground-floor bedroom would be suitable to use, as would the spacious second-floor loft-style bedroom. Should you need a larger area, it may be possible to get planning permission to convert the barn into office space.
The two-storey barn is also an ideal size for converting into a holiday cottage/gîte or Bed and Breakfast suites, if desired (planning permission and change of use would be required). Alternatively, you could use the space for a gym, a games room, a home cinema, a dance/yoga studio...
The house itself could also be rented out for holidays - and the wonderful reception room makes it perfect for large groups of friends and family to socialise together, whatever the weather!
Top-quality rental accommodation is in high demand all year round in the Basque Country, making this property an excellent investment should you wish to rent it out, especially during the summer months, the skiing season and for Christmas and New Year. Its isolated location would also make it ideal for hosting groups for retreats and wellness breaks.
There is also a huge demand for unique Bed and Breakfast accommodation throughout the area, so one or more of the bedrooms in the house could be used for hosting Bed and Breakfast guests. There could also be year-round business from people walking in the Pyrénées, with a major walking route passing a few kilometres away. In addition, the loft-style bedroom on the top floor of the house is perfect for accommodating groups of walkers, cyclists, motorcyclists...
Along with providing accommodation and delicious breakfasts to your overnight guests, you might also like to offer afternoon teas and evening meals - and even picnic lunch hampers full of mouthwatering Basque delicacies! You could even offer your guests banquets in the splendid "banqueting hall"...!
SERVICES & TECHNICAL
Air-conditioning
Double glazing throughout
Electricity
Heating: underfloor heating (ground floor) + fireplace with double-sided insert + electric radiators
Septic tank (fully compliant)
THE LOCAL AREA
The country house is located in the Soule, which is one of the three provinces of the delightful French Basque Country. The local village has a small shop and a bar-restaurant; for a greater choice of shops, the towns of Tardets-Sorholus, Mauléon-Licharre and Oloron-Ste-Marie are within easy reach. From Tardets-Sorholus, there is a direct bus to Bayonne, Ikea and the Basque coast.
Popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing, this beautiful region has a great choice of winter sports, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, downhill skiing and snowboarding. For beach-based activities, the famous resorts on the Atlantic coast are less than two hours away, with family beaches at Hendaye and St-Jean-de-Luz, and surfing at Biarritz and Anglet.
Airports: Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes, Pau
Train: Oloron-Ste-Marie
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander
Ski: La-Pierre-St-Martin, Issarbe, Iraty, Val-d’Azun, Artouste, Gourette, Candanchú (Spain)
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...
Attractions: Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Aqua Béarn, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Grottes de Bétharram, Parc'Ours...
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