House in Navarrenx , Pyrénées-Atlantiques , Aquitaine

Built in the 18th century and retaining many of its original features, this charming maison-de-maître of about 250m² is situated in a peaceful, rural village in the beautiful Béarn countryside. This super property is ideal for anybody searching for a very spacious family home or a holiday home - and the barns could have huge potential for converting into additional accommodation (subject to permission). Although in need of some modernisation and refurbishment, this super village house is ready to move into.

Facing south-west, the maison-de-maître is set in a beautiful cottage garden (1557m²), which is enclosed by traditional stone walls. The house and barns form an inner courtyard where you can dine alfresco all year round in total privacy - and a flat area of land to the side of the house is the perfect spot for installing a swimming pool, a summer kitchen, a barbecue area, a children's play area...

At the front of the house, an imposing wooden front door opens into a welcoming entrance hall with a solid oak staircase leading up to the first and second floors. As well as the carved staircase, you will be delighted to see that the property's original fireplaces, wooden doors, wood panelling and exposed beams have all been retained throughout the house.

To the right of the entrance hall is a cosy sitting room, which has a wood-burning stove in the fireplace. Above the fire surround, there is an absolutely magnificent overmantel, which is in excellent condition.

To the left of the entrance hall is a large dining room with a huge traditional fireplace and a large wood-burning stove. At the far end of the room, a door opens outside to the inner courtyard. Adjoining the dining room is a compact kitchen with a superb Godin range cooker and wood-fired boiler. A walk-in pantry/utility room adjoins the kitchen and the dining room.

Also on the ground floor: a cloakroom area, a guest WC and a study/library/office, which could be used as a ground-floor guest bedroom. The study also has doors out to the inner courtyard.

The first floor of the house comprises four spacious bedrooms, a family bathroom and a separate WC; the second floor comprises two loft-style bedrooms (one with an adjoining dressing room), a shower room and a separate WC.

The property's various outbuildings are accessible from the inner courtyard and include a two-storey annexe with a fireplace (approx. 35m² + 35m²), a large two-storey barn (210m² + 95m²), a smaller two-storey barn (90m² + 90m²), an open-sided barn (18m²) and a garden shed for storing garden furniture and equipment. The smaller barn is also accessible from the road via a small enclosed garden area, making it possible to use the barn as a garage.

The pretty bastide town of Navarrenx nearby is very popular with visitors all year round. There are exciting watersports on the nearby "gave" (river), as well as numerous cultural and sporting activities for you to get involved in throughout the year. The town also has a great choice of lively bars and restaurants, shops and boutiques - and there is even a bilingual school (French/English). The "International School of Béarn" in Pau is just 40 minutes away from the property. The Medieval market town of Oloron-Ste-Marie is also easily accessible, where you will find several hypermarkets, a hospital, a theatre and a twice-weekly farmers’ market. The many ski resorts in the Pyrénées are about an hour away to the south - and the surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast are about 70 minutes away to the west.

THE MAISON-DE-MAÎTRE

Ground floor:
- an inner courtyard
- an entrance hall with a solid oak staircase to the upper floors
- a sitting room with a small wood-burning stove
- a dining room with a large wood-burning stove and access to the inner courtyard and gardens
- a kitchen with a beautiful range cooker and an adjoining walk-in pantry/utility room
- a study/office/library/guest bedroom with access to the inner courtyard and gardens
- a cloakroom area
- a WC

First floor:
- four spacious bedrooms
- a family bathroom
- a WC

Second floor:
- a loft-style bedroom with a dressing room
- a loft-style bedroom
- a shower room
- a WC
- access to more loft space


THE GARDENS & OUTBUILDINGS

The property is set in enclosed gardens and grounds of 1,557m² with...
- a small garden in front of the house and a larger garden to the side
- an inner courtyard with access to the house, barns and gardens
- a two-storey annexe (approx. 35m² + 35m²)
- a large two-storey barn (210m² + 95m²)
- a smaller two-storey barn (90m² + 90m²)
- an open-sided barn (18m²)
- a lockable garden shed
- a well


THE POTENTIAL!

Located halfway between ski resorts in the Pyrénées and beach resorts on the Côte Basque, this super maison-de-maître of about 250m² is absolutely perfect for a characterful family home or a marvellous holiday home... and with six bedrooms to choose from, you will have plenty of room to accommodate your friends and family whenever they come to visit!

The property is within easy commuting distance of Pau (45 minutes to the centre), Mourenx (20 minutes), Orthez (20 minutes) and Oloron-Ste-Marie - and for anyone who works from home, the study (19m²) is ideal to use as an office. Should you need a bigger area, you could use some of the outbuildings as office space/consulting rooms.

One or more of the bedrooms in the house could be used for Bed and Breakfast guests - and with the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle just 3km away, you would be guaranteed year-round business from pilgrims hoping to find peaceful locations to stay in en route to Spain. In addition, the trans-European horse-riding trail - the Route d'Artagnan - passes through the village, so you may like to offer overnight stays to horse riders... and their horses!

There is a growing demand for Bed and Breakfast accommodation from tourists visiting this beautiful area, especially during the summer months, the skiing season and for Christmas and New Year. The installation of a swimming pool would definitely increase demand, as would the offer of evening meals. You could even consider providing picnic hampers for your guests' day trips... especially if the hampers are full of tasty Béarnaise and Basque delicacies!

It might be possible to get permission to create more living accommodation/gîtes in the outbuildings - and there would be more than enough room to create business premises, such as a beauty salon and spa, a restaurant, a cosy teashop or even an art gallery.

NB: please note that planning permission would be required for conversion of the barns for residential and/or professional purposes and for the installation of a swimming pool.


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + ADSL (fibre expected soon)
Air-conditioning
Heating: two air-air heat pumps (one needing repair), two wood-burning stoves (one needing revision), a wood-fired boiler
Mains water
Mains drainage
Well


THE LOCAL AREA

This super property is located in a quiet village in the beautiful Béarn in South-West France. It is not far from the Pyrénées, the Atlantic coast, Pau, Lourdes and the Basque Country - and the vibrant cities of Bordeaux, Toulouse, San-Sebastián and Bilbao are all within easy reach.

Popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing, the Béarn also has numerous ski resorts about an hour away to the south with downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is just over an hour away to the west, where you can picnic, swim and surf at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

If your interests are gastronomic, there are two restaurants and a riverside picnic area within walking distance of the property, as well as bars and restaurants in Navarrenx. You can also enjoy exploring the numerous farmers' markets throughout the Béarn and nearby Basque Country where you can sample locally produced Jurançon wines, tasty Bayonne ham and fabulous Brebis, which is a cheese made using milk from sheep and eaten with black cherry jam from Itxassou!

Airports: Biarritz 1h, Tarbes-Lourdes 1h, Bordeaux 2h 20mn, Toulouse 2h 20mn, Pau (mainly internal flights) 45mn
Train: TGV Orthez 20mn, TGV Pau 45mn, Oloron Sainte Marie 25mn
Coach: Pau, Bayonne
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Iraty, Val-d’Azun, Gourette, Candanchú (Spain)...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Aqua Béarn, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Grottes de Bétharram, Parc’Ours, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, Route d'Artagnan…
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr