House in Marciac , Gers , Midi Pyrenees

Built in 1975, this immaculate country villa of 350m² is set in verdant surroundings bordering a river, yet is within easy walking/cycling distance of the shops, schools and local amenities of a nearby market town. The property is extremely private, with no visible neighbours - a veritable haven of peace and tranquillity.

The property is approached along a private driveway, which leads down to the villa and continues around to a spacious garage. The villa, its adjoining tower and its outbuildings are set around an internal courtyard, which is entered via a unique glazed entrance archway.

From the glazed archway, which opens into the internal courtyard, the villa is to the right of the courtyard and the tower and the outbuildings are to the left of the courtyard. Above the archway is a "gallery bedroom", which joins the villa to the tower.

From the courtyard, the villa's main front door opens into a huge reception room, which has a cosy sitting area with a wood-burning stove, a dining area and sliding doors out to a sun terrace, a covered dining terrace, a south-facing swimming pool and the riverside grounds.

A corridor leading off the reception room leads to a television room, which could be used as a study, an office, a library, a guest bedroom...

On the other side of the reception room, there is a door to the kitchen, which is equipped with a Godin range cooker. Doors from the kitchen lead out to the courtyard on one side and to the covered dining terrace on the other side. A utility room is accessible from the reception room and a guest WC with cloakroom area is next to the main front door.

The ground floor also has a light and airy bedroom with an en suite shower room and WC. This bedroom has doors out to the garden and could be ideal for accommodating Bed and Breakfast guests.

From the reception room, a wooden staircase leads up to a vast mezzanine area on the first floor, which is perfect to use as an office space, a home cinema or a playroom. From the mezzanine, a wooden staircase leads up to a loft. There is also a walk-in linen cupboard and French doors out to a gallery, which overlooks the internal courtyard. The gallery gives access also to a "gallery bedroom", which joins the villa to the tower.

Running along the rear of the mezzanine, there are doors into a sunny master bedroom, an adjoining dressing room, an en suite shower room with WC, a family bathroom, a separate WC and the "gallery bedroom", which is accessible from the villa, the tower and the exterior gallery. Although the "gallery bedroom" doesn't have an en suite shower room, the family bathroom next to the bedroom is easily accessible.

From the "gallery bedroom", there is a door to the tower and its spiral staircase. The tower has a bedroom with an en suite bathroom on the ground floor and a bedroom with an en suite bedroom on the first floor (the same level as the "gallery bedroom"). With its separate entrance from the courtyard, the tower is ideal for accommodating B&B guests.

Adjoining the tower are the outbuildings: an unrenovated room equipped with a sauna, a boiler room with a kitchen area, and a garage. Next to the garage, stone steps lead down to a basement area beneath the outbuildings.

Extending beyond the courtyard are the wooded grounds of 1.6 hectares (4 acres), which are bordered by a gently flowing river. Hidden in the woods is a fronton for playing pelote. There is ample space for keeping one or two horses in the grounds - and you may even like to think about creating a summer kitchen area, a children's play area, a treehouse, a boules piste...

Situated in the lovely Hautes-Pyrénées, the villa is close to ski resorts in the Pyrénées (70 - 90 minutes), surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast (100 minutes) and several rivers for exciting watersports. The centre of Tarbes is 30 minutes away, the TGV station is 25 minutes away and Tarbes-Lourdes airport is 35 minutes away. The TotalEnergies HQ and the International School of Béarn in Pau are both 45 minutes away.

THE VILLA

Ground floor:
- an internal courtyard with a glazed entrance arch and access to the villa, the tower, the sauna room, the boiler room, the garage and the grounds
- a lovely south-facing sun terrace next to the swimming pool
- an adjoining covered dining terrace with a built-in barbecue
- a huge reception room (75m²) with a sitting area, a dining area, a wood-burning stove and sliding doors out to the terraces and swimming pool
- a study/television room/guest bedroom (15m²)
- a kitchen (25m²) with a Godin range cooker and access to the covered dining terrace
- a utility room
- a bedroom (13m²) with an en suite shower room and WC
- a guest WC

First floor:
- a vast mezzanine area (40m²) with stairs up to the loft and exterior access to a gallery overlooking the courtyard, which leads round to the gallery bedroom
- a walk-in linen cupboard
- a master bedroom (15m²) with an adjoining dressing room (15m²) and shower room with WC
- a family bathroom (15m²)
- a separate WC
- a "gallery bedroom" (24m²) accessible both internally from the mezzanine and externally from the gallery
- a door to the two tower bedrooms


THE TOWER

Ground floor:
- a spiral staircase up to the first floor
- a bedroom (20m²) with an en suite bathroom

First floor:
- a bedroom (20m²) with an en suite shower room
- access to the gallery bedroom and to the tower's loft space


THE GROUNDS, THE POOL & THE OUTBUILDINGS

The villa is set in wonderful wooded grounds of 16,467m², which are planted with mature trees. The grounds are bordered by a river, making them perfect for keeping one or two horses. Hidden in the forest is a fronton for playing pelote.

Next to the villa, there is a paved sun terrace surrounding the swimming pool (12m x 6m), along with an adjoining covered dining terrace where you can enjoy peaceful breakfasts, long lazy lunches and romantic moonlit suppers. The covered dining terrace is directly accessible from the kitchen. There is a large built-in barbecue at the far end of the terrace.

Accessible from the internal courtyard, the outbuildings comprise a garage (also accessible from the driveway), an unrenovated room with a sauna in one corner and a boiler room with a kitchen area. There is also a basement area beneath the outbuildings and a hangar in the grounds, which is used for storing logs.


THE POTENTIAL!

In perfect condition, this splendid villa can be moved into straight away. For families with children, there are schools in the local town, along with the International School in Pau (45 minutes away), which teaches the English national curriculum and awards English qualifications.

If you work in Tarbes, the city centre is just 30 minutes away; Tarbes-Lourdes airport is 35 minutes away; Pau is about 45 minutes away. For anyone who works from home or who needs an office/consulting room, the villa's study or ground-floor bedroom in the tower both have private entrances for clients to use. Should you need a larger room, there is about 25m² of unconverted space in the sauna room in the adjoining outbuilding, which could also be used as a gym, a games room, a home cinema, a dance/yoga studio...

With a growing demand for top-quality Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the area - especially during the summer months, the skiing season and the Jazz in Marciac jazz festival - one or more of the bedrooms in the villa and its tower could be used for hosting Bed and Breakfast guests. There would also be year-round business from pilgrims walking the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, which passes just a 5-minute walk away from the villa, and horse-riders following the trans-European bridleway - the Route d'Artagnan which is about 3.5km away. Along with providing accommodation and delicious breakfasts to your overnight guests, you might also like to offer evening meals and afternoon teas - and even picnic lunch hampers full of local delicacies!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Cable internet connection
Telephone (not connected)
Electricity
Solar panels (for hot water)
Oil-fired central heating
Mains water
Mains drainage
Well


THE LOCAL AREA

The villa is located in the rural countryside of the Hautes-Pyrénées, Occitanie in south-west France. It is not far from Tarbes, Lourdes, Pau, Pyrénées ski resorts and Atlantic beach resorts. The major cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux are just over two hours away.

The ski resorts of the Hautes-Pyrénées and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques are about 70 - 90 minutes away and offer a range of winter sports: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing... For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is less than two hours away, where you can spend the day swimming and surfing at Biarritz, Hossegor, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye...

If your interests are gastronomic, visit the daily farmers' markets throughout the area to sample locally produced Madiran wines, tasty Jambon Noir de Bigorre ham and delicious Pyrenean Tomme cheese...

... and don't forget to reserve your tickets for Jazz in Marciac, which takes place every summer!

Airports: Tarbes-Lourdes (35 mins), Pau, Biarritz, Toulouse, Bordeaux
Train: Tarbes, Pau, Agen, Toulouse
Coach: Tarbes, Pau, Agen

Ski: Val-d’Azun, Hautacam, Cauterets, Luz-Ardiden, Gavarnie...
Beaches: Biarritz, Hossegor, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye...

Attractions: Jazz in Marciac, Parc National des Pyrénées, Cirque de Gavarnie, Petit Train d'Artouste, Lourdes, Grottes de Bétharram, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, Route d'Artagnan...
------
Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr