Aquitaine, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Bidache, France

Full of character and charm and beautifully presented, this superb 5 bedroom home, which was built in 1780, has a spacious living area of 271m2 and is situated in the centre of a small rural village, yet not far from the Basque town of Bidache and the Bearnaise town of Salies de Bearn.

Set in wooded grounds of 1,305m2, this traditional-style village farmhouse incorporates a garage on the far side of the building which is large enough for 2 cars. A door from the garage opens directly into the dining area next to the kitchen, which is very practical for unloading shopping. The walled garden, which encloses the farmhouse on three sides, has ample flat land for an in-ground swimming pool (permission required), a summer kitchen, a children's play area and a boules pitch.

From the garden, the arched front door of the farmhouse opens into a vast open-plan reception room (eskatz) with a wonderful oak staircase, a formal sitting area, a formal dining area and an informal summer sitting area at the far end of the room. 2 stunning stained glass panels separate the formal and informal areas of the room. The informal summer sitting area also has sliding glazed doors out to the garden. To the left of the reception room is a cosy winter sitting room with a Bidache stone floor, a traditional stone sink (used as a bookcase) and a super open fireplace. Adjoining this room is a study/office, which could be used as a fifth bedroom, nursery, television room, games room. From the study/office, a door opens into a master bedroom, which is also accessible from the informal sitting area. To the right of the reception room is another bedroom, a bathroom with a bath and an Italian-style shower, and a separate WC. There is also a kitchen on this side of the house, which has sliding glazed doors out to a small dining terrace. Adjoining the kitchen is an informal dining area with a door into the garage, where there is the heat pump, a laundry area and a wooden staircase up to an unconverted mezzanine.

The magnificent Louis XIII style oak staircase in the main reception room leads up to a superb gallery, which overlooks the ground floor. The gallery is currently used as a library and has 2 built-in cupboards for storage.

Set around the gallery, the first-floor rooms comprise of a master bedroom with built-in wardrobes, a loft-style bedroom, a large bathroom and unconverted loft space of about 50m2, ideal for creating a B&B bedroom suite with a shower room, an office, a games room and a home cinema.

This lovely property is located in a small, peaceful village in the beautiful Bearn in south west France. The village has a primary school - and there is a boulangerie just a 10 minute cycle ride away.

The nearby town of Bidache (a 10 minute drive) has a good choice of shops and local amenities - and there is a golf course at Salies de Bearn, which is also a 10 minute drive. Beach resorts on the Cote Basque and the Landes are about 40 minutes; ski resorts in the Pyrenees are 80 - 90 minutes.

FARMHOUSE (271m2):

Ground floor: an arched entrance door, which opens into a vast open-plan reception room (eskatz) with a formal sitting area, a formal dining area and an informal sitting area with sliding glazed doors out to the garden (76m2); winter sitting room with an open fireplace (22m2); study/office/fifth bedroom accessible from the winter sitting room and the ground floor master bedroom (14m2); kitchen (28m2) with an adjoining informal dining area (which has a door into the garage) and sliding doors out to a small dining terrace; master bedroom (20m2); second bedroom (12m2); bathroom with a bath and an Italian-style shower (13m2); separate WC (2.2m2); garage (32m2) with a wooden staircase up to a mezzanine level.

First floor: gallery (36m2) with a library/sitting area and built-in storage cupboards; master bedroom (25m2); attic-style bedroom suite (21m2); adjoining bathroom with a bath and WC (15m2); unconverted attic area (about 50m2), which could be converted into more living space. NB: please note that some of first-floor rooms have sloping ceilings.

GROUNDS:

The farmhouse is set in grounds of 1,305m2 with a delightful walled garden planted with mature trees and shrubs; 2 small outbuildings of about 15m2 (currently used for storing garden furniture); well; small dining terrace next to the kitchen; ample flat land for installing a swimming pool; children's play area; boules piste.

POTENTIAL:

In excellent condition, this splendid Basco-Bearnaise farmhouse can be moved into straight away. With 271m2 of living space, it is perfect for a fantastic family home or a luxurious holiday home and with 5 bedrooms to choose from, there is plenty of room to accommodate friends and family when they come to visit.

For families with children, there is a primary school in the village; for older children there are college-lycees in Bidache (Pays-Basque), Salies-de-Bearn and Orthez (Bearn) and Peyrehorade (Landes). Bayonne is about 35 minutes away; Biarritz airport is 40 minutes away.

For anyone who works from home or who would need an office/consulting room, the property has several rooms which could be suitable.

With the addition of some en-suite shower rooms, this super farmhouse has great potential for creating B&B accommodation. Tourists visit the Pays-Basque all year round, with many hoping to find upmarket B&B accommodation.

Not only are there 5 existing bedrooms, the 50m2 of unconverted attic space on the first floor would be ideal for converting into a B&B bedroom suite and adjoining bathroom. A further bedroom could perhaps be created on the mezzanine in the large garage/utility room.

Other features include: double glazing. Telephone + ADSL + fibre available. Electricity heating: geothermal heat pump (water-water) + cast iron radiators + open fireplace. Mains water. Septic tank (needs updating). Well.

REFERENCE: 246264