Aquitaine, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Tardets-Sorholus, France

If your dream is to find a hilltop hideaway overlooking the Pyrénées and where you can entertain friends and family in style, look no further than this charming farmhouse in the Basque Country!

Set in a hectare of meadows and woodland, this excellent property has 160m² of habitable space and about 90m² more to convert, a fantastic south-facing terrace of 150m² and amazing panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. With the closest neighbour about 450 metres away, the farmhouse is completely private and a veritable haven of peace and tranquillity...

The property is approached along a private drive, which leads up to the back of the farmhouse. To the right is a carport for two cars, or there is enough room to park in the stone barn, which is currently being used as a garage and workshop.

From the carport and the barn, a path leads up to the front door of the farmhouse. Next to the front door is a large woodstore, from where you can easily fetch logs for the property's wood-burning stoves.

The front door of the farmhouse opens into a sunny entrance hall with a sitting room to the right and an open-plan kitchen/dining room to the left. Straight ahead, beautiful curved French doors open onto a delightful south-facing dining terrace with truly magnificent panoramic views of the Pyrénées!

From the terrace, French doors open into the open-plan kitchen/dining room, which is flooded with sunlight all day long. There is a traditional fireplace in one corner fitted with a wood-burning stove and a wood pellet burner. This is a lovely space for entertaining friends and family whilst enjoying the magnificent mountain views.

Next to the kitchen is a walk-in pantry, a utility room and a shower room with a WC.

Across the hall is a cosy sitting room, which has a wooden staircase in the far corner of the room and a pretty stone fireplace fitted with a wood-burning stove.

The first floor of the farmhouse comprises a master bedroom and fabulous views of the mountains, two slightly smaller bedrooms, a fourth bedroom/guest bedroom/study/office, a family bathroom with underfloor heating and access to about 90m² of unconverted loft space . It might be possible to transform the loft into more living space or bedrooms, but permission would be required.

Outside, the land of 10,022m² includes areas of meadows, woodland and forest, making it perfect for horses, donkeys and other animals. There is also an orchard planted with fruit trees and nut trees, as well as ample space for a swimming pool, a summer kitchen/barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste, a treehouse in the forest...

Situated in the Soule region in the Basque Country, this gorgeous farmhouse is not far from the Spanish border (45 minutes) and the beautiful Béarn.

Whatever the season, there are always things to see and do here... For mountain lovers, there are walking trails straight from the house and ski resorts just 35 - 45 minutes further up in the Pyrénées... or if you prefer watersports, there are many fast-flowing rivers nearby for canoeing and white-water rafting. For a more relaxing day out, head to the leisure lakes in the Béarn or the beach resorts on the Atlantic coast, which are perfect for family picnics, swimming and sunbathing!

THE FARMHOUSE (160m²)

Ground floor:
- a south-facing dining terrace of 150m² with amazing panoramic views of the Pyrénées
- an entrance hall (16.8m²) with arched French doors out to the terrace
- a sitting room (28m²) with a wood-burning stove and a staircase up to the first floor
- a spacious open-plan kitchen/dining room with a pellet wood-burner, a wood-burning stove and French doors out to the terrace (43m²)
- a pantry (2.6m²)
- a utility room (6.4m²)
- a shower room with a WC (3.9m²)

First floor:
- a landing (13.5m²)
- a master bedroom with a dressing room area (17m²)
- two smaller bedrooms (13.2m², 10.4m²)
- a fourth bedroom/study/office (9.4m²)
- a family bathroom with underfloor heating (7.8m²)

Second floor:
- unconverted loft space of about 90m²


THE LAND AND THE OUTBUILDINGS

- a private drive
- a south-facing dining terrace (150m²) with fabulous panoramic views of the Pyrénées
- land of 10,022m² comprising approx. 7,000m² of meadows and approx. 3,000m² of woodland/forest
- an orchard planted with fruit trees
- a stone barn (60m²), currently used as a workshop and garage
- a carport for two cars
- a large woodstore next to the front door
- an open-sided barn for a tractor
- a garden shed
- ample flat land near the farmhouse for a swimming pool (permission required), a summer kitchen/barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste...


THE POTENTIAL!

Ideal for a wonderful family home, a chic holiday home or for holiday rentals/B&B, this splendid farmhouse is ready to move into straight away!

If you have children, there are schools for all ages in nearby Tardets-Sorholus and Mauléon-Licharre. There is also a regular bus from both towns to the Côte Basque, should your children want to go to the beach for the day!

If you work in the Basque Country or the Béarn, the major towns in the area, such as St-Palais, Mauléon-Licharre, Oloron-Ste-Marie and Pau, are all easily accessible from the property. If you work from home, the study/fourth bedroom on the first floor of the farmhouse would be perfect to use as an office.

The region is very popular with tourists all year round, so if you are hoping to generate an income from the property, the farmhouse could be rented out as a gîte, especially during the summer months, the skiing season and for Christmas and New Year. The glorious south-facing terrace, along with the open-plan kitchen/dining room, are both lovely areas for your guests to socialise together... whatever the weather!

There is also a huge demand for peaceful Bed & Breakfast accommodation throughout the Basque Country and Béarn, so you could use one or more of the bedrooms for hosting B&B guests. There is likely to be year-round business from walkers, cyclists and motorcyclists exploring the Pyrénées - and even from horse-riders following the trans-European "Route d'Artagnan" bridleway who need to find a B&B where horses are welcome!

As well as providing accommodation and delicious breakfasts for your overnight guests, you could offer afternoon teas and evening meals on the superb south-facing terrace - and even gourmet picnic lunch hampers, which you could fill with mouthwatering Basque and Béarnaise delicacies!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Internet by 4G box
Double glazing
Electricity
Heating: underfloor heating (first-floor bathroom) + two wood-burning stoves + wood pellet burner
Hot water: electric immersion heater
Septic tank (will need works)
Source


THE LOCAL AREA

The farmhouse is located in the Soule, which is one of the three provinces in the French Basque Country. The market town of Tardets-Sorholus is 10 minutes away, where you will find boulangeries, shops, schools and a small hospital. There is a farmers' market every other Monday. It is also possible to catch a bus from the town to go to Bayonne, Ikea and the Basque coast!

Popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing, the area also has numerous ski resorts 35 - 45 minutes away, where you can go downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is 90 minutes away to the west, where you can surf, swim and picnic on the beach at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Airports: Pau, Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: Oloron-Ste-Marie, Orthez (TGV), Pau (TGV)
Coach: Pau, Orthez
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Issarbe, Braca, La-Pierre-St-Martin, 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, Route d'Artagnan, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle...