Villa for sale in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Built in 1704, this lovely rural property is in a tiny hamlet on the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle. Nestling in the foothills of the mountains, the farmhouse is just a 10-minute walk away from the local village, which has a boulangerie, bars and restaurants.

As with many properties in villages in the Vallée d'Aspe, the buildings are semi-detached and border the lanes that pass in front of the farmhouses. Since this hamlet is away from the main village, the only cars you will see are your neighbours'!

The farmhouse is accessible from the lane via an impressive wooden front door. Further along the building, there is also a little side gate which opens onto a covered terrace area adjoining the garden.

The front door opens into an entrance area with room to store hiking boots and coats. Glazed doors from this area open into a vast reception room (56m2) with a sitting area, a raised stage area (ideal for courses etc) and a space which could be used for holding yoga, theatre or dance classes. At the far end of the room, French doors open out to a south-facing terrace with views of the mountains. There is also a small covered terrace with a gate out to the lane and a lockable storage cupboard for storing skiing equipment, for example. From the terrace, a path leads you up the hillside garden - and from the hilltop, you have amazing panoramic views of the valley and the mountains!

Adjoining the reception room is a dining room for group meals; beyond the dining room is a superb kitchen, which has been carefully designed for hosting cookery courses, wine-tasting...

Also on the ground floor is a communal bathroom area for guests to share with three shower cubicles, three handbasins and three WCs.

On the first floor, there are four bedrooms. Three of the bedrooms are suitable for two people each; the fourth bedroom is for up to four people, so perfect for a family or small group to share. Also on this floor is a large semi-converted space of about 70m2, which would be ideal for transforming into an independent apartment for the owners or to rent out to holidaymakers. The room is already equipped with a shower cubicle, a handbasin and a WC.

On the second floor, there is a loft-style dormitory, which can accommodate up to six people.

Nb: Please note that most of the rooms on the first and second floors have sloping ceilings.

The property is a 10-minutes walk away from an excellent village with a boulangerie, an organic grocery, a butcher, a cheese-maker, a post office, banks, a health-centre (doctor, dentist, physiotherapist), a pharmacy, a library, a primary school, a secondary school, a music school, sports clubs... In addition, there are limitless opportunities for leisure and sporting activities throughout the area, including fishing, hiking, trail-running, mountain biking, mountain climbing, paragliding, skiing...

The farmhouse

Ground floor:
- a hillside garden of 1,792m2 with fantastic views of the mountains and valley
- a south-facing terrace for outdoor dining
- a partly covered terrace area with a gate opening onto the lane
- an additional terrace behind the building
- a main entrance area with space for storing walking boots
- a vast reception room (56m2) with a wood-burning stove, a raised stage area and French doors out to the terrace
- a huge kitchen
- an adjacent dining room
- a communal bathroom with three shower cubicles, three handbasins and three WCs

First floor:
- three bedrooms, each for two people
- a family bedroom for four people
- a semi-converted space of 70m2, already fitted with a shower cubicle, a handbasin and a WC (ideal for a private apartment)

Second floor:
- a loft-style bedroom for six people

the potential!

Whether you're looking for a unique family home, a holiday home in the Pyrénées or a property with massive business potential, this super 18th-century farmhouse is ideal - and you will definitely have plenty of room to accommodate your friends and family when they come to visit! The property could also be suitable for a multi-generational family or for two or more families to live together.

If you work from home, the semi-converted space of 70m2 on the first floor could be used as an office/consulting room, as could the loft-style bedroom on the second floor. Should you be intending to use the property for a tourism-related business, you might like to use the semi-converted space to create a small apartment to giving you a private living area away from your guests.

The original layout of the farmhouse was reconfigured in order to accommodate groups for sporting and activity holidays, such as yoga workshops and wellness retreats, cycling and walking tours, cookery and wine-tasting courses, cultural masterclasses in art, photography, literature, dance, music, drama...

Because there is a huge shortage of venues in this area for hosting this type of holiday, with five bedrooms available for groups of up to 15 people, you should have ample demand. You could even host seminars and corporate events for business people from Pau, Biarritz, Bayonne, Toulouse, Bordeaux...

The Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle passes just 100 metres away, so the property is absolutely ideal for a "gîte d'étape". Pilgrims hope to find charming overnight accommodation as they make their way through the valley towards Spain, so they will be delighted to find somewhere welcoming and peaceful with spacious, modern facilities.

There are many mountain trails nearby for walkers, cyclists and motorcyclists, many of whom are looking for a unique place to stay for a few nights... And during the winter months, you could welcome groups of skiers, who will love being able to ski in both France and Spain! You might also like to consider offer Bed and Breakfast for short breaks... Or renting out the whole property to large groups for longer stays during the summer months and for Christmas and New Year.

If you are interested in catering, you may like to offer evening meals to your guests, along with hampers for picnic lunches... Especially if the hampers are full of tasty Béarnaise and Basque delicacies!

Services & technical

Double glazing
Telephone + adsl + cable internet available
Electricity
Heating: Gas central heating + some electric panels + wood-burning stove
Mains water
Mains drainage

The local area

This excellent property is located in the highly sought-after Vallée d'Aspe and is about 30 minutes away from the Medieval market town of Oloron-Ste-Marie to the north and about 30 minutes away from the Spanish border to the south. The historic city of Pau is just over an hour away - and both Pau and Oloron-Ste-Marie are accessible by train from several village stations in the valley. The closest ski resorts are about 35 - 45 minutes away at Somport, Candanchú (Spain), La-Pierre-St-Martin and Issarbe; Biarritz and other Atlantic beach resorts are under two hours away.

The Béarn is extremely popular with tourists all year round. Once the skiing season is over, people visit the area to walk and cycle in the mountains, explore the Jurançon vineyards and go white-water rafting on the fast-flowing Gaves (rivers). The Gave d’Oloron is also famous for salmon fishing.

The Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle pilgrim route runs due south from Oloron-Ste-Marie all the way up to the Col du Somport where the Chemin crosses into Spain. Pilgrims following the route pass a 100 metres away from the house, making this property ideally located for a gîte d'étape, Bed and Breakfast business, bistro, teashop...

Airports: Pau, Tarbes-Lourdes, Biarritz
Train: Various villages in the Vallée d'Aspe, Oloron-Ste-Marie, Pau
Coach: Pau
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

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

Attractions: Parc’Ours, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Aqua Béarn, Aventure Parc Aramits, Grottes de Bétharram, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle...