House in Issarbe - Pyrénées-Atlantiques

House Issarbe - Issarbe

€280,000 - £239,876**

Located in the foothills of the Pyrénées, this adorable cottage is surrounded by the picturesque rolling hills of the Basque Country.

With five bedrooms and three bathrooms, the property would be ideal for a family home, a holiday home, long-term rental or a small tourism-related business, such as B&B, a gîte, group holidays, yoga retreats...

In addition, it has a pretty garden with two terraces, a summer kitchen and barbecue area, a small stone barn and two streams where children can paddle and fish!

Conveniently situated between ski resorts in the Pyrénées and beach resorts on the Atlantic coast, the cottage is a short drive from a great choice of shops and amenities in Mauléon-Licharre, along with regular buses to the coast. The riverside towns of Tardets-Sorholus, St-Palais, Oloron-Ste-Marie and Navarrenx are also an easy drive away.

Whatever your project, this beautiful cottage has huge potential, so contact me quickly for a visit!

Dating back to the 1700s, this former Basque-Country "bergerie" was recently restored and converted into a stylish cottage with living space of 185m², plus two loft-style rooms, which can be used as sleeping areas or office space.

Accessible via a quiet country lane, the cottage is set in delightful grounds of 1,642m². At the front of the property, there is a small stone barn, an outdoor parking area and a south-west-facing terrace; to the side of a cottage is a second terrace with a summer kitchen/barbecue area with a built-in barbecue.

The front door of the cottage opens into a small entrance hall, which adjoins a large sitting room with a fireplace. From the sitting room, an archway opens into a light and airy kitchen/dining room, which has a wood-burning stove and French doors out to the second terrace with summer kitchen and barbecue area.

Next to the kitchen, there is an arrière-kitchen/utility room with an adjoining walk-in pantry, along with a separate WC and a bedroom with an en suite shower room and WC, which would be ideal for accommodating B&B guests.

The first floor of the cottage comprises a bedroom with an en suite shower room, a dormitory-style bedroom ideal for children, two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and a separate WC.

The second floor, which has sloping ceilings, is currently used as two loft-style sleeping areas, but would be perfect for an office, a playroom, a games room, a gym...

Outside, the the small stone barn where you can store garden furniture and equipment, as well as plenty of flat land to instal a swimming pool, if desired (permission required). The cottage also has a children's play area and a boules piste, along with two small streams, where children will love to paddle, play and fish for tiddlers!

This excellent property is located in the Basque Country, but is also just minutes away from the beautiful Béarn. Whatever the season, there are always things to see and do in this delightful region... For walkers and cyclists, there are mountain trails direct from the house and ski resorts just 45 minutes higher up in the Pyrénées.

If you prefer watersports, there are several large rivers ("gaves") for exciting white-water rafting, as well as leisure lakes where you can hire pedalos and swim. The beach resorts on the Atlantic coast are under 90 minutes away, where you can enjoy family picnics on the beach, as well as some swimming, sunbathing and surfing!

THE COTTAGE

Ground floor:
- a south-west-facing terrace with a pergola
- a terrace and summer kitchen/barbecue area with a built-in barbecue
- a sitting room with a fireplace and insert
- an open-plan kitchen/dining room with a wood-burning stove and French doors out to the terrace with summer kitchen
- a utility room/arrière-kitchen
- a walk-in pantry
- a separate WC
- a bedroom with an en suite shower room

First floor:
- a bedroom with an en suite shower room & WC
- two further bedrooms
- a dormitory-style bedroom, ideal for children
- a family bathroom (bath and shower)
- a separate WC

Second floor:
- two converted loft spaces, which could be used for creating additional sleeping space or an office...

NB: please note that some of the rooms on the first and second floors have sloping ceilings


THE GROUNDS

Set in a garden of 1,642m² (0.4 acres), the property has...
- two outdoor dining terraces
- a summer kitchen/barbecue area with a built-in barbecue
- a children's play area
- a boules piste
- a small, partly renovated stone barn
- access to two streams, which border the land
- ample flat land for a swimming pool (permission required)


THE POTENTIAL!

The potential for this five-bedroom cottage is huge! As a family home or a holiday home, you will have more than enough room to invite friends and family to stay. If you hope to work from home, you could use the ground-floor bedroom as an office, or the loft-style rooms on the second floor.

The property has also been used as a gîte for holiday rentals and also for long-term rentals. You might also like to consider using the two bedrooms with en suite shower rooms for welcoming Bed and Breakfast guests, who will be delighted to stay in this tranquil, rural setting.

Along with delicious breakfasts, you could offer hearty suppers and even picnic lunches filled with local Basque and Béarnaise delicacies. You could also arrange leisure activities for your clients, such as art, photography, cookery, wine-tasting, yoga and mindfulness workshops. Guided walks and bicycle rides might also be popular to explore the surrounding countryside direct from the house... and the installation of a swimming pool would be an added attraction (permission required).

If you prefer to create a "gite de groupe" or a "gîte d’étape" for pilgrims following the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle (2km), you are allowed to accommodate up to 15 people per stay. In addition, the "Route d'Artagnan" bridleway is just 1km away, with horse riders hoping to find charming overnight accommodation for themselves... and for their horses!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone
Satellite internet connection
Double glazing throughout
Heating: wood-burner + fireplace with insert + electric panel radiators
Mains water
Septic tank


THE LOCAL AREA

The property is located in the Soule, which is one of the three provinces in the French Basque Country. There are a couple of bar-restaurants not too far away from the property, all offering Basque delicacies - and you will find a good choice of shops, schools and local amenities in the nearby market towns of Mauléon-Licharre (10-15 minutes), Tardets-Sorholus, St-Palais, Oloron-Ste-Marie and Navarrenx. From Mauléon-Licharre, there are direct buses to Bayonne, Ikea and the Basque coast!

The area is extremely popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, horse riding, white-water rafting and fishing. The region also offers a choice of winter sports, including cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at Issarbe (45 minutes) and downhill skiing and snowboarding at La-Pierre-St-Martin (55 minutes). For beach-based activities, the famous resorts on the Atlantic coast are about 75 minutes away, with family beaches at Hendaye and St-Jean-de-Luz... and surfing at Biarritz, Anglet and Hossegor.

If your interests are gastronomic, you will love exploring the many farmers' markets throughout the Basque Country and the Béarn, where you can sample locally produced Jurançon and Irouléguy wines, tasty Bayonne ham cured using salt from Salies-de-Béarn and fabulous Brebis (a cheese made from ewes' milk), which is normally eaten with delicious black cherry jam from Itxassou!

Airports: Pau, Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: Oloron-Ste-Marie, Orthez, Puyoô
Coach: Orthez, Pau, Bayonne
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Iraty, Somport, Eaux-Bonnes, Gourette, Formigal (Spain)...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Parc'Ours, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Le Train de La Rhune, Aqua Béarn, Base de Loisirs d’Orthez-Biron, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Grotte de la Verna, Grottes de Bétharram, Grottes de Sare, Golf de Salies-de-Béarn, Thermal Spas, Casino, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle (2km), Route d'Artagnan bridleway (1km)...
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr