French Pyrenees accommodation in Ariege
| country: | France |
| location: | Ariege, French Pyrenees |
| price: | From €42 per night for one person, €50 per night for a couple on B&B basis. Full and half board options available. Price excludes holiday tax |
 | View availability here |
description
A small hamlet roughly in the centre of the Ariége. The hamlet is at about 600 metres, in the foothills of the Pyrénées. It is also roughly in the centre of the proposed Parc Naturel Régional Pyrénées Ariégoises which has been proposed to preserve and develop the area. Our house is one of the original farmhouses, now renovated. It is surrounded by fields and forest with walks in every direction.
We have tried to maintain original features while making the house comfortable, meeting our current expectations of housing. The original farmers who lived here with their families would not have had inside bathrooms and the fire was for cooking, not heating the house. The evening meal is prepared and served by us and everyone eats together at the same table.
The Ariége has a long and fascinating history, from pre-history and some of the earliest evidence of human activity in Europe, through early industrial development, with mines and quarries as well as textiles. It was also the centre of the Cathar heresy and later a centre for Hugenots. It has lovely scenery and a varied natural life, with excellent local food.
Archaeology and history: from pre-historic caves and paintings, through the Roman occupation, the Wars of Religion to a thriving industrial economy in the 18th and 19th centuries, with museums, Cathar castles and Romanesque churches.
Skiing: There are skiing centres, both downhill and cross country, within about 1 and a half hours drive.
We have tried to maintain original features while making the house comfortable, meeting our current expectations of housing. The original farmers who lived here with their families would not have had inside bathrooms and the fire was for cooking, not heating the house. The evening meal is prepared and served by us and everyone eats together at the same table.
The Ariége has a long and fascinating history, from pre-history and some of the earliest evidence of human activity in Europe, through early industrial development, with mines and quarries as well as textiles. It was also the centre of the Cathar heresy and later a centre for Hugenots. It has lovely scenery and a varied natural life, with excellent local food.
special things to do and see here
The situation of our guest house makes it possible to explore the Pyrénées, or you can stay and enjoy the local area. There are many walks from the house and riding is possible at La Bastide, or other centres in the neighbourhood. Various activities available include outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, climbing, white water rafting and other water sports, riding and golf.Archaeology and history: from pre-historic caves and paintings, through the Roman occupation, the Wars of Religion to a thriving industrial economy in the 18th and 19th centuries, with museums, Cathar castles and Romanesque churches.
Skiing: There are skiing centres, both downhill and cross country, within about 1 and a half hours drive.
rooms, food and facilities
The ground floor of the front and older part of the house has the kitchen in one corner, with the dining area and a sitting area round an open fire. It opens on to a terrace and the garden.
On the first floor there is a quiet room opening on to the balcony, with a piano and a large collection of local guides and books about the area. The first floor bedroom suite consists of two interconnecting rooms with a private bathroom opening at the front on to the large south-facing balcony. There is a double bed and a single bed in the front room with a sitting area and a single bed in the back room.
The second room is in the old loft at the top of the house with a private shower room. It opens at the front on to a south-facing balcony. There are a double bed and a single bed with a sitting area.
Family friendly: Our rooms allow the possibility of children staying, in particular the suite, with beds for four people, so suitable for parents and two children. The hamlet is very quiet, with little traffic and children can wander safely in the surrounding fields and forest. We have a variety of games, including a large set of lego and various other toys.
Baby friendly: We have a travelling cot, pushchair and high chair for babies.
Pet friendly: We have two medium sized dogs and a horse and pets are welcome, provided they stay outside the house. Our dogs sleep in the garage where there is room for other pets to be accommodated.
By train: There is a night train from Paris direct to Foix, otherwise change in Toulouse.
By car: The ferry crossings to Caen or St Malo reduce the journey distance. There is a bus service between Foix and St Girons, which passes through Castelnau Durban, about 4.5 km away.
On the first floor there is a quiet room opening on to the balcony, with a piano and a large collection of local guides and books about the area. The first floor bedroom suite consists of two interconnecting rooms with a private bathroom opening at the front on to the large south-facing balcony. There is a double bed and a single bed in the front room with a sitting area and a single bed in the back room.
The second room is in the old loft at the top of the house with a private shower room. It opens at the front on to a south-facing balcony. There are a double bed and a single bed with a sitting area.
Family friendly: Our rooms allow the possibility of children staying, in particular the suite, with beds for four people, so suitable for parents and two children. The hamlet is very quiet, with little traffic and children can wander safely in the surrounding fields and forest. We have a variety of games, including a large set of lego and various other toys.
Baby friendly: We have a travelling cot, pushchair and high chair for babies.
Pet friendly: We have two medium sized dogs and a horse and pets are welcome, provided they stay outside the house. Our dogs sleep in the garage where there is room for other pets to be accommodated.
how to find us
By air: Toulouse is the nearest airport.By train: There is a night train from Paris direct to Foix, otherwise change in Toulouse.
By car: The ferry crossings to Caen or St Malo reduce the journey distance. There is a bus service between Foix and St Girons, which passes through Castelnau Durban, about 4.5 km away.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The Ariege as a department has lost two thirds of its population in the last 100 years and when we first bought our house as our holiday home more than 20 years ago the then mayor of the commune, an old Ariégios farmer welcomed us, saying that they needed people to come in and rescue the houses which were falling into ruins. In the last 7 years the number of residents has increased from 140 to 164, but the commune covers 3,300 hectares and is very sparsely populated.
Now we are living permanently in the area we have become increasingly involved in trying to help development whilst preserving the area. This includes serving on the management committees of the local tourist office and an association established to help small enterprises set up in the immediate area. William helps on the management committee of the Tourist Office and ESPACE a local not for profit association working to help small businesses install in the area and Evelyn has just been elected onto the local council. We have recently taken on someone to help with cleaning and she lives in our commune. We aim to buy goods and services locally so far as we can, for example soap produced with asses milk by a local enterprise, as well as cheese from a number of different local cheese makers, milk and other dairy products from local farmers. As far as possible produce which is not available locally, for example tea, coffee is bought from fair trade providers. We grow fruit and vegetables in our garden and we are hoping to add chickens this year, we buy all our meat from local producers, and dairy produce is largely bought locally. For staples such as sugar and rice we buy fairly traded goods. We have catered for vegetarian and vegan guests. We have done some of the renovations ourselves, other works have been done by local artisans. We have tried as far as possible to use environmentally friendly materials, locally produced where possible. The heating of the house is now done by a wood chip boiler, with chips made locally. The back part of the house which is about 25 years old has been insulated on the outside with cork, which has been covered by weather boarding for the first floor and lime render on the ground floor. The hot water is provided by solar panels and most of the lighting is with low energy bulbs. All organic waste is composted for the garden, where possible waste is recycled through the local schemes and we try to limit our use of the dustbin. |
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