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La Paillasse is an 18th century farmhouse set in the rolling hills of Haute Garonne. Just behind the house a forest leads down to an untouched lake, itself encircled by forested hillsides stretching down the valley. Lake Fabas is well known locally for excellent fishing, and there are also other well-stocked lakes nearby. The house has sole use of a 10m pool and a huge open barn for games and entertaining. Together with the flexible accommodation, the gite offers an ideal holiday rental for families or couples who are after quality time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

 

Prices Currency Conversion

 

Notes on prices
Prices are for the property per week in UK Pounds. (Welcome pack and surface cleaning on departure included.)
Longer winter lets by negotiation.

Changeover day
Changeover is on a Saturday; vacate by 10am and arrive at 4pm. Depending on occupancy or the time of year, day/timings can be flexible.

Accommodation

 

Notes on accommodation
As this is our holiday home, we've equipped it with children in mind. However, it's also perfectly suitable for any other guests as there's plenty of reading material and games for grown-ups!
During the winter months, there's nothing nicer than curling up in front of the wood burner after a yomp through the forest or around the lake; this is truly a year-round property.
Fishermen will appreciate the nearby lake. A neighbour's friend invested in nearly a thousand pound's worth of tackle purely for visits, so there's an endorsement!
For a small additional charge, we offer a number of bicycles for a healthy way of getting around the locality. The local auberge is a twenty minute cycle (faster without kids, slower on the way back after a decent lunch!).

Amenities/Facilities provided

 

Accessibility
As all bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen and communal areas are on the ground floor, this property is suitable for wheelchairs, although assistance would be needed to navigate some of the low floor ledges and entrance steps.

Outside
The house is fronted by a paved dining terrace with teak furniture, and across the drive is a private enclosed 10m swimming pool with loungers, a meadow and an orchard at the boundary of the property. This is partially overgrown and provides an excellent environment for kids' camps! There's a rope/tyre swing inside the orchard. The old open barn is a great place to eat out in the summer, being fairly close to the barbeque area. The view from the barn is south towards the mountains, offering lovely views of the peaks (subject to summer haze). Also in the barn you can amuse yourself with table tennis, swing ball, darts, table football and a basketball net. For the more energetic, a running machine and multi-gym await. Dive into a novel on a lounger whilst the kids splash around, doze under the trees in the hammock by the pool, or enjoy the views down the valley whilst sprawled on the bench. The choice is yours!

Coast/Beach
The Med and Atlantic Ocean are both a couple of hours drive, offering visits to Narbonne or Biarritz as a realistic option for a day trip. More locally, there are beach lakes at Boulogne sur Gesse and Samatan, both less than half an hour away. These beaches all have swimming, children's activities and picnic areas.

Golf
There are a number of golf courses in the area, most within an hour's drive. Further details can be supplied on request.

Skiing
The mountains are around an hour's drive. Luchon and Perigord are 2 of the larger resorts, catering for skiers of all abilities. Ski hire widely available at both resorts. There are also a number of smaller ski stations to enjoy in the Pyrenees.
Luchon is also a famous spa resort.

Travel
Toulouse and Pau airports, both served by mainstream and low cost carriers, are about an hour's drive. A car is essential, however the airports are well served by major car hire firms. These can be cheaply booked via internet brokers.
Driving from the UK is surprisingly painless. It's about 600 miles from Boulogne, but given the excellent autoroutes this can be comfortably done in 11 hours with breaks. Speedferries currently do the cheapest crossing; reliable and around 50 mins from Dover.

Distances
The nearest village is Fabas, about half a mile away. A new municipal tennis court has been built and can be freely used. The nearest town is medieval Aurignac, 10 minutes drive, hosts shops, bank and restaurants. Isle-en-Dodon (15 mins) offer large supermarkets and markets/varied shops.
Toulouse, under an hour's drive, is a wonderfully vibrant city. Lourdes is about an hour's drive the other way. The beautiful towns and villages of the Pyrenees are about an hour's drive.

Further details
Although the house is firmly in the countryside, it's not too far away from civilisation! Kids can be kids without upsetting anyone, yet decent restaurants, entertainment and shopping are nearby. The joy about this area is that you can be as busy or quiet as you wish. There's a host of activities on our doorstep such as riding, walking, and bird watching (some friends noted that they'd never seen so many birds of prey before), and within a short drive you can experience parascending, white water rafting, skiing and more challenging mountain hikes. For children, we've found a number of activity parks (Pyrenees Ho! and Trecap to name but two) that can comfortably take a day to enjoy. The French seem to have these organised particularly well, with friendly staff who keep a sensible eye on safety whilst allowing the kids to fully enjoy the adventure. Fishermen will appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the 28 different species lurking in Lake Fabas, just behind the house. This is a very tranquil spot, and from our experience not fished extensively. There's more fishing just up the road in St Frajou. A neighbour's friend, a former professional fisherman, has bought expensive tackle to leave in France for use on these lakes, so there's clearly some decent fish down there!

Booking notes
For all booking details, please visit our website below. In the 'Booking' section you'll find terms and conditions and booking forms.

Guest comments
'What a wonderfully traditional feel your house has! This was our first time to this lovely area, we'll be back. Thanks for all your advice.' John and Jean Dowling, Chepstow.

We had a lovely time at your house purely due to the simplicity of a character home. Our teenage children never got bored and really enjoyed the week. A bit of luxury for us all really. All in all, it was just what we were looking for and were happy with our choice. More importantly you were both a very nice and sincere honest couple to deal with and I would be happy to return at some point. (Winter appeals!) Pascale Brunier, Weston.

We had a great couple of weeks. The white water rafting was excellent and well worth doing, and the Auberge in St Andre was brilliant. A great little hide away! Aidan Whelan, Bedfordshire

We had a lovely week at the house and thought it was fantastic. We all made full use of the barn and the pool and had a really relaxing, fun time. Elaine Pevsner, Oxford.

For booking and further information

 

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This advertiser joined Owners Direct in February 2007,
and has advertised this property with us since February 2007.

Property Ref FR1925
When contacting the owner please mention that you saw this property on Owners Direct Website.

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