House in Somport - Pyrénées-Atlantiques

House Somport - Somport

€199,500 - £170,828**

In excellent condition and ready to move into, this charming riverside cottage would be perfect for a couple or for first-time-buyers as a permanent home a holiday home or a pied-à-terre. Should you have guests to stay, the converted loft can be used as a bedroom, as could the summerhouse. The lower-ground-floor of the cottage (42m²) could also be transformed into more living space, bedrooms...

The cottage could also be rented out to holidaymakers, who will love its proximity to ski resorts (30 – 40 minutes) and beach resorts (90 minutes). In addition, you could offer B&B accommodation to pilgrims following the Chemin-de-St-Jacques pilgrim route, which passes through the village and up to the Spanish border.

There is a lovely decked terrace for outdoor dining - which overlooks the river and its waterfalls - where you can enjoy sunny breakfasts, long, lazy lunches and romantic suppers watching the sun set over the mountains...

Located on the outskirts of a pretty village, this super property comprises a cottage built in 1820, a wooden summerhouse, a riverside garden with terraces of about 500m² and a separate garden of 240m² (opposite the cottage).

Beautifully renovated by the current owners in 2022, the cottage would be ideal for a couple or for first-time-buyers. It is completely ready to move into - and should you require more living space in the future, the lower-ground-floor of 42m² could be renovated and converted. In the meantime, a wooden summerhouse of 19.8m² provides extra space for guests to stay!

From the road, curved stone steps lead up to the front door of the cottage, which opens into a light and airy, open-plan main room with a sitting area, a dining area and a kitchen area.

Beyond the main room, there is a shower room with a WC and a master bedroom, which overlooks the river. A suspended concrete slab accessible via a door in the master bedroom could be used for creating a little balcony, if desired.

From the main room, a spiral staircase leads up to a mezzanine floor above the main room. This area has been converted into a loft-style bedroom, but could also be used as an office.

A second spiral staircase in the main room leads down to the lower-ground-floor of the cottage (42m²), which is currently used as a utility room and for storage. Once completed, this floor could provide additional living space in the future. It also has a separate entrance door from the road, making it ideal for a holiday apartment, a Bed & Breakfast suite, guest bedrooms...

Outside, the cottage has a gravel parking area at the back of the cottage and a small hillside garden of 240m² on the opposite side of the road. At the front of the cottage, there is a super riverside terrace, which is accessible via a sloping ramp down from the front door or a metal staircase from the parking area.

A wooden summerhouse of 19.8m² has been constructed at the far end of the riverside terrace, providing shelter for a hot tub, which will be included in the sale. There is also enough room to use the summerhouse as a summer kitchen and indoor dining area - or as an extra bedroom for guests.

The cottage is located on the outskirts of a delightful village in the picturesque Vallée d’Aspe. There are shops, including a supermarket, in several nearby villages - and it is even possible to have fresh bread delivered to your door! For a larger choice of shops, the town of Oloron-Ste-Marie is accessible by both bus and train from the valley.

THE COTTAGE

Lower-ground-floor (42m²):
- an open-plan utility room ideal for converting into additional living space... (accessible from inside the cottage or via a separate entrance door from the road)

Ground floor (44m²):
- an open-plan main room with a sitting area, a dining area and a kitchen area
- a master bedroom with access to a suspended concrete slab to create a balcony
- a shower room with a WC
- a spiral staircases up to the mezzanine floor
- a spiral staircase down to the lower-ground-floor

Mezzanine floor (22m² non-Loi Carrez):
- a loft-style bedroom/office with sloping ceilings


THE SUMMERHOUSE & THE GROUNDS

- a wooden summerhouse of 19.8m² with a hot tub (included in the sale)
- a partially decked riverside terrace of about 500m²
- a gravel parking area with a metal staircase down to the riverside terrace
- a small hillside garden of 240m² (on the opposite side of the road)


THE POTENTIAL!

This super cottage is perfect for a couple or a small family to use as a permanent home, a holiday home or a weekend pied-à-terre. There are many sporting and leisure activities available close by all year round – and there are regular trains and buses from local villages to Oloron-Ste-Marie, Pau and Spain.

If you prefer to rent out the property, this could be done on a long-term basis or to holidaymakers during the summer months, the skiing season and for Christmas and New Year.

Additional accommodation - either for private use or for paying guests - could be created by converting the lower-ground-floor of the cottage, especially since it has its own separate entrance from the road.

You might also like to offer B&B to pilgrims walking the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle as they pass through the village on their way to Spain!


SERVICES

Internet by Starlink
Double glazing
Heating: pellet burner + electric radiators
Mains water
Mains drainage
Hot tub in the summerhouse (included in the sale)


TECHNICAL

The habitable floor area ("Loi Carrez") of 108.5m² is calculated in the following way:

Lower-ground-floor: 42.2m² (ceiling height: 2.01m)
+
Ground floor: 44.1m² (Open-plan main room: 26m² + Bedroom: 14.6m² + Shower room: 3.5m²)
+
Mezzanine bedroom/office: 2.4m² Loi Carrez (usable floor area: 22.4m²)
+
Summerhouse 19.8m²
=
Total habitable floor area (Loi Carrez) of the property: 108.5m²


THE LOCAL AREA

Situated in the Vallée d'Aspe at an altitude of 330 metres and with impressive views of the surrounding mountains, this characterful riverside cottage is located about a 15 minutes away from the Medieval market town of Oloron-Ste-Marie and 45km away from the historic city of Pau, which is accessible by train from several villages in the valley. The closest French ski resorts are Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Somport and Gourette; the closest resort in Spain is at Candanchú. Biarritz and other Atlantic beach resorts are under 2 hours away.

The Vallée d'Aspe is extremely popular with tourists all year round, with many people coming to walk and cycle in the Pyrénées. In addition, the local village is located on the St-Jacques-de-Compostelle pilgrim route (Voie d’Arles), which runs due south from Oloron-Ste-Marie and crosses into Spain at the Col du Somport.

Airports: Pau, Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: local villages, Oloron-Ste-Marie, Pau
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

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

Attractions: Aqua Béarn, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Parc’Ours, Grottes de Bétharram, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle…
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr