Chateau in Issarbe - Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Chateau Issarbe - Issarbe

€1,250,000 - £1,042,250**

Located halfway between the mountains and the sea, this amazing property has fantastic potential! Set in 7.3 hectares of landscaped gardens and bio-farmland, the property comprises a 19th-century château, an 18th-century maison-de-maître (renovation started), a farm shop & café, a professional bakery, a two-storey barn and an incredible private event space (1,300m²), ideal for weddings, seminars, conferences, yoga and wellness retreats, courses, masterclasses, functions and celebrations...

Whether you are interested in setting up a tourism business, a holiday or hotel complex, an eco-village or the accommodation of a large community, the château and maison-de-maître could provide living space of about 1,800m², allowing you to create your own private hamlet on one site!

In addition, the extensive grounds and bio-farmland would be perfect for an equestrian business or an agricultural/horticultural/market-garden enterprise - and your very own farm shop and café are ready to open!

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Situated on the outskirts of a peaceful Béarnaise village near Navarrenx, this delightful property creates its own private hamlet with a château, a maison-de-maître, a barn, a shop and a huge private event space.

Built during the 19th century as a "Folie" (a building for the proprietor's amusement), the château incorporates many fashionable 18th-century architectural features, such as an elegant perron and two polygonal towers on the façade. The château is in need of modernising and redecorating, and perhaps some changes to the layout of the rooms.

Set back from the château, there is an 18th-century maison-de-maître, which is in excellent condition externally (a new roof). The three upper floors have all been replaced and partitioned to create 22 rooms., all requiring finishing.

Just behind the maison-de-maître is a two-storey barn used as offices and for storage. Adjoining the barn is a shop and café, which conforms to ERP and PMR regulations.

The private event space (1,300m²) is a huge two-storey hexagonal building with a gallery and is located at the far end of the landscaped grounds.

Most of the agricultural land is separated from the buildings by a road and is accessible via a small tunnel. The property is very easy to reach from Biarritz, Pau and the A64 motorway.

The pretty bastide town of Navarrenx nearby is very popular with visitors all year round. There are exciting watersports on the "gave" (river), as well as numerous cultural and sporting activities for you to get involved in. The town also has a great choice of lively bars and restaurants, shops and boutiques - and there is even a bilingual school (French/English). The "International School of Béarn" in Pau, which teaches the English curriculum, is just 45 minutes away.

The Medieval market town of Oloron-Ste-Marie is also easily accessible, where you will find several hypermarkets, a hospital and a theatre. Pyrenean ski resorts are an hour away to the south - and the surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast are an hour away to the west.

THE CHÂTEAU (1,230m²)

Ground floor (449m²):
- entrance hall/reception room (50m²) with marble fireplace and wood-burning stove
- 2 reception rooms, each with access to the towers (48m², 33m²)
- kitchen + arrière-kitchen (45m²)
- 3 utility rooms
- 3 bedrooms, one with en suite shower room (42m² - 26m²)
- 2 shower rooms, one with WC
- WC

First floor + Mezzanine 1 (453m²):
- a balcony
- suite 1: sitting area, bedroom, shower room, WC
- suite 2: sitting area, 2 bedrooms, 2 shower rooms, WC
- suite 3: sitting area, bedroom, shower room
- suite 4: sitting area, 3 bedrooms, 2 shower rooms, 2 WCs
- 6 bedrooms
- 2 shower rooms
- WC
- storage room

Second floor + Mezzanine 2 (285m²):
- 2 sitting rooms
- 4 offices
- suite 5: sitting area, study/office, 3 bedrooms, shower room, WC
- 7 bedrooms, two with en suite shower room
- 3 shower rooms with WC
NB: these rooms have sloping ceilings

Third floor (43m²):
- 2 loft-style sitting rooms
- 2 shower rooms, each with WC
NB: these rooms have sloping ceilings

Basement:
- open-plan space of 143m²


THE MAISON-DE-MAÎTRE (566m²)

Ground floor (192m2): 4 large rooms
First floor (174m²): 8 rooms
Second floor (142m²): 10 rooms
Third floor (58m²): 4 rooms, some with sloping ceilings


THE PRIVATE EVENT SPACE** (total floor area: 1,300m²)

Ground floor (500m²):
- two kitchens
- food preparation areas
- cold stores (walk-in fridges and freezers)
- storerooms
- wheelchair-accessible cloakrooms

First floor (500m²):
- terrace
- reception with sitting areas
- vast event space

Second floor gallery: (300m²):
- seating areas overlooking the event space


THE TWO-STOREY BARN (178m² + 242m²)
- various offices and storage areas
- solar panels on the roof
- access to the adjoining shop and café...


THE FARM SHOP & CAFÉ (floor area: 135m²)
- car park with PMR space
- large shop + café + client WC + stockroom with refrigeration equipment
- access to the adjoining barn...
NB: the shop, café and client WC conform to ERP/PMR regulations


THE BAKERY (floor area: 123m²)
- bakery
- food preparation areas


THE ESTATE

The property is set in an estate of 73,309m² (18 acres).

The buildings are surrounded by beautiful gardens, planted with mature trees, shrubs and flowers (about 1.1 hectares)...

... along with about 4.4 hectares of farmland (mainly bio), which are used for agricultural, horticultural and market gardening crops, as well as a small vineyard (for fruit) and numerous fruit trees, including persimmons, apples, figs... There is also a small reservoir for stocking water and an extensive irrigation system.

The 7.3-hectare estate includes...
- pergolas and arbours
- several paved terraces for outdoor dining
- landscaped parkland (1.1 hectares)
- riverside bio-farmland + market gardens (4.4 hectares)
- forest & woodland (1.4 hectares)
- small reservoir of about 1,000m²
- an irrigation system
- outdoor parking areas


THE POTENTIAL!

As well as infinite business potential, this wonderful property would be perfect for an extended family who want to live together... but separately! Although the château will need some updating and the renovation of the maison-de-maître will need to be completed, you will be able to transform the interiors of both properties to best suit your needs. There is also plenty of room for creating further office space or consultation rooms, if you work from home, as well as leaving you enough space for accommodating friends and family when they come to visit.

The property is also an ideal size for using as the headquarters of a business or as a medical centre. The château and maison-de-maître could even be converted into individual apartments for retirees or for first-time buyers...

Located near the popular bastide town of Navarrenx and 60 minutes away from beach resorts on the Atlantic coast and ski resorts in the Pyrénées, the whole property could be used for a tourism business. The château and/or the maison-de-maître could be transformed into a chic boutique hotel or luxurious Bed and Breakfast accommodation. The installation of a swimming pool would also be an added attraction.

You could generate year-round business from pilgrims walking the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle and from horse-riders following the Route d'Artagnan, which both pass through Navarrenx. Along with providing accommodation and delicious breakfasts, evening meals would undoubtedly be popular, as would picnic lunch hampers full of local Béarnaise and Basque delicacies. Horse-riders will also be thrilled that their horses will be staying in such refined surroundings!

Coupled with the extensive accommodation offered by the château and the maison-de-maître, the vast event space** has massive business potential for hosting private fairytale weddings, functions and celebrations in fabulous surroundings, as well as corporate conferences and training events, relaxing yoga and wellness retreats, courses in art, photography, writing, cookery, wine-tasting... The venue already has cloakrooms on the ground floor, along with two large kitchens, so guests can be catered for on site - and the possibility of being able to offer overnight accommodation in the château and the maison-de-maître will be a huge advantage.

**PLEASE NOTE that it is currently only possible to host events for people who are staying at the property. The event space is not yet certified as ERP (Etablissement Recevant le Public), so certain modifications will be necessary before the space can be fully open to the general public.

Once the space is certified as ERP, you could consider using the space as a culture, music and arts centre, an exhibition space, a theatre and dance centre, a sports and leisure centre, a meditation, spa and wellness centre...

The 7.3-hectare estate includes over 4.4 hectares of bio-farmland, so would be ideal for a farming or equestrian business. Part of the land borders a river, so you would have a water supply for the horses, along with plenty of grazing land. There is an irrigation system in place, so you can start any agricultural, horticultural or market-gardening projects immediately. You could even use the vines to establish your own vineyard...

... and, of course, you will be able to supply your very own farm shop with delicious homegrown fruit and vegetables!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Fibre internet
Solar panels
Some double glazing
Heating: energy-efficient wood-fuelled heating system (sufficient spare capacity to heat the maison de maître as well)
Hot water: immersion heaters
Two wells, one of which provides all domestic water
Mains drainage


THE LOCAL AREA

This gorgeous property is located in a pretty village near the delightful bastide town of Navarrenx in the beautiful Béarn. Navarrenx has a great choice of specialist boutiques, restaurants and bars - and you can also can go white-water rafting and canoeing on the "Gave" (river), which flows through the town.

Situated halfway between the mountains and the sea, there are several ski resorts in the Pyrénées about an hour away, where you can go downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is also an hour away, where you can surf, swim and picnic at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

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

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

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