House in Issarbe - Pyrénées-Atlantiques

House Issarbe - Issarbe

SOLD - Hidden away amidst the rolling hills of the Basque Country, this delightful farmhouse is ideal for a cosy family home or luxurious holiday home! Adjoining the farmhouse is a huge two-storey barn (350m²), with potential to create more living space or a gîte.

Set in landscaped gardens of 1.4 acres (5,751m²), there is ample space for a swimming pool (permission required) and for grazing for a horse or pony. There is also a superb east-facing terrace, where you can relax and enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding countryside whilst dining alfresco...

Should you wish to rent out the farmhouse as a gîte or offer B&B accommodation to holidaymakers, your visitors will love being close to ski resorts in the Pyrénées and beaches on the Atlantic coast... and they will absolutely adore the complete peace and tranquillity of the magical, rural setting...

Contact me quickly if you are searching for a unique, characterful property in the Basque Country or Béarn!

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If your dream is to find a charming farmhouse in the foothills of the Pyrénées where you can welcome friends and family in comfort and style, this delightful property in the Basque Country will be perfect for you!

Many of the property's original architectural features have been incorporated into the beautiful renovation, creating a tasteful décor of rustic farmhouse chic with a luxurious, contemporary feel...

Set in landscaped grounds of 1.4 acres, this 18th-century farmhouse has 170m² of habitable space and about 350m² of unconverted space in an adjoining barn, a fantastic east-facing terrace and glorious panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. With the closest neighbour about 100 metres away, the farmhouse is completely private and a veritable haven of peace and tranquillity...

The farmhouse is approached along a quiet country lane. There is space to park outside the property, or you can park in the barn.

A path from the entrance gate leads to an east-facing terrace, where you can enjoy sunny breakfasts, long, lazy lunches and romantic suppers under the stars!

From the terrace, the front door of the farmhouse opens into a fabulous kitchen with an island unit. The kitchen is spacious and beautifully equipped - and wide south-facing windows catch the sun all day long. From the kitchen, there is a traditional wooden staircase up to the first floor rooms - and just behind the kitchen is a shower room with a walk-in shower and a WC.

Adjoining the kitchen is a dining room, which overlooks the garden. On the far side of the dining room is a huge sitting room (90m²), which has underfloor heating, a wood-burning stove and French doors, which open out to the terrace. In one corner of the room, there is a staircase up to the first floor of the barn.

The first floor of the farmhouse comprises a large master bedroom, a second bedroom on two levels and a small west-facing balcony, and a family bathroom (NB: sloping ceiling). An en suite shower room could be created in the split-level bedroom, if desired.

The unconverted first floor of the barn is accessible either from the sitting room or from the grounds via a traditional ramp. With permission, the 220m² could easily be transformed into additional living space, office space, bedrooms, B&B suites, a yoga studio... or it could be used straight away as a games room, a home cinema a gym...

Outside, the grounds of 5,751m² comprise a landscaped garden, meadows and woodland, making it perfect for horses, ponies and other animals. There are numerous mature fruit trees and nut trees, including cherries, plums, figs, pears, quince, apples and walnuts, along with ample flat land for installing a swimming pool (permission required). There is already a treehouse for children to play in, but you could also create a summer kitchen/barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste...

Whatever the season, there are always things to see and do in the Basque Country and Béarn... For mountain lovers, there are walking trails straight from the house and ski resorts just 60 minutes away in the mountains... or if you prefer watersports, there are many fast-flowing rivers nearby for canoeing and white-water rafting. For a more relaxing day out, head to the leisure lakes in the Béarn or the beach resorts on the Atlantic coast, which are perfect for family picnics, swimming, surfing and sunbathing!

THE FARMHOUSE (170m²)

Ground floor:
- an east-facing terrace with splendid panoramic views of the countryside
- a spacious kitchen with a carved wooden staircase up to the first floor
- a huge sitting room (90m²) with underfloor heating, a wood-fired boiler, French doors out to the terrace, a door into the garage and a staircase up to the first floor of the barn
- a dining room
- a shower room with a walk-in shower and WC

First floor:
- a master bedroom
- a split-level bedroom with a small west-facing balcony
- a family bathroom (NB: sloping ceiling)


THE ADJOINING TWO-STOREY BARN

Ground floor:
- a garage (approx. 70m²) with access into the sitting room
- a workshop/store for garden furniture and equipment (approx. 60m²)

First floor:
- interior access via a staircase in the sitting room
- unconverted space of about 220m², which could be used straight away as a games room, a home cinema, a gym... (other usages might require permission)
- direct access to the grounds via a ramp


THE GROUNDS

- landscaped gardens and grounds of 5,751m²
- an east-facing dining terrace with lovely countryside views
- an open-sided stone barn used for storing wood
- a children's treehouse
- mature fruit trees & nut trees: cherry, plum, fig, pear, quince, apple, walnut...
- ample flat land for a swimming pool (permission required), a summer kitchen/barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste...


THE POTENTIAL!

Perfect for a wonderful family home, a chic holiday home or for holiday rentals/B&B, this splendid farmhouse is ready to move into straight away. Permission would be required for converting the barn into more living space, but this property's potential is huge!

If you have children, there are schools for all ages in nearby Navarrenx (which has a bilingual school), St-Palais and Mauléon-Licharre. There is also a regular bus from both St-Palais and Mauléon-Licharre to the Côte Basque, should your children want to go to the beach for the day!

If you work in the Béarn or the Basque Country, the major towns in the area, such as Pau, Oloron-Ste-Marie, St-Palais and Mauléon-Licharre, are all easily accessible from the property. If you work from home, part of the first floor of the barn would be perfect for creating an office (permission required).

The region is very popular with tourists all year round, so if you are hoping to generate an income from the property, the farmhouse could be rented out as a gîte, especially during the summer months, the skiing season and for Christmas and New Year. The glorious east-facing terrace is a lovely area for your guests to socialise together... and the addition of a swimming pool (permission required), would be an added attraction.

There is a huge demand for peaceful Bed & Breakfast accommodation throughout the Basque Country and Béarn, so you could plan to transform some of the barn into B&B suites. There is likely to be year-round business from walkers, cyclists and motorcyclists exploring the Pyrénées - and even from horse-riders following the trans-European "Route d'Artagnan" bridleway who need to find B&Bs which can welcome horses!

It might be possible to use the first floor of the barn for yoga, dance or theatre workshops - and the tranquil setting is ideal for yoga and wellness retreats, art and writing courses, cookery and wine-tasting breaks...

As well as providing accommodation and delicious breakfasts for your guests, you could offer afternoon teas and evening meals on the terrace - and even gourmet picnic lunch hampers, which you could fill with mouthwatering Basque and Béarnais delicacies!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Double glazing throughout
Telephone + cable internet connection
Electricity
Heating: wood-fired boiler + underfloor heating + electric radiators
Mains water
Drainage by compact filter (certified okay)


THE LOCAL AREA

The farmhouse is located in the Basque Country, but is close to the delightful bastide town of Navarrenx in the beautiful Béarn. Navarrenx has a great choice of boulangeries, grocery shops, 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 60 minutes 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 just over an hour away to the west, where you can surf, swim and picnic at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

If your interests are gastronomic, you'll love exploring the many farmers' markets throughout the Béarn and Basque Country, where you can sample locally produced Jurançon and Irouléguy wines, tasty Bayonne ham cured in 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: Puyoô (TGV), Oloron-Ste-Marie, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Coach: Orthez, Pau, Bayonne
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Issarbe, Braca, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Iraty, 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, 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 bridleway...
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr