Location description from owner

The Occitanie region

The grandeur of the mountains; the magnificent rivers and lakes; the beautiful, ever-changing landscape; the canopy of stars in the dark night skies; the neat villages and the friendliness of the people totally won us over. Whatever the season, you can enjoy a huge variety of activities in this part of the Pyrenees: cycling, walking, skiing, hiking, paragliding, rafting, climbing, golf, tennis, and many more, nearby or within a short drive from us. Close by you will also find wine festivals; country fairs; music festivals; pre-historic cave paintings; Roman villas and a history rich in drama, romance and tragedy. The departmental capitals of Toulouse, Pau and Auch - rich in shopping and cultural attractions - are within easy reach by car; or by train from Montréjeau - just 8 miles down the road. Toulouse is well served by international airlines like BA or Easyjet, from London airports. Lourdes Tarbes airport is also only 45 minutes by car.

Just to name a few sites: Saint Bertrand de Comminges, 12 miles, one of the most imposing sites in the area in an exceptional setting, with its medieval cathedral Sainte Marie surrounded by the old town.

Montmaurin, Gallo Roman villa, only 6 miles

Lourdes, famous grotto and destination of millions of pilgrims each year, 1 hours drive from us

Pic du Midi du Bigorre: For an unforgettable experience, be sure to visit the Pic du Midi observatory, over a 1000m above the Col du Tourmalet. The 360 degree views are quite stunning, an evening visit (requires booking in advance) for stargazing is also highly recommended.

Or why not go to another country? The closest route into Spain takes 1 hour through Le Vallée de Luchon. Also a very worthwhile visit is the Spanish medieval village of Ainsa, via St Lary Soulan through the tunnel of Bielsa approximately a two hour drive from us.

We are a 2 hrs drive from the Atlantic coast, worth a day trip to visit the elegant seaside resort of Biarritz with its grand hotels lining the seafront, and to enjoy a good lunch in one of the many restaurants. Or spend the day at St. Jean de Luz, a picturesque seaside village with a pretty centre with strong Basque influences, lovely beach. There is a basque festival in summer, with street music and a great atmosphere.

In winter you can choose from several ski resorts for skiing, snow boarding or snow shoeing, the closest is about a 40 minute drive, Boutx Le Mourtis.

Bagnères de Luchon is under 1 hour from us, the locals call it La Reine des Pyrénees, the queen of the Pyrenees! It has been a well known spa town for centuries, famous for its Thermal springs, first discovered by the Romans, and elegant town houses. It has its own ski resort, Superbagnères, which in winter is connected to the town via a cable car, but is worth driving up to outside the skiing season for the fantastic views from the top and hikes that start from there. The road to Superbagneres is also a great cycling climb.

Other ski resorts all within 40 minutes to a good hours drive from us: Bourg d'Oueil, Peyragudes and Nistos Cap Nestes.

Montrejeau

Loudet is a very small village without shops. There is a small supermarket (with bread depot), a post office and a bar just 2,5 km away in the next village, Saint Plancard.

The town of Montréjeau is ca. 10 minutes by car: two supermarkets, a variety of bakeries, shops, restaurants, tourist office, weekly market etc.

Towns of St. Gaudens and Lannemezan are both 10 miles away, with more shops, restaurants and facilities on offer.

The Tour de France makes its way through the Pyrenees every year, so why not join us on the bike for some of the best cycling available in Europe, follow in the footsteps of the tour heroes to tackle some of the great Cols.

There are excellent walking opportunities for all levels, some lovely walks can be done straight from our house. Our land is bordered by the Canal de Franquevielle, we have a gate leading onto the public footpath running along the canal, a wonderful walk where the canal meanders through meadows, fields and forests, it would also be ideal if you fancied a morning jog or take your mountain bike for a ride.

Or join us for an evening of stargazing and discover the magic of seeing the Milkyway, planets and shooting stars in the dark skies with hardly any light pollution.

The long distance hiking trail GR86 (from Aurignac to Bagnères de Luchon, 154km) passes through LeCuing, a village a few minutes from us.

Canoeing, rafting and kayaking on the river Garonne.