Holiday Gite Rental Near Pierrefort, Cantal, Auvergne, France

La Roche is an old farm nestling half-way up the slope of a sheltered, volcanic valley which has no other houses or farm-buildings in it. At 950 m (just over 3000 ft) the air is wonderfully fresh, and the stars on clear nights are spectacular. There are fine views to the south-west, over fields and woods in the foreground, and towards the Aubrac plateau in the distance.

It’s very restful here if you enjoy the sounds of the countryside: the stream at the bottom of the valley, birds singing in the trees, cow-bells in summer, and stags rutting in the autumn. You’re away from it all, yet not cut off. It only takes 10 minutes by car to get to the small town of Pierrefort, and half an hour to the charming medieval cathedral city of Saint-Flour. There are lovely walks starting straight from the gîte, and within a radius of 40 km (25 miles) you can explore the Truyère valley, the Cantal mountains and the Aubrac plateau. The region is especially beautiful in May and June when the high pastures are adorned with wild flowers, and in September and October when the woods are tinged with autumn colours.

The property consists of a house (built in 1781), an adjoining barn (1857) and bake-house, a small pig-sty, and a water-mill down by the stream. The buildings have metre-thick walls made of huge blocks of volcanic stone. We – the owners – occupy the house and most of the ground floor of the barn (originally the cow-byre).

In 2006 we converted the upper hay-loft into a spacious gîte for 4+ people (110 m2), which has a 3-star rating (“3 épis”) from Gîtes de France. The roof has been retiled in traditional stone, and many of the original oak beams are visible inside.

You can have complete privacy if you wish, but we are on hand to give help and advice if you need it.

ACCOMMODATION:

The accommodation is on three levels, with its own entrance and hard-standing for cars, and a large garden behind (250 m2) for the exclusive use of our guests.

Main Floor
The main entrance is at this level through French windows facing south-east. They open onto a large living space (area 60 m2, ceiling height 3.45 m) with a ceramic-tiled floor and underfloor heating.
Within this space there are 3 dedicated areas:

Open-plan kitchen
Electric oven, gas hob, extractor fan, microwave, fridge-freezer (278 litres), dishwasher, filter-coffee machine, toaster, kettle, and blender.

Dining area
Rustic farm table and benches, sideboard for crockery and cutlery, and an antique dresser for cups and glasses. High-chair on request.

Sitting area
Wood-burning stove, 3-seater sofa, three swivel armchairs, coffee table, book-case.
Flat-screen satellite TV, DVD player, radio, board games, French and English books for all ages, local maps, WIFI.

Upstairs
This is reached from the main floor by an open staircase with a child-safety gate at the top. The floor is made of new oak.

Open mezzanine
Two double futon-sofas, table and chairs, and two radiators. Cot.
A French window opens onto the private gîte garden, and a corridor leads to the bedrooms, bathroom and WC.

Bedroom 1
One double bed (width 140 cm), built-in wardrobe with shelves, hanging rail and double sliding mirror-doors. Built-in desk, two chairs and a radiator.

Bedroom 2
Two single beds (width 90 cm), built-in wardrobe with shelves, hanging rail and double sliding mirror-doors. Two chairs and a radiator.

The dormer windows in the mezzanine and bedrooms face south-west across the valley:

Bathroom
Sunken bath with shower, WC, and washbasin on polished granite surface. Radiator.

Separate WC with wash-basin.

Heating
The gîte has oil-fired central heating supplying all the radiators, the underfloor heating, and the hot water upstairs. All central heating is included in the rent. Hot water for the kitchen and the downstairs shower room is provided by a 200-litre electric immersion heater.
For electricity charges see Rates
Wood for the stove is free.

Garden
The gîte has an unfenced private garden (250 m2) on two levels linked by a traditional ‘miller’s ladder’. Access is by stone steps next to the main entrance, or out of the French window in the mezzanine. There is a barbecue, a picnic table with parasol, deck-chairs, an inflatable plastic paddling-pool, and a rotary clothes-line.

The land around La Roche is sloping and rocky, and small children need supervision at all times when outside.

Parking
There is hard-standing for one car to the side of the main entrance, for the exclusive use of the gîte. More parking space is available 20 metres away.