Languedoc-Roussillon, Aude, Roquefère, France

A24719SOM11 - Handsome, solid stone-built house dating from the 1850s and cleverly constructed in the perfect spot to make best use of the spring water and microclimate. The views over the mountains and down the valley to the south are really breathtaking.

Ground floor: enter the spacious hallway for access to the living room and office with shower room on the right, and cosy dining room with high quality Clearview wood-burning stove, and premium Schmidt kitchen on the left. The kitchen includes a brick-built pizza oven and offers access to a small side terrace. Tiled floors throughout.

Curving staircase leads up to the first floor where the light-filled and airy hall opens to two large double bedrooms, a vestibule leading to one smaller double and storage/dressing room. From the hall also to an enormous bathroom with genuine Jacuzzi tub and generously-sized shower. Perfect for luxuriating in the welcoming ambiance. From the stair landing, a solid wooden door leads through to the long, tiled garage with room for two cars, also housing the modern gas boiler and a handy sink. Access through to garden.

The stairs continue up to the second floor where the airy hall with solid wood floorboards leads to three large double bedrooms, two of which with wash basin. The third is currently arranged as a spacious office with wood-burning stove and slim spiral staircase to a loft room. The fourth door from the hall takes us to a vestibule leading to a store room and generous shower room with WC, shower, urinal and wash basin, tiled floor.

The loft room is a useful space, fully boarded and currently used for storage. It has a window in the gable under the roof and plenty of head height. One could imagine, with very little work, a library, playroom, additional storage space, office or even further bedroom.

Outside, the front door leads to a very generously sized stone terrace (the stones came from the original kitchen floor) which makes best use of the sun and the views. The land slopes down the hillside in terraces offering a lawned area, a vegetable garden, and the beautiful swimming pool area. To the east of the house is a delightful fish pond and a stone building currently housing a wine cellar, tool storage area and workshop/summer kitchen above. Beyond, we enter the extensive woodland garden with specimens dating back almost 200 years. A Giant Redwood, Cedars and many other species are interplanted with delightful herbaceous specimens giving interest year round and making a stroll through these gardens genuinely delightful. Paths lead up and down the hillside.

The current owners are entirely self-sufficient in firewood, and the crystal-clear, sweet spring water which feeds the house is managed and regularly tested by the local water authority. It would be very easy to imagine a luxury self-sufficient lifestyle here, with already established plots and greenhouse for growing fruit and vegetables, your own forest for a wood supply, fresh clean water from the additional hillside spring to feed the garden and pool for nothing, and the potential for electricity generation using solar, wind or a combination.
If you are looking for something less taxing, then focus on the fact that this house is perfectly presented with nothing left to be done. The pool is a true delight, with whirlpool area and counter-flow function. A little apéritif on the poolside as you enjoy the sun, the view and a refreshing dip before dinner?

If you feel like a bit of town life, Carcassonne (rail, airport) and Mazamet (rail, airport) are each a 25-kilometre drive through the mountain scenery and offer all you'd expect from a local hub: connections to the rail network, flights to many destinations, excellent healthcare, shopping opportunities and cultural events and institutions. Several tourist attractions are close by, including show caves, lakes, mountain walks, museums, châteaux and pretty villages. Sports enthusiasts are spoiled for choice here. all mountain sports are catered for as well as canoeing/kayaking, cycling, aero sports, team sports and more. Mazamet, a 30-minute drive, has dozens of sports and leisure clubs catering to all tastes from Scrabble through rugby to caving, as well as a renowned golf club at La Barouge. Ask me about where you can practice your sport or hobby, there's bound to be a place for you!

This mountain hideaway is in a special corner of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, with a fascinating culture and history still alive in the village festivals and societies.

And this is the perfect family home or business base from which to discover it all. Already set up with a fine home office and great internet access, it has been a remote working base for twenty years.