Centre, Indre-et-Loire, Abilly, France

A39261TAL37 - Perched on a gentle slope just above the River Claise in the Touraine, this spacious and welcoming home offers the perfect blend of tranquility and convenience. From the moment you pass through the gates, it feels like home. A detached double garage (35m²) provides easy parking or storage, and you can drive right up to the kitchen to unload groceries with ease.

Inside, the property features a generous Provençal-style kitchen (21m²), an open-plan living and dining area (18 + 13m²) featuring a stone fireplace with insert wood burner, a large ground-floor bedroom (17.5m²) with adjoining dressing room (11m²), and a bathroom (10m²) with bath/multi-jet shower cabin combination, washbasin and WC. Through the kitchen, a boiler room (7m²) and lean-to laundry (8m²) plus fuel storage room (9m²). Upstairs, a spacious landing (10m²) leads to two further bedrooms (17m² and a whopping 29m² at floor level), each with a Juliette balcony, and a second bathroom with shower, washbasin and WC (5m²).

The mature, fully-enclosed garden is peaceful and private, bordered at the rear by a green lane that leads down to the village or up to a stunning viewpoint over the Claise valley. From the upper garden, you can access the garage’s upstairs level (35m at floor level) - ideal for a studio, games room, or home office.

At street level (below the main garden level, which effectively functions as a second “ground” floor thanks to the slope of the land), a separate entrance leads to a fully independent apartment. The entrance hall/kitchen (10m²) features a striking fireplace with insert, capable of heating the entire space, though electric radiators are also installed and a compact but functional kitchen to the rear. An opening to the left reveals a spacious sitting room (16m²), whilst a door to the right leads to a bedroom (10m²), and a shower/WC (3.5m²). A door from the bedroom opens onto a private terrace (15m²) with access to the outbuildings and, if desired, steps up to the rear garden.

As a bonus, just across the road you'll find an additional garage, off-road parking for three cars, and another fullly-fenced small garden — perfect for a vegetable patch or extra outdoor space.

Walk just a few minutes into Abilly to buy fresh croissants from the boulangerie. There's also a village shop offering a postal service as well as a café/bar. There is a sports centre, library, pizza dispenser (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it), church and primary school. The nearest secondary school is in nearby Descartes, under 5km (3 miles) away, which also boasts the full range of shops and services that you might require on a regular basis. For even more choice and a university hospital, as well as TGV station for easy access to Paris or Bordeaux, Châtellerault is only 30km away (roughly 18 miles). Small airports at Tours and Poitiers are both between 60 and 70km away (so under 45 miles) and both offer regular low-cost flights to the UK and other destinations. The nearest ports are around 200 miles away so easily driveable in one day.

Whether you are looking for a place to spend your holidays or for a permanent home, you’ll be glad to know that there is plenty to do in the area, from Abilly’s own archeological museum (the whole valley has a rich neolithic history and is a treasure trove of ancient flint axe heads) to historic castles, zoos, vineyards, kayaking, walking, cycling, horse riding and more! Situated in the modern department of Indre-et-Loire (which makes up a large part of the area previously known as La Touraine) you are ideally placed to visit the Châteaux of the Loire Valley, with several located under an hour away!