Languedoc-Roussillon, Aude, Homps, France

A47400LHS11 - Within 200 metres of the Canal du Midi, in this pretty Minervois village with gallo-roman antecedents, there are plenty of amenities within walking distance, and this characterful house gives you comfortable accommodation whether for a full-time family home, holiday home or gîte to let out.

The front entrance door opens into a lobby, which leads into the main living space of 30m². This includes the smart white Maxima kitchen with its integrated units - oven, fridge, freezer, extractor, dishwasher and induction hob. The kitchen window has a solar-powered roller shutter.

A large woodburning stove acts as a focal point for the sitting area, and a ceiling fan gives a tropical feeling to the room. From here, the staircase leads up to a landing giving access to the wonderful modern bathroom, with its stylish bath, its basin built into a gorgeous curving cupboard, a WC to match, and its Italian-style walk-in shower. There is even room for the washing machine and tumble drier.

Next to this is the spacious master bedroom, of 17m² plus 2.3m² of fitted wardrobes. It has two large windows with insulated blinds and timber shutters, and has reversible air-conditioning.

Up a traditional tile and timber staircase, an ample landing space leads to two more bedrooms of 11.6 and 11m² respectively (they are larger, but we only count the area over 1.8m height.) Each has an 'oeil de boeuf' window supplemented by a Velux rooflight, and characterful exposed timber roof beams. At this level there is also a shower room with a WC and basin.

At ground floor level, the glazed double doors of the living area give onto the courtyard of 22.7m², which has large plants in pots and makes a lovely dining area. A staircase leads up to the 13.5m² terrace, which with its sails giving shade, is great for relaxing. Below this is a garden room, which can be used as a study, guest bedroom or storage area. It has plenty of electric points and downlighters, and glazed double doors to the courtyard.

From the courtyard a door leads out to a rear access, useful to get to the canalside restaurants, take a canal cruise, or just go for a stroll along the canal.

The house is fully double-glazed, and is heated by electric radiators, or heated towel rails in the bath and shower rooms; plus the woodburner and the reversible air conditioning unit in the master bedroom. The roller shutters are electrically controlled.

Homps is in a fantastic wine area, the Minervois, which is also amazingly beautiful and a joy to live in. It is adjacent to the town of Olonzac, which has a full set of amenities and a popular weekly market, and 14 km from the cité of Minerve, a stunning Cathar stronghold and 'One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France'.

It is 5 minutes from Olonzac, 27 km from Narbonne, 32 km from Carcassonne, 43 km from Béziers, 44 km from the beach at Narbonne Plage, and 117 km from Spain (an hour and 20 minutes).