Traditional Stone Cottage in ancient Nans-sous-Ste. Anne

The Mezzanine details

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La Maison Rose

The Surrounding Area

Home description

La Maison Rose, built in 1816, is a traditional stone cottage in ancient Nans-sous-Ste.Anne, hidden away in the French Jura. The village nestles in a particularly beautiful river valley overlooked by wooded cliffs and many view-points. The cottage, too, has fine views. The two apartments have been created within the cottage but enjoy independent access They are new, bright, comfortable and well equipped, with en-suite facilities and central heating, pleasant views and, in one case, a balcony with access to the garden (which runs to a stream). Each sleeps four, ideal for 2 couples or a family with 2 younger children. But they can be connected to provide facilities for up to eight at £340 (summer) and £315 (winter) p.w. Discounts are available for bookings of more than 2 weeks. 

The owner, Francis Geere, lives on site. He is well settled in the area and extends a warm Anglophone welcome throughout the year. Without at all being intrusive, he takes pains to ensure that visitors, according to their individual interests, get the best possible value from their stay. He is happy to take visiting Rotarians along to his local club, to accompany visitors on interesting walks or wine-tasting, to make introductions, or simply to give practical advice.

The apartments are available throughout the winter. Central heating ensures complete comfort. The owner is happy to lend his skis and toboggans. Depending upon the availability of snow, there are cross-country ski-ing facilities only 10 minutes' drive from the cottage and downhill ski-ing some 40 minutes away. Some visitors prefer to come in the winter. Without foliage and undergrowth concealing the spectacular views around the village, there is so much more to see, and a better chance than in the summer of glimpsing the wild deer and boar.

External features on site

• Garden
• Scenic views

Accommodation detail

The Mezzanine

A first floor conversion of about 35 sq. metres : spacious, light and airy. Open plan, but with large double bed discreetly situated on an upper mezzanine floor. The living area has a double sofa-bed. En-suite WC, good pressure shower and hand-basin. Electric stove and microwave/grill oven, fridge-freezer, dining-table, and 'library' of local information. Radio-CD player to keep in touch with world events. Central heating for winter comfort. Table fans for the summer. Patio-doors lead onto a timber balcony and to the garden, with barbecue facilities, which runs to a stream. Independent access (common to the Loft above) is via one gentle flight of stairs. Towels and linen are provided. No hidden extras. Ideal for families with children. Laundry facilities available

About the location

Nans-sous-Ste.Anne, in its beautiful setting, is a typical French rural community with only 120 inhabitants. It stands in a valley whose sides rise 1,000 feet above the valley floor at the entrance to a craggy wooded gorge. Deep in the gorge, amidst a number of spectacular geological features, the fully-formed River Lison gushes from the cliffs in a waterfall. The site, 20 minutes' walk from the Maison Rose, rates 2 stars in the Green Michelin Guide. Visitors to the village also come for another Michelin 2 star feature: a functioning agricultural tool factory, dating from the early 19th century and designated a historic monument.

Situated on an ancient salt-trade route, and with the traces of at least three erstwhile fortresses, the village today offers peace and quiet and a genuine respite from the pressures of modern life. Remind yourself how many stars the sky contains at night. See the cows process to the fields every day. Watch the local cheeses being made. Observe the climbers, like ants, up on the cliffs behind
the Maison Rose as you sip the local Crémant (bubbly). Better still, get along to the village outdoor activities centre to see what's doing. Or walk up the hill behind the village whence Mont Blanc (100 miles away) can be seen on a clear day.

When did you last motor for ten minutes without seeing another vehicle? The area is sparsely populated, and the corrugations of our thickly forested limestone landscape offer to visitors of all ages a stress-free springboard to a wide selection of activities, as well as distinctive regional cuisine and wines. Close at hand (10 minutes' drive) is the ancient salt-working town of Salins-les-Bains with its two dominant fortresses, its thermal baths, its weekly market and all the necessities of modern life. Please note, though, that a bread-van honks its daily way through Nans-sous-Ste.Anne. A mobile grocer passes once a week, and the village has a modest shop and a restaurant. Arbois, where Louis Pasteur made his home, is at the beginning of our nearby wine-producing region, with abundant opportunities to taste. If art is your thing, then visit the house, overhanging the River Loue in nearby Ornans, where Gustave Courbet was born. It houses a series of exhibitions during the summer.

There are a large number of other nearby attractions, depending upon taste and interests, including abundant swimming possibilities and any number of good restaurants. The highest peaks of the Jura (at more than 5,000 ft), which look across at the Alps, are an hour's drive away. Switzerland, Alsace, Burgundy, Haute Savoie, and even the Black Forest in Germany, are easily accessible on day trips. The beautiful historic cities of Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel, Berne, Dijon and Besancon with their lakes, rivers or surrounding mountains, are all within 2 hours' reach by car.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities nearby

Golf, Walking, Wine tasting, Fishing, Cycling, Sightseeing, Swimming, Horse riding, Mountain biking, Canoeing, Tennis, Tree adventure park, Paragliding, Skiing, Water sports

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

By car - about 6 hours from Calais. Motorway via Reims, Chaumont, Dijon, Dole, then East along the D72 to Salins-les-Bains, from where a short drive over the hills brings you down into Nans.

By train - Eurostar to Lille, then TGV to Besancon. Or Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord. Transfer to Paris Gare de Lyon. TGV to Besancon or Mouchard.

By air - to Geneva, then hire-car.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.