Beautifully Situated Stone Cottage

The Cottage details

Home description

Chevalet is a tiny group of four houses and barns, situated at around 2000ft in the hills above Langeac, in the Haute Loire, the most southerly département of the Auvergne.

This is an area of wooded hills and beautiful little steep-sided valleys, almost untouched by tourism, and as yet virtually undiscovered by the English.

The house is of typical Auvergnat construction, with thick walls to keep it cool in summer, and has been completely restored, adding modern comfort to ancient charm. Outside, the half-acre of private and secluded garden enjoys unbroken views across the valley, and here you can sit sipping your wine in perfect peace, while buzzards and kites wheel over the wooded slopes opposite.

External features on site

• Barbecue
• Garden
• Scenic views

Accommodation detail

Ground floor

• Dining room
• Fitted kitchen with dual-fuel cooker, microwave, and built-in fridge and freezer.
• Spacious sitting room with satellite TV, a hi-fi system, comfortable sofas, and a woodburning stove built into the stone fireplace.
• Utility room with w.c. and washbasin, a shower cubicle, and a washing machine and tumble dryer.

First floor

• Main bedroom – a very large room with a king-size bed, and two windows looking out over the valley, where the morning sun comes streaming in.

Second floor

• 2 more bedrooms one with twin beds and the other with full-size bunks.
• Fitted bathroom

The garden

The upper part of the garden is arranged in various terraces, so that you can find sun or shade at almost any time of day. The lower half is very steep and comparatively uncultivated – a fine adventure playground for kids!

Sun loungers and garden chairs are provided, along with a gas barbecue for guests' use. There is a wooden picnic table on one terrace, and on the stone patio outside the back door, a round table made from a section of tree trunk topped by a 4-inch thick slab of polished limestone – the perfect spot to enjoy your coffee and croissants in the morning!

Depending on the dates of your stay, you may find strawberries, raspberries, beans, courgettes etc in the garden – please feel free to help yourself.

About the location

This is wonderful walking country – the general rule is that you can ramble anywhere that isn't specifically signposted as private. There are scores of walks leaflets and books on the shelves in the sitting room, with suggested routes varying in distance and difficulty, and for the most part, the 'balisage' (waymarking) is pretty good.

For the intrepid, the Gorges de l'Allier are almost on the doorstep, with rock-climbing and white-water canoeing on offer. For a more sedate view, there's a tourist train from Langeac which takes the scenic route down the whole length of the Gorges.

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

Activities near by

Canoeing, Gourmet dining, Rock climbing, Sightseeing, Walking

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

How to get here

Chevalet is approximately 2 hour 30 minutes' drive from Lyon airport or Rodez airport, which are served by Easyjet and Ryanair flights respectively, both from Stansted.

If you prefer to drive, it is about 8 hours from the Channel Tunnel.

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