This magnificent 18th-century mill near the riverside town of Tardets-Sorholus is a beautiful family home with a holiday cottage, a small apartment, a turbine room with the original mill workings and land of 2.6 acres (1 hectare), much of which borders a nearby river (there is no flood risk to the house).
The mill is absolutely ideal for a luxurious family home or a charming holiday home, with additional space on the second floor to create more bedrooms or living space (subject to permission).
The holiday cottage and apartment can be used for rental, but would also be suitable for B&B guests for short breaks during the low season and horse riders following the "Route d'Artagnan" bridleway . Guests will love the property's proximity to Pyrénées ski resorts, Atlantic beach resorts and Spain, along with its very peaceful location.
Alternatively, if you work from home, either the holiday cottage or apartment could be perfect to use as an office, a consulting room, an art studio...
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Built in 1762, this superb mill property is bursting with history, character and cachet! It has been lovingly restored and renovated in consultation with an architect) and it is completely ready for the new owners to move into! The main house of 250m² includes a self-contained one-bedroom apartment of 47m² on the ground floor and an unconverted second floor of 80m², along with an adjoining holiday cottage/gîte of 55m².
The approach to the mill is along a private track. The track stops at the property, where there is ample room for parking. The ground floor of the mill comprises the self-contained apartment, a machine room and a wine cellar. The small apartment is all on one level and has an open-plan sitting room/dining room/kitchen with a wood-burning stove, a bedroom, a shower room and a WC.
The machine room of 44m² opens onto a balcony, which overlooks the mill race. Through a glass window on the floor of the machine room, you can see a paddlewheel which is turned by the water flowing under the mill. From the paddlewheel, a transmission shaft comes up into the machine room and turns toothed wooden gearwheels... at a frightening speed! In the past, pulleys and belts attached to this mechanism turned millstones for grinding flour, as well as an electricity generator. It is not certain that the flow of water is today is sufficient to produce a useful amount of electricity, but an enthusiast of this type of mechanism could certainly have fun trying!
Stairs from the ground floor lead up to the mill's first floor, which has a wonderful south-facing dining terrace with fabulous mountain views. The first floor comprises an open-plan sitting room/dining room with a wood-burning stove, an adjacent kitchen, two bedrooms, a dressing room/laundry room which could be used as a nursery or as a small third bedroom for guests, a shower room and a WC.
The second floor of the mill (80m²) is currently unconverted. Subject to permission, this floor would be perfect for creating extra living space, bedrooms, bathrooms, a games room, a home cinema, a gym, an art studio...
Adjoining the mill is a self-contained guest cottage/gîte, which is rented out to holidaymakers. The ground floor is used as a storage area and houses the heat exchanger for the cottage's reversible air-conditioning.
Steps lead up to the first floor of the cottage, which is has an open-plan sitting room/dining room/kitchen area. At the far end of the room is a balcony, which is the perfect spot to enjoy a sunny breakfast or an evening apéritif accompanied by the sound of trickling water!
Behind the main room is a bedroom, a shower room and a WC. There is a second mezzanine bedroom above the main room.
Set in gardens and grounds of 2.6 acres (10,504m²), there is plenty of room to install a swimming pool next to the mill and a plan has already been prepared. You could also create a beautiful summer kitchen and a barbecue area where you could enjoy long lazy lunches in the sunshine and romantic suppers gazing at the stars!
The mill race is a fantastic water feature! The race passes underneath the mill - and the water level of the race can be altered by sluices in order to turn the turbine. Because the canal was dug in 1762, before the French Revolution of 1789, the mill benefits in perpetuity from a "droit d'eau" (the right to exploit the passage of water).
The nearby river is accessible from the land. There is a small beach where you can sunbathe - and the water is deep enough for you to swim, fish and canoe.
Situated in the beautiful Basque Country, but close to the Béarn and its famous Jurançon vineyards, there are always things to see and do whatever the season. For mountain lovers, there are ski resorts and mountain trails 30 minutes away in the Pyrénées. If you prefer watersports, you can canoe and swim in the nearby river (which is also great for fly-fishing) - and the fabulous beach resorts on the Atlantic coast are perfect for surfers and for family days out.
THE MILL
Ground floor:
- access to the small apartment (47m²), which comprises a sitting room/dining room/kitchen with wood-burning stove, a bedroom, a shower room, a WC
- a machine room (44m²), which houses the mill's original turbine, which is still in perfect working order
- a balcony overlooking the mill race
- a wine cellar
First floor (104m²):
- a paved south-facing dining terrace of 30m² with fabulous mountain views
- an open-plan sitting room/dining room (40m²) with a wood-burning stove
- a kitchen (20m²)
- two bedrooms (12m², 10m²)
- a dressing room/laundry room/small third bedroom (9m²)
- a shower room
- a WC
Second floor (80m²):
- unconverted space of 80m² with cold water and electricity already connected... ideal for creating extra living space, bedrooms, bathrooms, a games room, a home cinema, a gym, an art studio (subject to permission)...
THE HOLIDAY COTTAGE/GÎTE
Ground floor:
- a storage room + heat exchanger for reversible air-conditioning for the gîte
First floor (55m²):
- a balcony
- an open-plan sitting room/dining room/kitchen (30m²)
- a bedroom (15m²)
- a shower room
- a WC
Mezzanine:
- a bedroom with built-in storage
THE OUTBUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
- grounds of 10,504m², including a south-facing flat area of land of 3,000m² ideal for installing a swimming pool (plan available)
- a mill race, which passes under the mill (controlled by sluices)
- a small outbuilding
- a garage
THE POTENTIAL!
This excellent property comprises 250m² of living space in the main mill building (with small apartment) and an adjoining holiday cottage of 55m². The property is ideal for a family home or as a holiday home - and you will have plenty of room to accommodate your friends and family when they come to visit!
In addition, the unconverted second floor of the mill (80m²) could be transformed into more living space, bedrooms and bathrooms (subject to permission) - cold water and electricity are already connected.
Your teenage child might like to use the small apartment on the ground floor of the mill building as a private bedroom suite, or it could be transformed into an office, a consulting room, an art studio…
The holiday cottage and the small apartment can both be rented out to guests wishing to self-cater... and out of season, you could offer Bed and Breakfast to guests who want to book shorter stays, especially walkers, cyclists and motorcyclists exploring the Pyrénées, the Basque Country and the Béarn.
As well as providing accommodation and delicious breakfasts for your overnight guests, you could offer afternoon teas and evening meals on the superb south-facing terrace - and even gourmet picnic lunch hampers, which you could fill with mouthwatering Basque and Béarnaise delicacies!
Set in gardens and grounds of just over a hectare, the property is great for horses... and you might even like to welcome horse-riders - and their horses! - who are following the trans-European "Route d'Artagnan" bridleway, which passes nearby.
SERVICES & TECHNICAL
Double glazing throughout
Cable internet connection
Electricity
Heating: electric radiators + wood-burners (main house + apartment) + reversible air-conditioning (holiday cottage)
Mains water
Mains drainage
THE LOCAL AREA
The mill is located in the Soule, which is one of the three provinces in the picturesque French Basque Country. The nearby town of Tardets-Sorholus has a choice of grocery shops, boulangeries, restaurants and bars, or you can go a little further on to the larger towns of Mauléon-Licharre, Oloron-Ste-Marie or Pau. From Tardets-Sorholus, there is a direct bus to Bayonne, Ikea and the Basque coast!
Popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing, the region also offers a choice of winter sports (45 minutes), including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, downhill skiing and snowboarding. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the famous resorts on the Atlantic coast are about 90 minutes away, with family beaches at Hendaye and St-Jean-de-Luz - and surfing at Biarritz, Anglet, Hossegor
Airports: Pau, Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: Oloron-Ste-Marie
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander
Ski: Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Iraty, Val-d’Azun, Gourette, Candanchú (Spain)
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...
Attractions: Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Aqua Béarn, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, e Train de La Rhune, Grottes de Bétharram, Parc'Ours, Route d'Artagnan...
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr
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Réf : A33850CEL64
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