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French Country Farm House For Rent |
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Clos des Manes is just five minutes from the delightful village of Sahorre where there is a boulangerie, a charcuterie, a general store, a post office, a twelfth century church, a wine cellar and farms selling local produce. (Local organic produce can also be delivered to the door by arrangement). Another five minutes out of the village takes you to 'Sahorre Beach' where the Rotja River forms a natural bathing area. Ten minutes from the house and you arrive at the thermal spas, tennis courts, open-air swimming pools, restaurants, cafes and shops of Vernet-les-Bains. The beautiful fortified village of Villefranche-de-Conflent, along with its marvellous caves and narrow gauge mountain railway, is also ten minutes away and the artists' haven of Eus (like Villefranche, officially one of the most beautiful villages of France) is down on the Roussillon Plain twenty minutes away. Within the vineyards and peach orchards of the plain lies Prades (twenty minutes) the region's colourful market town that offers all facilities and hosts the internationally renowned Pablo Casals Music Festival every August. The tenth century abbeys of St. Michel de Cuixa and St. Martin du Canigou are just outside Prades and Vernet-les-Bains respectively and there is an abundance of Romanesque churches in the area. Within the local area there are activities for all. Horse-riding, kayaking, pot-holing, canyoning, climbing and hiking are all catered for nearby and the ski stations are less than an hour away. Thermal spas can be taken in Molitg-les-Bains, St. Thomas-les-Bains and Amelie-les-Bains as well as Vernet-les Bains, and the swimming pools and tennis courts are ten minutes from the house. Swimming is also popular in the lake at Vinca (near Prades) and guided walks for all ages and abilities can be arranged and tailored to suit your wishes. There is a 9-hole golf course nearby and a 27-hole championship course within an hour. If, however, you wish to do none of the above and simply want to come and enjoy the sunshine then the accommodation itself is enough to make you never want to leave. A little further afield (though still less than an hour away) are the fascinating Cathar Castles of Queribus, Peyrepertuse and Puilarens. Perpignan, capital of French Catalonia, as well as being a bustling, modern city, offers a charming old town and markets combined with the historical Palace of the Kings of Mallorca all on the doorstep of the Mediterranean Sea. North of Perpignan, the sandy beaches stretch around the coast bordering a series of lagoons and, south of the city, the wide, sandy beaches sweep down to meet the rocky coves of the Vermillion Coast. The jewel of this stretch is vineyard-encircled Collioure, the enchanting fishing village beneath a Templar castle that inspired Fauvism. For art lovers, Ceret, twenty-five kilometres inland from Collioure, has a fantastic Museum of Modern Art housing works donated by earlier residents including Picasso, Braque, Chagall and Matisse, and a number of different festivals throughout the year. Again it is within an hour's drive of Clos des Manes. Also within easy reach for day-trips are the spectacular, medieval, walled city of Carcassone, the Catalan capital of Barcelona, the duty-free mountain enclave of Andorra, Beziers - the wine capital of Languedoc and the Canal du Midi. Spain is an hour in the car or a seven-kilometre walk if you wish to go over the mountaintops. |
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Stunning Catalan Farmhouse in Five Acres Aytua near Prades, France |
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