Lovely house, garden with pool in tranquil village near coast and countryside

Formerly a 17th century vigneron's (winegrower's) house, it is situated in Raissac's church square. Raissac d'Aude is a small, tranquil village - a rural idyll of old houses in winding lanes set in traditional, wine-growing France. The village nestles between the junction of two rivers so there is no through traffic.

The house provides a high standard of attractive and comfortable accommodation and has a pool and private, walled garden. The interior of the building has been renovated to retain its character. The ground floor has a large, living/dining area with sofas, armchairs, dining table with seating for 10 adjoining the well equipped kitchen with hob, oven, dishwasher, washing machine and microwave. The kitchen is next to the garden and outside dining areas with gas BBQ. The house has wifi, Apple TV and music systems. There are internal and external stairs to the first floor which has four large double bedrooms. Three bedrooms have bathrooms en suite, the fourth has a bathroom adjoining. All bedrooms have a double bed and the two largest also have a single bed. Three bathrooms have toilet, basin and shower and the fourth has a toilet, basin and bath/shower. There is also a downstairs toilet.

Behind the house is the large, secluded, walled garden with flowerbeds, terraces and a private pool 8 x 4 x 0.9 -1.6m depth (with security immersion alarm). The pool and its surrounding terrace can be separated from the eating area and rest of the terrace and garden by a security fence and gate to help safeguard young children There is a small first floor terrace overlooking the garden which is ideal for an outdoor coffee.

We have adult and children's bicycles for guests' use (the immediate countryside around Raissac is quite flat and ideal for relaxed cycling in the countryside or along the canal}. There are child seats available for the adult cycles. Cots, highchair and stair-gates and some larger children's toys for toddlers are available on request. Linen, bedding and towels are included. Oil fired central heating is available at a small extra cost, but only possibly needed for early or late season.

Raissac has a shop for bread, croissants ham, some meat and dairy products, fresh vegatables and fruit and some groceries - the shop is also has a cafe bar attached, a cave (for wine), post office and a public park with boules courts. A mile away down a quiet lane is Canet d'Aude, a village, with a mini supermarket, greengrocers, bakers, bar and a range of other small shops. The historic city of Narbonne, with its impressive cathedral and a full range of shops and restaurants, is approx 15 minutes drive. The smaller country town of Lezignan Corbières, with a great food market weekly as well as several supermarkets and lots of restaurants, is 10 minutes away. Other activities available in the area include tennis, horse riding, white water rafting and canoeing, or just boating on the canal as you choose. This is a good area for walking with as easy or difficult terrain as you choose.There a good leisure centre in Narbonne with indoor and outdoor pools and water slides. There is also an adventure climbing tree trail near Beziers, several caves and caverns, a theme park near Gruisson

Narbonne ( and other local towns) run large and mainly free summer programmes of events including music concerts, dance classes, sports competitions, cultural events and exhibitions and a large street festival with national artistes. There is also an international Jazz festival at L'Hospitalet near Narbonne Plage.

There is much to see and do in this area. The River Aude is close by or you can stroll along the Canal du Midi. Nearest beaches are at Narbonne Plage or Gruissan Plage (location of film 'Betty Blue'), both approx 25 min drive. Easy day trips are possible to Carcassonne, a wonderful walled citadel perched high above the plain, where you can browse the craft shops and galleries. The pretty and ancient coastal village of Coullioure and base of the impressionist painter Matisse is about 45 minutes away, whilst the Dali museum is a little further on near the Spanish border. Sete (30-40 minutes in the other direction on the coast) has an annual regatta including jousting using medieval rowed boats.

A little further on is the "happening" young university city of Montpelier with many annual events and excellent shops. Nearer at hand is Beziers with an annual Feria ( bull-running in the streets) and Pezenas with its ancient centre of cobbled streets, cafes, restaurants and lots of antique shops. The foothills to the Pyrenees are within easy reach, where you can hike or drive along the winding mountain roads. There are pretty villages here such as Lagrasse with winding cobbled streets, restaurants and street music or the nearby Ribaute where you can bathe safely in river pools or sunbathe on the flat river rocks. In the other direction, you can head into the Black Mountains behind Beziers and find mountain villages a 1000 years old or mountain lakes. For a day trip, visit Andorra (for duty-free bargains!) or Barcelona over the border into Spain. For history lovers there is a good choice of Cathar castles, usually perched high up on mountain tops or hidden in mountain valleys.

For travelling, the International Airports are : Carcassonne 40 minutes; Beziers 45 minutes; Perpignan 55 minutes; Montpellier 60 minutes; and Toulouse about 90 minutes. All are linked by motorways to a few miles from the house. Alternatively, there is the high speed train service to Narbonne via Paris. Driving from England is easy on the motorways via Paris and Clemont Ferrand and can be done in one long day or comfortably in two with time to see a bit of the rest of France on the way. The local airports are well connected with many other parts of Europe. More detailed travel advice can be provided on request. Stays are normally booked in blocks of 7 days with a Saturday changeover. Stays for other periods of 4 days or more may be available at our discretion out of the high season - please contact us for further infomation.