Equestrian Property, Pau - Pyrenees Atlantic

An ideal property for anyone looking for a lifestyle farm in a beautiful location not far from amenities and the Pau racetrack. This stud farm, currently used for the breeding of Anglo-Arab racehorses, is approached via electric gates down a long driveway with horse pasture either side. The pasture is securely fenced with field shelters and water troughs. There is further pasture to the rear of the house with 8 stables and 3 foaling boxes. The land is fully visible from the house. Set into the hillside at the back is a small vineyard.
The traditional Béarnaise house dates from 1770 and offers beautiful views over the pasture and hills beyond. The rooms are generous in size and boast original features such as large, stone fireplaces. The roof was replaced in 2005. The house is warm, comfortable, and generally in good order but would benefit from some modernizing and from a complete overhaul of the guest apartment and the attics. As it stands, the house comprises four bedrooms, three bathrooms (of which two are ensuite), a linen room and adjacent dressing room, a generous double aspect sitting room, a huge dining room with access to a very large billiards room/office and a traditional kitchen with storage areas to the rear. Additionally, there is a guest apartment which requires renovation. The attics were originally used as maids’ rooms and could be turned into bedrooms if renovated. The house faces east, and all the main rooms are on this side and therefore benefit from good light.
To the side of the house, an attached stone barn houses a garage area and foaling boxes with a hayloft over the top. The buildings are set around a courtyard entrance that also contains a ‘pigeonnier’ and access to a swimming pool and entertaining terrace with summer kitchen.
The Pau area offers exceptional sporting opportunities with the Pau 5 star being one of the highlights of the equestrian calendar.  Moreover, with lakes, mountains, and the Atlantic coast at Biarritz all within easy reach, the activities range from skiing, hiking, fishing, cycling and mountain sports in the Pyrenees, to white water canoeing in the Gave de Pau and the oldest golf course in Europe outside of Britain. Rugby is a local obsession while boar hunting and shoot dinners feature on the social calendar. Pau is a beautiful old town offering boutique shopping and a good selection of restaurants and bars. It is particularly noted for the Boulevard facing the mountains where you can sip one of the excellent local wines while watching the sun go down. There are high speed train, motorway and airport connections at Pau and Lourdes offering good accessibility to the UK, throughout France and into Spain. With a high-speed cable connection available in the area, the property would be suitable for an executive working from home who sometimes needs to travel for meetings as well as for someone who simply wants to enjoy a comfortable but not isolated rural lifestyle.