The houses are in the heart of the Monts d'Ardeche regional national park and from the house you can walk straight into the local countryside,
Location
Ardeche Retreat
is the larger of the 2 houses and is available for rental all year round, sleeping 4 +2 and is like it's name suggests a Perfect Retreat in the
heart of the Ardeche
whilst,
Petit Bijoux
(meaning,
Tiny Jem
) sleeps 2 and also is available for rental all year round and takes its name from being tiny, beautiful but perfectly formed.
Both houses: Ardeche Retreat and Petit Bijoux are in a small hamlet called La Blacheyrette (below left).
La Blacheyrette is a hamlet of ten or so houses. The hamlet is in a valley up in the hills surrounded by vineyards.
is the nearest village and is 2 miles down the hill. The village has a small cinema, bar, newsagents, post office, tourism office, a couple of restaurants (in the hotel and a pizzeria) and supermarket on the outskirts. Not forgetting of course the two boulangeries and the wine co-operative shop (pic to your right)where you can arrange to take a tour of some of the 150 vineyards and watch the wine making process as well as buy the local wines. The Cris Activities centre in Rosieres can organize a variety of activities including canoeing, canyoning, caving, rock climbing, tree climbing, bungee jumping, tennis and horse riding. The river Labeaume runs through the edge of the village.
through the pine woods and take in the views of the Cevennes Mountains and the nearby Labeaume river, a tributary of the Ardeche river.
Cross over the river Labeaume from Rosieres and you enter the pretty medieval town of Joyeuse . The old town is beautiful and houses St Peters Church (dating back to the 11th century), the 16th century Chateau de Joyeuse and the Chestnut museum - the region is famous for its chestnuts. Don't miss the large weekly Wednesday market where you can buy anything from local produce sold by the farmers to pottery, gifts and clothes - should not be missed.
The rivers
You can fish, swim and canoe in the many rivers in the region: L'Ardeche, Labeaume, Le Chassezac and La Ligne.
Labeaume river is the nearest only 2 miles from the house.
Villages of character in the Ardeche
is listed in the most beautiful villages of France catalogue and is only around 5km away. The village is reached via an old bridge over the river Ardeche and the most of the village and its house are literally built into the cliff tops. The village is a maze of cobbled streets and arched passageways and has a castle and Romanesque church. You can hire canoes from the borders of the river.
is also listed in the most beautiful villages of France catalogue. The village is again built on a cliff edge, is full of arched passageways and a must see is the Castle of the Lords of Vogue with it four round towers. It is again less than 30mins from the property by car.
Vogue
is approximately half an hour by car, situated further south and is a picturesque town with a lively Saturday market that starts in the town main square. The town has lots of nice restaurants and shops.
is a city situated half an hour away by car and is north of the house but still in southern Ardeche. The city is full of shops, bars, restaurants and cinemas (often playing films in the original language). Aubenas is not as well known as other towns such as Vallon and so doesn't have as many tourists as perhaps some of the other towns will have in peak holiday periods. The main city centre is full of character with cobbled streets and areas of charm including la place de Hotel-de-Ville with the feudal Chateau, la place de la Grenette and place 14 Juillet.
with its pedestrian main street through the centre has very much a holiday feel at its heart. You can peruse the local gift shops, buy swim gear for the rivers or sit in the cafés and in the square and watch life go by. Market day is Friday.
is 20 miles away from the house and has a Sunday flea market, beautiful squares, cobbled streets lined with restaurants and gift shops selling local fare. Take the road from Vallon Pont d'Arc called la route touristique des Gorges de l'Ardeche and to visit the world famous Pont d'Arc. You can view the famous Arc from the road and or you can park up and go down to the river and swim underneath the Arc itself or simply sit on the sandy beach and have a picnic in view of the Arc. Also along this road (from 3 to 20 km) are several grottos: Grotte des Huguenots, Grotte de la Madeleine and Grottes de Saint Marcel
