Le Coteau d'Olliergues - B&B and great food!

In a beautiful setting between the mountains and forests, our rambling 1930's home is a great base to explore the wonders of the Auvergne or for a relaxing stop on route to the south. Our rooms are light-filled and spacious, each with a private bathroom. Two of the rooms can connect - ideal for families and the gardens are wonderful for both letting off steam and relaxing with a book. Breakfasts are home-cooked from local produce. Welcome to our family home. Originally from the UK, we moved to France in 2016 with our four children with a vision of restoring this lovely house back into a family home. The guest rooms and gardens offer unrivalled views of the surrounding farmland and mountains beyond, yet we are far from isolated, situated just a few minutes’ walk down to the historic village of Olliergues. The towns of Thiers and Ambert are less than 30 minutes away, as is the A89 motorway Lyon to Bordeaux. We have extensive terraced gardens that we are currently restoring. Grapevines, now wild, still exist from when it was a vineyard along with a small fruit orchard and a nuttery. We use produce from the garden in our baking and jams for breakfast. We have wifi and all the rooms have private bathrooms. For families we have travel cots, children's books and games (both French and English), plus our own children (of various ages) all anxious to show younger guests around. All the garden areas are accessible and our breakfast room is always open and stocked with homemade 'emergency' cookies, cordial, tea and coffee. We love welcoming guests into our home and are happy to suggest places to visit and things to do in the area. Having traveled as a family many times, we also appreciate the luxury of staying somewhere you can all relax (or run around!) in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The area is stunning with loads of things to see and do – sightseeing, all sorts of festivals, music events, cycling and motor sports, wonderful markets, swimming, pottery, art workshops, water-sports, zip-wires and air-sports to name but a few. In winter we are within easy reach of several ski stations, outdoor ice-rinks, toboggan runs, snowshoeing routes and husky sledging. Most of the ski-stations hire equipment and also give lessons, although, instructors usually have to be booked in advance. Fishing the mountain lakes and rivers is a treat for children and avid anglers alike – we have a fishing gilly who can advise where is best. The Auvergne is also famous throughout France for its food and we are located on the Auvergne 'Cheese Route' with some of the best cheeses in France made locally. Many local producers are open to the public and all of the villages and towns have good markets. If you are fond of bargain hunting, there are brocants almost every weekend where you can find beautiful old French linen, ceramics, glass and household treasures that have yet to be snapped up by the interior designers of Paris and Brighton. It is well worth getting up early to watch the antique buyers at work or even beat them to a bargain. If you need any further information, please just let us know. We have off-road parking on the driveway and covered hard standing for touring bikes, motorcycles and sidecars. Biker's full Scottish breakfast available on request. We can also offer, by reservation, a Table d'hote in the evening, picnic lunches and a midnight platter for those arriving late at night. 'CheeseSkool', our cheese tasting experience is also available - check our listing on Airbnb under 'Auvergne Cheese Adventures'. We use locally sourced ingredients and are quite happy to make vegan, vegetarian or allergen free dishes if you tell us in advance. Homemade, locally sourced ‘child friendly’ food is also a specialty.