Lacrouts. Superb renovated farmhouse. SW France.

Spacious beautiful French farmhouse with large garden and superb private heated pool. Unlimited wifi. Satellite TV receiving 300+ channels; huge selection of DVDs. Sunny patio by pool with huge BBQ. Gazebo with table/chairs. Sunloungers. Playroom with table tennis table. Sitting room with vast open fire. Renovations in 2018. In peaceful countryside on the edge of a tiny village. Golf, tennis, whitewater rafting, go-karting, canoeing nearby. Spain and stunning beaches at Biarritz within 75 min. Welcoming, very comfortable house. Stone walls, so relatively cool in mid-summer. Patio at front also with garden table and chairs to catch early-morning sun, ideal for breakfast. Stone floors downstairs. Mostly wooden floors upstairs. Mezzanine with sitting area and well-stocked bookcase. Decor charming; a mixture of old and new, in harmony with the architecture of house. ipod docking station. Induction cooker, fully equipped newly renovated kitchen, including microwave, coffee maker, steamer pan. Very large heated swimming pool (12m x 6m) which has underwater lighting and heat-retaining cover. Huge new sofas with reclining seats in sitting room, new furniture in many bedrooms. Well planted garden. Boules. Badminton net/volleyball. Renovations include fitted kitchen with beautiful tiled floor, tiled floor playroom, all 4 bathrooms modernised, wooden floors in 3 bedrooms on first floor, 4 huge new velux windows, updated wiring, re-painting. Entire house, garden, pool, drive, carport is available for our guests' private use. A spare BBQ gas bottle is at house with an amount of wood for open fire or wood burning stove in kitchen. Whirly clothes dryer outside. We are swift to answer emails and happy to respond to questions. Our bilingual house manager, Stephanie, may be at the house to greet you, depending on your arrival time. Keys are available for arrival at all other times in a private key safe on-site in the carport. Stephanie lives close by so is available if needed. We send a house book out pre-rental which contains useful information on the area, e.g. restaurants, wine cave, cycle hire, and also important information on the house. This is also available on-site in hard copy. Brochure about local places of interest are at the house. We are happy to advise on transport or places of interest on the way to Caupenne. The converted farmhouse is in a triangle of land enclosed by maize fields on 2 sides. Being in the middle of such beautiful countryside a number of small animals may appear ie. beetles, spiders, ants, frogs or mice. Please note also that being in the country the wifi is not fibre and so is not always fast. Caupenne the village, with its small but well stocked village shop, is a 3min drive, or a bit longer jog away from Lacrouts. Ten minutes drive away is the voie verte, a cycle track converted from a railway line. It is almost 45km, and so a long flat cycle through beautiful countryside is just minutes away. Masses of sports are available within easy striking, including golf, tennis, cycling, horse riding, canoeing, whitewater rafting, go-karting, even an olympic sized swimming pool. Dax (25 min), famous for being a thermal spa, is great for shops, especially Troc which is an Aladdin's cave. Dax has a large open air market on Saturday mornings, at which it is traditional to eat oysters with Pastis at 10am (freshly ground coffee and a croissant is an excellent sub). Dax/ local villages en fete at times during the summer. Take to the streets for chat, wine, socialising, fireworks. There are several course landaise arenas. Water-skiing on Lac d'Orthez. In the winter rugby is a strong sport in the area. Walking and skiing in the Pyrenees from 45k. Restaurants abound usually serving our local fine wines with their wonderful food. Landes is a region of fascinating contrasts. Spain is so close that its influence is clear to see in architectural styles and pastimes. Stunning towns like Amou nestle on the riverside, overlooking the lazy waters. Tree-lined shady streets gradually give up their secrets to curious eyes; boules pistes, farmers markets, fragrant cafes and everywhere flowers and greenery. Spain is less than an hours drive to pop across for lunch and a browse round the markets. Stunning beaches with fabulous surfing, sailing or horse riding along the beach at Biarritz are about 1 hour away, with chic St Jean de Luz a modest drive further on for a memorable lunch. Visit local wine caves and enjoy the rich variety of wines available locally. Cycle, walk or canoe. The weather is generally wonderful. May, June, September and October are very fine, warm enough to really enjoy the great outdoors. July and August are the glorious months for which the south of France is rightly so famous. The winters are mild and lend themselves to exploring restaurants, chateaux, churches. FLY to Biarritz, Bordeaux or Bergerac, Pau airport via Flybe or Ryanair. TRAIN to Dax, then car hire/taxi from station. BY CAR: Santander and Bilbao in Spain are the nearest car ferry ports. Cherbourg is 878km. The drive down is very pleasant, with excellent roads and very good roadside facilities (and loos with seats!), beautiful towns to stop in for lunch. If you wish to break the journey from Cherbourg, a stop at Futuroscope or Puy Du Fou provides a fascinating interlude. Or taking an overnight ferry, then a fairly direct route means you arrive in time for a swim, then cocktails by the pool. Being rural, a car or motorbike would be required to get you to the house and to the restaurants, shops and sights. Once on site, there are lovely walks and fabulous cycling to be had. Enjoy lunch al fresco on the poolside patio or laze under the pergola in the garden before a round of table tennis. A glass of wine as the sun sets over the cornfields, then swim in warm water softly lit by underwater lighting. The night sky shows the stars with astonishing clarity as we are so far from any town, thus essentially have no light pollution. Enjoy breakfast in the warm morning sun on the front garden patio. The spacious sitting room with open log fire is perfect for relaxed evenings at home. Otherwise enjoy one of the excellent restaurants nearby.