This is on the edge of Barthale which is a continuation of Montferrier, along a narrow street lined with tall buildings and blind corners. Avoid the school rush hour…
There are good views from the gîte through the valley to Château de Montsegur on top of a rocky peak. This would often be clear first thing but would later be obscured by low cloud.
It is a pleasant white painted chalet house with attached garage and parking in the front garden. Five rather rough stone steps lead up to the front door. Inside it is open plan with a large sitting area with a big open wood burning fire (logs charged at €55 per load), dresser with crockery and cutlery, large settee, two easy chairs and a long coffee table. The dining area has a big table and six chairs. The kitchen is separated by a narrow breakfast bar with two stools. It was well equipped with electric cooker, separate gas hob, dishwasher, big fridge freezer, microwave, coffee maker AND a kettle and tea pot. The later two being an almost unheard of luxury in France. There was a good supply of cooking utensils and knives. The only thing I would fault it on was lack of a colander, but used the deep frying basket instead.
The washing machine was downstairs in the garage. The spin wasn’t brilliant but there was a large drying rack and washing line in the back garden.
The shower room (no bath) had an effective hi-tech shower with two heads, basin and bidet. There was a separate toilet.
We used the double bedroom at the back of the house with a chest of drawers and a hat stand for hanging clothes. It was just as well he hadn’t brought much which needed hanging. The bed was comfortable although the huge square pillows did fight back a bit.
A staircase led to the mezzanine with a sitting area and door to the balcony with views to Montsegur. There was a second bedroom with a double and single bed. In cold weather this may be warmer than downstairs.
Apart from the log fire which we didn’t use, there are electric fires for heating. There was a plentiful supply of hot water.
Bed linen can be hired for €8 per bed. Towels (one large, one small and a flannel) are €3 per person. End of stay cleaning is €30 and considering size of property is good value. Electricity and gas are charged according to usage. With moderate use of electric fires this was just under €6 for the week.
We enjoyed the stay here and would stop here again. The house was comfortable and well equipped. The previous occupants had used the log fire and the house was still warm when we arrived. However in a cold and wet week with temperatures struggling to reach double figures, keeping warm just using the electric fires was an issue. For anyone with mobility problems or difficulty carrying suitcases, the steps from the car could be a problem.
