LOCATION
also has a link from Ruoms to Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. Have a look at two nearby
Kayakers and bathers enjoying the Ardèche river and Pont d’Arc in summer
We have rivers to swim in and we can climb up to 1,500m,” he tells me. “C’est la montagne méditerranéenne, a maquis of holm oak and chestnuts.”
VALLON-PONT-D’ARC, ARDÈCHE East now, to Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. The 54m-high Pont d’Arc, entry to the Ardèche gorges and departure point for canoeists and kayakers, forms a natural arch over the river. It’s a popular bathing spot with natural pebble beaches. The nearest airports for travel to and from the UK are Montpellier, Nîmes and Marseille. Vallon-Pont-d’Arc is home to
another Unesco World Heritage Site, the prehistoric Chauvet Cave. The old village is very busy at peak season. Estate agent Cyril Amelin of Orpi Vallon-Pont-d’Arc tells me: “We have around 3,000 inhabitants all year, then 20,000-25,000 in the summer.” You’ll mainly find them swimming around the Pont d’Arc or canoeing down it. Old stone terraced houses in the village sell for around
On the market
€200,000. Ardèche river stone was used; wealthier owners could afford limestone from nearby quarries for lintels and door jambs. Roofs are tiled with round flame-coloured terracotta tuiles canal with a few flat Marseille tiles. “We’re in the south here so
purchasers are also buying sunshine,” says Cyril. Houses with little gardens are hard to find, so the minimum people want is a terrace for alfresco eating. Some more imposing houses have been converted into apartments. You’ll pay in the region of €60,000-€70,000 for a studio. Post-1970s detached homes
with gardens have been built on the periphery. Cyril quotes a price range of €270,000- €330,000 for a three-bedroom villa in good order with a garden, depending on whether it has a swimming pool or not (there’s a seasonal let market for houses with one). Access to the village centre is
either by car or cycle paths. The Via Ardèche voie verte, a 40km cycle path in southern Ardèche,
Vallon-Pont-d’Arc in Ardèche can see an extra 20,000 visitors in summer FIND MORE PROPERTIES ON
FRENCHENTREE.COM
medieval villages. Pretty Salavas, to the south, sits with the remains of its château on a promontory on the opposite bank. Architecture and prices are similar to Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. In Lagorce, to the north, some ancient lanes of inset stones, calades, are inaccessible to cars. The village has lots of “caractère et cachet”, says Cyril, adding that prices here may be “un poil moins cher”, a tad cheaper, because it’s not on the Ardèche.
BARJOLS, VAR Our final destination is Barjols in Var, or La Provence Verte, near the Verdon gorges. The village dates back to Roman times and is awash with fountains and washhouses – lavoirs – while nearby swimming spots include Argens in the Vallon Sourn between Correns and Châteauvert. Closest airports are at Toulon and Marseille. Hervé Saussey of Barjols
Immobilier tells me his main market is the sale of modern villas on the outskirts; expect to pay around €450,000 for a 130m2
and no work required. Old stone terraced houses in the village centre rarely have any outside space. If you find one with a tiny garden (jardinet), 100m2
with no work required,
you’ll pay about €250,000. A similar property minus the outside space brings the price down to €130, 000-€140,000. Many houses have been
converted into apartments. Hervé recently sold a one- bedroom place for €82,000. For the investor, there’s a seasonal market for villas and a long-term rental market for apartments for folk working in St-Maximin, Brignoles, Aix or Marseille. He also mentions the nearby village of Cotignac, a smaller version of Barjols, with village houses and villas on the outskirts. It’s much more touristy and property is pricier. These freshwater rivers come
with their own descriptive vocabulary. Useful terms include vivifiant, glacial, ça ravigote (reinvigorates) and the slang but apt se les cailler (to freeze your arse off). Bonne baignade! ■
villa with enclosed pool
sudcevennes.com
gorges-ardeche-pontdarc.fr la-provence-verte.net
€86,500,Ganges, Hérault: With the option of creating a second floor, this one-bedroom town house for renovation has three cellars, garden and terrace (Immobilier Dupin)
€349,000,Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche: Just outside the village centre, this one-storey three- bedroom villa, currently two apartments, would make a great family home (Orpi Pont-d’Arc)
62 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 2024
€179,000, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche: A renovated village- centre stone house with small ground-floor apartment, another with terrace, and a plot with carport (Orpi Pont-d’Arc)
€230,000, St-Alban-Auriolles, Ardèche: In the garrigue, a one-bedroom stone property with south-facing terrace and large mezzanine to convert into second bedroom (Orpi Pont-d’Arc)
© ARG-ADT07S,
A.RENAUD-GOUD-ADT07
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