Reduced! only 50m from Canal du Midi - 1 Bed Stone Cottage W/ Shared Mooring

Property Description

Unique, well appointed and centrally located cottage close to Toulouse, Beziers & Carcassonne Airports. Barcelona 2.5 hrs by train, Mediterranean beaches 40 mins. The medieval city of Carcassonne is a mere 10 minute drive away. This super little property offers a glimpse into authentic, rural French life as well as offering life on the water with use of a canal mooring just footsteps away.

Located in the old wine Domaine of Millepetit, surrounded by vineyards, olive & almond groves. A 1 min walk across the old stone bridge takes you to the Canal du Midi tow path ideal for walking, cycling & birdwatching and an easy walk/ cycle into the canal port of Trèbes with supermarkets, banks, bakers & pharmacies; Dr/dentist, indoor swimming pool; sports centre, fishing lake & shops. There are several restaurants, wine bars & a tourist office.

The friendly hamlet is home to 20+ French and English residents, an 18C Chateau & tower and a cookery school run by a wonderful English couple.

There is a large barn (formerly the wine co-operative) which is operated as a market garden. Asparagus, artichokes, cherries, melons and a whole range of fruit and vegetables are available direct from the farm.

Part of the original horse stables, the cottage is sold with its own title and fully furnished. It has a pretty ground floor kitchen (3.9m x 3.8m) with plenty of storage; fridge/freezer, washing machine, gas (bottled) oven & hob, plus space for a dishwasher. Electric hot water system; heating via electric radiators in winter. The bathroom (1.3m x 2.1m) is adjacent to the kitchen with a modern large shower and under basin storage.

The polished wooden stairwell leads to the 1st floor light & airy double bedroom (2.7m x 3.7m) with views towards the Alaric mountains. The 1st floor lounge (2.8m x 2.9m) has satellite TV and excellent Wi-fi. The lounge accommodates additional guests on a small sofa bed and leads onto a sunny private walled courtyard (3.2 m x 3.6 m). The peaceful courtyard has sun loungers, table and chairs and a BBQ.

Parking for 1 car is directly outside the property with additional overflow parking at the back of the properties. The road outside the cottages is a bit bumpy so low suspension cars may struggle a little.

There are seating areas & terraces overlooking the Canal. There is also a herb garden for general use on Canal authority land. The mooring was previously used by previous owners to moor their boat. Maximum length 15mtrs. Mooring is free to use. The Cookery School in the hamlet use it at times for guests to moor their boats for a cookery class.

Millepetit is a working farm so tractors and farm vehicles come and go on a regular basis. During harvest, vendange machines are a regular sight, both day and night, but the bottled rewards are worth it! The vineyards of Lézignan-Corbières and the Minervois are within a 15 min drive or an easy cycle.

Millepetit comes under the commune of the busy Canal port of Trèbes which is a 3.3 km drive (or a 40 min walk or a 10 min cycle). The port area has the Canal triple lock as well as local olive oil & jams produced here by 2 local artisans.

The cottage has been operated as a profitable gite business for 4 years by the previous owners. We have chosen not to run it as a gite, however.

Information from the previous owners show the gite being rented from Easter to October to tourists (turnover c€10-12K per summer. Accounts are available - an additional c€2.5K could be made if you choose to rent it full time to locals in winter. The nearby Carcassonne hospital is a good source of winter tenants.

Running costs from 2017 pa: Foncieres tax: 549€, Habitation tax: 342€, TV Licence: 138€, Shared septic tank service & pump: 88€, Water: 102€ (summer let), Electricity: 300€ (summer let), SFR Wi-fi & landline €35 per month (currently not connected).