The stone facade of the house, with red shutters and climbing roses

Juvinas · Ardèche

The house in the shade of the lime tree

Mountains as backdrop, the river as soundtrack, and a private pool to make the moment last.

Grounds that
slope down to water

A terraced garden planted with a great variety of trees, a chestnut grove dotted with spots known for mushrooms, an orchard planted with several varieties of fruit trees. A stream crosses the lower part of the grounds, with small cascades through a narrow gorge. And, on the mountainside, a secluded pool cut into the rock.

A gnarled branch of the lime tree, above the table and chairs in the courtyard
The century-old lime tree, in the courtyard

The lime tree

It holds all the shade in the courtyard. A century old, perhaps planted before the house itself : you sit beneath it without thinking, and stay longer than you meant to.

The fountain

Cut into the rock, the spring lets a thin trickle of water run that never stops. The sound is faint, almost a murmur — you have to listen for it, and it stays with you afterwards.

A stone fountain with a continuous trickle of water, surrounded by ivy
The spring, cut into the rock
A small pond with goldfish, surrounded by ferns
The pond, and its fish
A hedge of blue hydrangeas at the foot of a large boulder
The hydrangeas
A path between tall bamboo stalks, leading down through the garden
The bamboo corridor

The bamboo corridor

The garden isn't visited, it's crossed. A corridor of bamboo closes off the light for a moment before releasing it again, further down, to the rest of the slope.

No signs, no arrows. Just spaces that each hide something
— a bench, a hut, a view — for whoever takes the trouble to walk.

Spaces to unwind

Afternoons go by playing table tennis or pétanque, the bicycles wait against the wall for a ride, the deck chairs and the swing for doing nothing at all. In the evening, when the sky clears, out comes the telescope ; the barbecue, carved into the rock, gets used more often than not.

Large concrete spheres used as seating, at the edge of a clearing
Wooden birdhouses set in the trees of the garden
A stone barbecue, carved directly into the rock near the house
The stream, in small cascades

The sound of water

The stream at the bottom of the garden runs down through a small gorge, and joins the Bésorgues, a trout river. Its sound accompanies almost every corner of the garden. In the evening, the terrace lights up ; dinner and breakfast are taken there, and the water keeps running, unseen, just below.

A small wooden hut by the stream, beneath the trees
A hut by the stream
A terrace amid the bamboo, overlooking the stream in its gorge
The terrace overlooks the gorge
The terrace lit with string lights as night falls
Dinner on the terrace, in the evening
The stone and wood path leading down to the pool, between the shrubs
The way down to the pool

Access to the pool

On the mountainside, cut off from everything, with the forest and the Bésorgues valley as its only horizon. The stone path leading there was carved into the mountain.

A view down onto the pool tucked into the greenery, with the forest of the Bésorgues valley beyond
The valley, from the edge of the pool
The wooden deck and the turquoise pool, surrounded by oleanders and pines
The deck, among the oleanders
A close view of the turquoise water of the pool
The water, turquoise in the light
The pool surrounded by greenery, with wooden deck chairs
The deck chairs, shaded by the greenery
The secluded pool surrounded by greenery, with a view over the forest and the valley
Carved into the rock, in the middle of the woods
The pool surrounded by trees in autumn colours
The pool, in the season of colour
A day of rain and wind, in autumn
The pool and its deck covered in snow, the surrounding trees heavy with frost
A day of snow, in winter
The house, tiny and almost invisible amid the forest on the hillside
The house among the chestnut trees
The back terrace of the house, open to the orchard
The house

A stone house,
beside a stream

A former Ardèche clède (a traditional chestnut-drying house), it holds the hillside above the stream that joins the river Bésorgues, in the commune of Juvinas, eight kilometres from Vals-les-Bains. Around it : a sloping garden, a chestnut grove, an orchard, a secluded pool, and silence.

The stone house surrounded by trees, seen from outside the property
A view of the hillside, on arrival

First steps

The path climbs gently up to the threshold of the house. The car is left behind ; silence replaces the engine, and what remains is the water below, the wind in the chestnut trees.

No one overlooking, no one overlooked. The only neighbour is the sound of the stream ; the only horizon, the hillside opposite.

The interior: ochre and terracotta walls, exposed beams, a white staircase
The living room and the staircase

Coming in

Push open the red door and the coolness of the stone strikes you first, then the beams, the smooth floor underfoot, the walls the colour of earth and ochre.

Around the fireplace

A low-ceilinged living room, an open fireplace, a round wooden table. Late-season evenings are spent here, when the valley closes in early and everyone comes back in from the garden.

The living room with its open fireplace, a stone lintel, and red walls
The fireplace

Three bedrooms

Three bedrooms. A white staircase leads up to the one upstairs, under the beams. Another opens directly onto a small terrace, facing the orchard and the Bésorgues valley.

The white wooden staircase leading upstairs
On the way upstairs
The upstairs bedroom, under the beams, with its table football
The upstairs bedroom
A bedroom whose French window opens onto the garden
A view of the garden, from the bedroom
The bedroom on the right
The bedroom on the right
The bedroom on the left, with a view over the main courtyard
Facing the courtyard, the bedroom on the left
The antique wardrobe in the left-hand bedroom
The wardrobe, passed down with the house

The bathroom

Polished concrete, terracotta, blue zellige tiles. A basin set on stone, a walk-in shower open to the light.

The walk-in shower, lime-plastered walls, a Berber rug
The basin and the antique mirror in a black frame, blue earthenware tiles
A French window framed by terracotta walls, open onto the wooded hillside
A view of the hillside, from the downstairs window

The windows

Every window looks out onto a side of the mountain — and yet never the same one: the green shifts, the branches move, the light turns from one hour to the next. You look at them the way you would look at paintings.

Nightfall

You discover it from behind, on the valley side, at the hour when the light fades. Only one window lights up that evening : the rest of the house melts into the stone and the trees.

The back facade of the house lit up at night, surrounded by trees
The house, at night
A garden bench facing the wooded valley, in the morning mist
Toward the valley

The map

An interactive map of places to discover around the house, in the Ardèche

An aerial view of the upper Ardèche valley, from the plateau's mountains down to Aubenas
The house
Hamlet of Champeaux ≈ 1 km On the hillside, along a path through the chestnut grove. View site ↗
The Aizac volcano ≈ 2 km Just steps away, visible from the pool. View site ↗
The Bésorgues 4 km Swimming and canyoning, near the Labastide bridge. View site ↗
The Pissarelle waterfall 6 km On the Bésorgues; the trail is closed by municipal order. View site ↗
Vals-les-Bains 8 km Spa town, and its intermittent spring. View site ↗
The Château de Craux 13 km On its volcanic crater, amid the chestnut trees. View site ↗
Burzet 13 km The village, and the Bourges river running through it. View site ↗
Antraigues-sur-Volane ≈ 9 km The village perched on its lava flow. View site ↗
Aubenas 14 km Castle, narrow streets, and the Saturday morning market. View site ↗
The Château de Ventadour 16 km A fortress restored stone by stone. View site ↗
Jaujac 20 km Fine basalt columns, along the Lignon river. View site ↗
Thueyts 20 km The Devil's Bridge and the Giants' Causeway. View site ↗
The Ray-Pic waterfall 25 km A waterfall amid columns of basalt. View site ↗
Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc 31 km 1,551 m, with the source of the Loire at its foot. View site ↗
Lake Issarlès 46 km A water-filled crater, on the plateau. View site ↗

Aerial view : IGN — Géoplateforme · distances by road

An aerial view of the wooded crater of the former Aizac volcano
The Aizac crater, from above

The Aizac volcano

The forest has covered the volcanic cone, but its hollow shape can still be made out from the sky. It can be seen from the pool, less than two kilometres away. At its foot, the village of Aizac ; on the square, a domed fountain reminds anyone who looks at it where the place came from.

The Bésorgues

It's the river of the valley, the one that gives its name to everything else. Near Labastide it narrows between rock slabs : a series of small cascades and pools deep enough to dive into. You can simply go down and swim near the bridge, four kilometres away ; or explore it by canyoning, from the outfitter based in the village. It's also a trout river.

A small waterfall on the Bésorgues falling into a green pool, between slabs of granite
A pool in the Bésorgues canyon
The Ray-Pic waterfall falling in two streams down a wall of basalt
The Ray-Pic, amid the basalt

The Ray-Pic waterfall

At a thousand metres of altitude, the Bourges river falls through a flow of basalt that solidified there thousands of years ago. The site has been a protected landmark since 1931. Leave the car by the D 215, above Péreyres, and a path leads down to the viewpoint in a quarter of an hour. Twenty-five kilometres of road, almost all of it bends : it's a day trip, not an end-of-afternoon outing.

The basalt columns at Ray-Pic, beside the waterfall
The basalt columns, at the foot of the waterfall
The Bourges river tumbling over a rocky step in the middle of the forest, downstream from Burzet
The Bourges, downstream from Burzet

Everywhere the same story, told twice :
fire laid down the stone, water took it back.

The spa town, eight kilometres away

You can drink the water rising straight from the ground, free of charge, right in the centre of Vals-les-Bains, eight kilometres away. But the moment not to be missed is the Intermittente : a spring that erupts on its own, twice a day, since its discovery in 1865. Carbon dioxide pressure alone sends it up — fifty centimetres, sometimes several metres, never quite predictable in advance. At 11 h and 19 h from April to October, at 10 h and 18 h the rest of the year.

The jet of the intermittent spring at Vals-les-Bains, rising from its stone basin
The intermittent spring, at Vals-les-Bains
The village of Antraigues-sur-Volane perched atop its wooded outcrop
Antraigues, set upon its lava flow

The village of Jean Ferrat

Perched on the end of a lava flow, above the confluence, the village of Antraigues drew artists as early as the 1960s — among them Jean Ferrat, who settled there for good and served as deputy mayor for culture. People climb up for its shaded square, and come back down for the view.

A little further

Under an hour's drive

  • A waterfall on the Bésorgues falling into a pool of clear water, between rock walls

    The Pissarelle waterfall

    6 km

    On the Bésorgues, upstream from the house : a beautiful waterfall and its pool of clear water, starting out from Aizac. The access trail is currently closed by municipal order (risk of falling rocks) — worth checking before setting out.

  • The Château de Craux and its large round tower, at Genestelle

    The Château de Craux

    13 km

    Set at 811 metres on its volcanic crater, amid the chestnut trees. The inside isn't open to visitors, but you can picnic under the trees, and the farm sells its cheeses in season.

  • The Château d'Aubenas with its pointed-roofed towers, on the square of the old town centre

    Aubenas

    14 km

    The nearest town : a castle on its spur, sloping lanes, and a Saturday morning market that spreads across the square all the way to the covered hall.

  • The Ventadour fortress standing on its rocky spur, at Meyras

    The Château de Ventadour

    16 km

    A fortress standing at the confluence of the Ardèche and the Fontaulière, rebuilt stone by stone by volunteers, and open to visitors.

  • The Devil's Bridge, a stone arch over the Ardèche, at Thueyts

    Thueyts

    20 km

    Twenty metres above the Ardèche, the Devil's Bridge spans the river. Below, the Giants' Causeway : a flow of basalt that descends in steps to the water.

  • A wall of prismatic basalt columns beside the Lignon, at Jaujac

    Jaujac

    20 km

    Prismatic basalt flows counted among the finest in Europe line the Lignon. Their source, the Coupe de Jaujac crater, can be reached on foot from the village.

  • The Château de Vogüé overlooking the village and the Ardèche, where swimmers enjoy the river

    Vogüé

    20 km

    One of the most beautiful villages in France, nestled beneath its medieval castle. The pebble beach, below the bridge, is also a starting point for paddling down the Ardèche by canoe, as far as Balazuc, Ruoms, or further still.

  • The ruins of the feudal village of Rochecolombe, seen from the sky

    Rochecolombe

    22 km

    On a spur above the Vendoule stream stand the ruins of a feudal village, dominated by a 12th-century keep.

  • The village of Balazuc perched on its cliff above the Ardèche

    Balazuc

    23 km

    Perched on a cliff above the Ardèche, a maze of cobbled lanes, vaulted passageways and stairs cut into the rock. The village, entirely car-free, can only be explored on foot.

  • The houses of Labeaume built directly into the cliff, beside the Beaume river

    Labeaume

    29 km

    Set against the limestone cliff, between the gorges of the Beaume and its terraced hanging gardens. Narrow lanes and vaulted passageways, along the river.

  • The rocky dome of Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc, covered in phonolite scree

    Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc

    31 km

    At 1,551 metres, this dome of phonolite marks the source of the Loire. The marked trail takes half an hour to climb — best avoided on rainy days, when the rock turns slippery.

  • The limestone cliffs of the Cirque de Gens overlooking the Ardèche, near Ruoms

    The Cirque de Gens

    36 km

    Near Ruoms, the Ardèche has carved hundred-metre limestone cliffs at the entrance to the Défilés gorge. A major climbing destination in France, the site also lends itself to a fine walk along the water.

Setting off on foot

Nothing is simpler than walking : several hikes start at the bottom of the path, or from the pool. The shortest ones follow the stream ; others climb to the Aizac pass, then to the Casse-Noix rock, at 854 metres, through chestnut groves and hamlets. From the pool, a long-distance trail crosses the forest to the hamlet of Champeaux or the small village of Les Roches — about two hours' walk.

The terrace at dusk, string lights, a set table and a bench facing the stone house
Staying

A few things
to know beforehand

The house is rented seasonally, preferably by the week, in a quiet valley, away from the road. Nothing complicated : you need a car to get there. Here, simply, is what's useful to know before and during the stay.

Before your stay

Access
A car is essential and will use the parking area provided halfway up the slope ; the last 50m stretch is on foot, along a grassy path.
Capacity
5 people, 3 bedrooms (5 beds), 1 bathroom, 95 m².
Arrival and departure
Arrival between 14 h and 17 h, departure before 10 h.
Welcome
Laurence and Francis live in Nîmes but arrange to be present on arrival.
Rental
Seasonal rental, preferably by the week. Bed linen provided.

Once you're there

The pool
Depth 1,60 m. An adult must be present for young children swimming.
The barbecue
Strict fire regulations apply in summer : please check before use.
Pets
Allowed.
Cleaning
The responsibility of guests at the end of the stay.
Comfort
Equipped kitchen (dishwasher, washing machine, oven, induction hob, microwave), fireplace, heating, television, DVD player.
Connection
Wifi internet access.

Rates and terms

Utilities
Water and electricity included, excluding tourist tax (1,11 € / night / adult).
Beyond 4 people
30 € / week / additional person.
EV charging
A heavy-duty outlet is available ; usage is billed at the end of the stay (0,40 € / kWh).
Payment
Cheque, bank transfer, or cash.
Registration
Registered tourist accommodation no. 07111 000005 HB.

Availability and rates can be found in the listing : view the rental on Amivac

Photographs of the surrounding area : Bésorgues © dronepicr · Ray-Pic © Binnette et Ronny · Burzet © FredSeiller · Vals-les-Bains © Marianne Casamance · Antraigues © Patrice78500 · Thueyts © Andreas Eichler · Jaujac © Mossot · Craux © Riffard · Ventadour © Celeda · Gerbier-de-Jonc © John Samuel · Aubenas © Calips · Vogüé © Superbass · Balazuc © chris · Rochecolombe © Veronimot · Labeaume © Patrice78500 · Bésorgues (upstream) © Sk8-608 · Cirque de Gens © Besenbinder — via Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons licenses or public domain.