Published in French Property News in October 2004

Gently Does It

The Béarn is a palette of greens – tree covered mountains, grass covered hills and green summer fields of corn and vines. Golden Jurançon, red Madiran, black slate roofs, grey stone churches, blue-green gaves and blue skies, add to the picture. There are ancient castles and monuments, bucolic villages, and bourgeois chateaux. The peaks of the Pyrenees form a constant backdrop. Pau, at once grand, picturesque, commercial and modern completes the picture.

There is an airport at Pau, with flights from Stanstead with Ryan Air. The Atlantic resort of Biarrtiz and its airport (again with links to Stanstead with Ryan Air) is 120km from Pau, and only 70km from Salies-de-Béarn in the west of the area. There are six ski resorts.

The climate throughout the Béarn is relatively stable with moderate winters (except in the high mountains) and moderate autumns, rainy late springs / early winter’s and warm summers. There isn’t much wind.

Béarn, is now part of department 64, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, but was once an independent state. During the fourteenth century one of Béarn’s most celebrated figures, Gaston Febus, the shrewd, powerful prince of Béarn and Foix, kept a sophisticated court at Orthez. There isn’t much remaining of the castle today except the Moncade tower, 33 metres high with 141 steps leading to a superb view of Orthez and its surrounding green hills and trees. Another vestige of Febus’s time is a superb fortified bridge across the gave de Pau. Béarn remained an independent state until 1620. Béarnaise is still spoken today.

Pascal Candau at GM Immobilier says that the British are increasingly buying in the Béarn. The movement to South West France began with the Dordogne and is now spreading south to the departments along the Pyrenees. British buyers are attracted to the older, character properties and the relaxed, rural environment, where they feel they can leave the door unlocked.

With regard to house prices in the Béarn Mr Candau confirms that they are in general lower than in the Pays Basque. However, he estimates that in the past five years prices have risen 20-25%. Thierry Etcheverry at Agence Mercure, which specialises in properties over 300,000€, says that in his sector of the market prices have risen 30-40% in the same period. He predicts that properties at or around the 300,000€ mark will continue to go up in price, because the demand is there, especially for places to renovate. However, the prices for the big properties are likely to stabilise.

There are many farms available for renovation. In the north east corner, near the Madiran and Pacherenc vineyards, there are some charming old properties with outbuildings which can be converted into gîtes for around 200,000€. However there might be a considerable cost involved in renovating them to the original style. There are also some beautiful big old properties in this area. Agence Mercure has a sixteenth century manor house full of original features, with 320m2 living space, 4 bedrooms, a large living room with chimney, planned kitchen, a lounge, an outbuilding of 130m2, two hectares of land and lovely views of the Pyrenees, for 742,000€. The main renovation has been done but some work still needs doing inside.

In the north west corner, around Orthez and towards Landes you would have a reasonable choice of 3-4 bedroom character properties in good condition with some land for under 280,000€. GM Immobilier has a house five minutes from Puyoo with 3 bedrooms, 100m2 living space, 1.6 hectares of land, in a calm spot and in need of some work, for 163,000€.

Mr Etcheverry says that properties he deals with around Salies-de-Bearn, west of Orthez, tend to be relatively expensive. There is a high demand for his properties there from British and French buyers looking to retire, partly because of the proximity to the coast, about 45 minutes away. He has an eighteenth century maison de maitre with 250m2 living space, 5 bedrooms, a living room and a lounge, both with chimneys, a big kitchen, two barns on two levels and a garden of 2670m2, for 480,000€. The house is generally in good condition but some work needs doing inside.

Pau, an economically dynamic town, is the most expensive part of the department. One of the higher cost parts of Pau is the Boulevard des Pyrénées, a 1.5km promenade with a breathtaking view of the mountains. A recent article in the French economic journal Capital quoted the price of a 90m2, three room apartment located there as 201,000€. At one end of the Boulevard is the enormous Loire-like chateau where Béarn’s favourite son and monarch, Henri IV, was baptised with Jurançon wine and a clove of garlic. The rest of the impressive walk goes past some very grand buildings and into an alley-way of palm trees. Thereafter the mansions turn into smart, modern apartment blocks leading to the casino.

Under the palms are a couple of Irish and Australian bars. In fact, Pau has long been associated with Anglophones. In the mid nineteenth century a Scottish doctor named Taylor wrote a book called The Curative Influence Of The Climate of Pau and soon Pau became a favourite spot for British travellers. The first golf course on the continent was built here. Walking around today you still hear a lot of English voices.

Alan Hill of agency Agetim says that some British people living around Pau work at the gas field at nearby Lacq. He adds that the price of properties around the town remain relatively high within commuting distance and British buyers here compete with the French for properties on offer. Mr Candau suggests that given the economic health of the town investment in a commercial property, such as a restaurant, might prove profitable.

Mr Hill says that British buyers often ask about properties around Oloran Sainte Marie, the gateway to one of the two big Pyrenean valleys, the Vallée d’Aspe (the other is the Vallée d’Ossau). This bustling town, full of character, is the oldest in Béarn and the capital of the Basque beret. There are fascinating river banks, narrow steep streets and old, sometimes mouldering, houses.

If you buy the right kind of gîte/chambres d’hôte in this area you can create a decent business. Mr and Mrs Near-Crouch at Château d’Agnos, 2km south of Oloron, are selling their sixteenth – seventeenth century château which they are currently running as a 10 bedroom guest house with three modern and very neat gîtes. Heather Near-Crouch admits that the business has helped finance a comfortable life style. They bought the property in 1996 and have completely restored and renovated it whilst maintaining the original architectural features. The result is a beautiful house which guests come back to time and again.

Heather admits that the château itself has attracted guests to the property, fascinated by the grandeur and history of the house, once used as a hunting lodge by Francois I. Also, being in a beautiful spot by the mountains has helped. During the summer people come to see the area, fish, walk and enjoy other mountain sports. They also stop over on the way to Spain. She says that by advertising properly, full occupancy can almost be assured during high season. Winter guests tend to be house buyers looking around the area, waiting to complete, or waiting for renovations to be finished. Other guests include business people who prefer the individually designed rooms at the château to a hotel in town and like the idea of being in the countryside. People don’t tend to come for skiing but may take a day or two out to go up to the slopes, about 45 minutes away.

The roof currently needs repairing but Heather and her husband are busy putting it to rights before they sell. The asking price is 1,380,000€ and is being sold through Mr Candau.

They don’t intend to move far. They both enjoy living in the Béarn and intend to keep letting out rooms but are scaling down business to gîtes only.

The mountains start just south of Agnos. Tree and grass covered slopes meet the road at Arros. By Sarrance the green robe is split by sharp grey escarpments and rock faces. Sarrance is a picturesque mountain village, strung out along the N134 with stone and white Bearnaise houses, black roofs and palm trees in the gardens. The road continues to the tunnel du Somport, leading into Spain. The high vallée d’Aspe and vallée d’Ossau form part of the Parc National des Pyrénées, home to many species of endemic flowers, izards, vultures and even several bears.

Couleurs de France is a property consultancy business based near Toulouse with an in-depth knowledge of the property market throughout South West France. The company offers a range of services for house hunters including free property search and assistance in organising house buying trips. If you want help finding or buying a property in the Béarn or elsewhere in the region refer to website www.couleurs-de-france.com , or telephone English speaking staff on 0871 210 6550 or +33 561 095 439.

The Béarn is as close as reality gets to a rural idyll, with just enough of a kick from Pau to keep things ticking along. If that’s what you’re after the Béarn’s for you.