Our stone-built village house in Estagel, Pyrénées-Orientales, France is available for holiday rentals from 5th July to 11th October 2008. Longer term lets are available off season in 2009 and all enquiries are welcome either via email, contact@estagel.co.uk or by calling Luke on 07 949 369 378. (If calling from outside the UK please dial +44 7 949 369 378.)

The house is an ideal base for exploring the splendours of the Pyrenees Mountains, the rugged beauty of the Corbierres, Fitou and Rousillion wines (some of the best of the later are produced in Estagel and the surrounding villages,) castles and abbeys left in the wake of the power struggle between Catalonia and France and a peaceful refuge after a day at the beach. It sleeps six to eight and is in the heart of the old walled town in the little Catalan village of Estagel.

The village was once just inside the Spanish border and is still a trading post for outlying villages. Estagel produces nothing but wine and lies in the Appelation d'Origine Controle of Cotes de Roussillon Villages and Muscat de Rivesaltes. Our half dozen independent winemakers are blessed with long hot summers, well drained, hard soils and knowledge stretching back generations.

The département of the Pyrénées-Orientales is slowly waking up to tourism and describes itself as "Between the Sea and the Mountains." Even that seems an understatement when you consider that there are not only the glories of the lush Pyrenees mountains to walk in and the warm Mediterranean to swim in but dramatic cathar castles, hot springs, river bathing, wine tasting, Catalan as well as French cuisine and Barcelona is just over the border. Can you see why we like it?!