La Clede de Colombieres
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You are staying with
Usually responds within 4 hours.
The house
The clède (1-2 people), is the smaller of our two small cottages. The old cafe of Colombieres is the larger cottage.
A small, two-storey stone building, once used to store and dry the chestnuts gathered locally by smoking them, the clède has been lovingly restored and converted into a small cottage. It offers a comfortable place to stay for 1 to 2 people for a single night, a weekend, a week or longer.
Downstairs, the bathroom equipped with a shower also has a washing machine. Upstairs there is a fully-equipped kitchen, a small dining table and a sofa bed. On chilly nights the clède can be heated with the wood stove. In season the swimming pool can be used, BBQ is possible but severely limited by local regulations particularly in summer time.
The large window offers a magnificent view of the valley and outside there is an area to sit and enjoy your quiet surroundings in the shade of the old chestnut tree.
General
- Parking and separate access road
- Bed linen and towels
- Cleaning
- Renting, gite, table d’hotes
Both cottages offer preferential mid-week, weekend and full-week tariffs. In season the swimming pool is available. Although the cottages are fully equipped to be self-catering, if desired table d’hotes options can be arranged for breakfast, half board or full board. Depending on availability, croissants, bread and some local fresh fruit or preserves can be obtained on site. The local village shop (5 km away) has some more groceries available, as does the seasonal local market on Wednesdays. The village also sports a restaurant and post-office.
Registration code
(RP)
Facilities
- Independent
- No smoking
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Pets welcome
- Table d'hôtes
Availability of 'La Clede de Colombieres'
Surroundings
Click on image to open an interactive map
Nestled in a forgotten valley of the Cevennes lies Colombières. A former silk farm (magnanerie) named after the dovecote that once stood here in the forest, some 5 km from the village of St-Martin-de-Boubaux. The house was built in various stages, with newer parts re-using stones from previous constructions. The oldest part dates back to the 12th century. The silk farm was built in the late 18th century and it continued to operate until the 1970s.
The main house and two small outbuildings are all made of the local slate stone, built using the traditional dry building method, without cement or mortar to stick the stones together. The outside is then traditionally jointed using a mixture containing the local sand. Stone has been combined with slate floors All the joinery has been made using local chestnut wood.
Colombières is just over thirty minutes from Alès or one hour from the centre of Nimes (the nearest TGV station) by car. The nearest (international) airport is a 75-minute drive. It is located near to several short and long-distance hiking routes and is the ideal base to discover the beautiful Cevennes or the Rhone valley vineyards. Robert Louis Stephenson famously described the Cevennes in his book Travels with my Donkey. Since then the area has become deserted following WWI and urbanisation. It is amongst the most thinly populated areas of France. Traces of human habitation abound in large swathes of land reconquered by the forests, home to abundant wildlife.
- Mountainous
- Hilly
- Meadows and woodland
Reviews
La Clede de Colombieres has received 2 reviews over the past 4 years with an average of:
Leni Morrison from Matlock Canada,
Heel rustig en heel apart met een mooi landschap .
Precies wat we zochten, Patricia onze gastvrouw was heel behulpzaam
liet ons meegenieten van haar eigendom dat zo uniek was.Huub en Paula from Eindhoven,
Prachtig! Het uitzicht, de wind door de bomen, de rust, het zwembad, de charmante gite! Gastvrije ontvangst.
Even de drukke wereld uit.
Kronkelwegen maken het avontuurlijk en dat éven een boodschapje doen tijd kost.
Je loopt zo de prachtige bossen in en kunt vanuit hier ook prima naar Pont du Gard, Nimes, Florac en de Cascade de Runes. Formidable.
Restaurants, food & wine
The local wine is notorious as having been the subject of a ban by the French government in the 1920ies - however not far away are the vineyards of Cotes du Rhone, Costieres de Nimes, Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueras and all the other well known Rhone valley appellations. The municipality sports two restaurants, one is in the village open more or less 3 days a week depending on the mood of the innkeeper. Its food is nice local and enjoyable. A bit further is the Lou Raiol perched on the Pendedis mountain which is a very famous location for the local people and the restaurant of choice for them on Sunday lunch. The food is wholesome, abundant and utterly french - far away from the fad of nouvelle cuisine that restaurant is there to feed you and feed you well.
The local market on Wednesdays, as well as the somewhat larger market in nearby La Grande Combe is the source of wonderful local produce. The Colombieres farm also produces some small amounts of produce like vegetables, fruits and preservers as well as abundant rosemary and other herbs. Cooking your own things is very much the local tradition and restaurants like shops are very few and very far between.
Activities
Activities
Nature is the area’s main attraction with many hiking routes for both the seasoned hiker and somewhat experienced amateur. The local river has a communal swimming area under the ancient Fage bridge. Ancient villages surround the area, each with their local charm and history. Of note are Saint Germain de Calberte and the towns along the Vallee Française. Further north are the world heritage Causses and Cevennes but mostly what you will find is peace and quiet.
- Near hiking trails
Further remarks
Do not come here if you expect massive amounts of activities and sites to see, they exist but the area is above all a beautiful natural location where humans have gradually abandonned the area and forests, animals and the tooth of time is grinding down mans footprint on the area. Where once every valley sported multiple inhabited farms and the 1888 census reported 2000 souls in the community now we are less than 200. Hiking is de rigueur but even then you will need some own transport to get to the start of certain trails or be dropped off - public transport is completely absent except for taxis which come at a premium. The area is known to be one of Europe's rare darkspots - i.e. an area where no external night lights are on visible it is said from space,. so as you might expect after the sun sets it is pitch black unless there is a moon. Some people find the quiet and lack of noise apart from the odd animal disconcerting, others go back to the big cities realising how noisy they are.
Additional price info and offers
Contact us for table d'hotes or if you want to buy produce from Colombieres.
Please note it is habitual to clean your gite before you leave and take your trash and glass with you.
Price includes
Towels, Bed linen
Price exclusive
- Cleaning fee (optional) € 50.00