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The Butterfly Gîte

- a holiday cottage for naturalists in Ariège, Pyrénées

Details of the Butterfly Gîte - the hamlet of Les Abères

The gite is in the hamlet of Les Abères: built in the second half of the 19th century and occupied at that time by farming families and those working in the nearby silver mine. The cottage is semi-detached from a house occupied by the only farmer in the hamlet (he breeds cows and makes hay by traditional methods). The neighbouring house on the other side of the cottage is occupied by Mark and Marianne (he is English, she is French). Mark looks after the Butterfly Gite and will show you around when you arrive.

The Gite entrance

The gite is on three floors: the lower one being a single large living room/kitchen.

Because the house is built into the side of the hill, the middle floor also has a door to the outside and has two bedrooms (one with single bed, the other with two single beds), the bathroom and separate WC

The upper floor is under the eaves and has sloping ceilings. It has one large bedroom (double bed plus single bed) with a landing bedroom (two single beds) between it and the staircase.

View from a window

The Living Room

Traditional french dining table with benches for 3 each side and a chair at each end.

There is also a four-person table which is usually kept in teh garden and an additional trestle table that is stored away when not needed

Cooking is with an oven with four rings for saucepans which burns bottled gas (included in your rental). There is also a wood-burning stove that can be used for simmering cooking pots, an electric kettle and a coffee maker.

There is a double sink with hot and cold taps, a large fridge and a separate small freezer

Hot water is heated automatically when a hot water tap is turned on by the gas heater above the sink (gas included in rent)

There is plenty of crockery, cutlery, glasses and cooking utensils for eight people

A settee and two armchairs and a book case with local-interst, history & tourist books are close to the fireplace (wood-buring stove). Wood is not included in the rental: fallen logs cab be colleted from the forests or firewood bought from local suppliers (ask Mark)

Cupboards, drawers, vegetable & wine racks provide storage for food, spare light-bulbs etc

"Blue" bedroom

Two single beds that can be put together as a large double or made into bunk beds. There is a book case and toy-chest with childrens toys and books plus a dressing table and chest of drawers

"Red" bedroom

One traditional French style single bed, two cabinets, small wardrobe and American organ. Basket with walking sticks, store of butterfly nets, sweeping net and beating tray

Bathroom

Full-sized bath with shower, hand-basin, washing machine, linen basket, electric shaver point

Toilet

Landing area

Writing desk, storage cuboard for bed-linen and out-door clothes. Relief map of Ariège. Bookcase with Collin's type field guides for all groups of plants and animals (most in English, some in French) and complete set of maps for Ariège (1:25,000) and at small scales for the surrounding areas

Master bedroom

Double bed, single bed, writing desk with drawers, chest of drawers, dressing table, computer (Windows, not connected to internet), study bench with stored moth trap, microscope etc

Landing bedroom

Two single beds with bedside shelves & storage racks. Storage chest, collection of (French) magazines on local history & natural history. Walk-in cupboard storing vacuum cleaner, portable (Heath) moth trap, small mammal traps etc