Bridge House - Spacious Holiday House in Laguépie, near Cordes-sur-Ciel, South West France

About Bridge House

Bridge House is ideal for a couple, a family or a group of friends. This charming property boasts a large family room with custom-made oak french doors to the balcony, three double bedrooms, two bathrooms (one ensuite) and a downstairs cloakroom. 

There’s no private parking at Bridge House but there is plenty in the village, moments from the house.

The house is located at the end of the bridge over the river Viaur, leading into the centre of Laguépie. This is one of two bridges in Laguepie, the other is over the Averyon, that gives its name to the nearby département (county). The two rivers converge in Laguépie, and their bridges are the heart of the village. Getting to the picnic and paddling area on the beach or to the swimming platform on the Viaur is literally only a few paces!

The rear balcony overlooks the best fresh-water swimming and beach scene for miles. The front faces the heart of the lively village with shops, cafés, restaurants, markets and even a mainline railway station with direct connections to Toulouse and Capdenac.

The Accommodation:

The house flows beautifully: it’s spacious with lots of storage. The bedrooms are all doubles, light and airy with comfy beds and good linen. Upstairs there is a lounge that easily converts to a third double bedroom and we also have extra single airbeds. There is a downstairs cloakroom, an upstairs family bathroom with a powerful walk-in shower and an ensuite in the master bedroom with an elegant, double-ended bath with a view to the river and castle.

The kitchen is fully equipped with washing machine, dishwasher, gas hob, electric oven and a good quantity of crockery, cutlery and cooking equipment. Whilst there are restaurants on the doorstep, you can also eat in the house at the large hand-made ash dining table or on the balcony while watching the beach scene.

The house, traditionally French in style, was bought in 2019 by Nick and Tracy, not as a rental property, but as a home. We visit frequently, and much time has been spent refurbishing, renovating and improving it. It’s a bit quirky and not perfect; actually, perfection was not what we were seeking. We wanted to keep its character but add good practical, facilities and make it comfortable. We think it works.

The surrounding Area:

In the 19th century, Laguepie used to be a bustling town with dozens and dozens of shops. Though much reduced, it still has all necessary shopping facilities including a Casino (mini-supermarket), a butcher, two tobacconists, a pharmacy, a newsagent, a RAGT (garden centre and local produce store), an old-fashioned ironmonger and kitchen shop, a hairdresser, a beauty parlour, a post office, a tourist office, a Mairie (town hall) a brocante (junk shop), an estate agent, a boutique ephemere (gift shop), a cash point and an épicerie (grocery) which – happily – is open on a Monday, when French shops are usually shut. There are two bars and several restaurants.

Activities:

There is no better fresh-water in France to bathe in than the Viaur – cool and clean and well regulated – and the public beach is extremely popular at weekends and holiday time in the summer. It’s a good depth – about 1.8 meters – for a long way, and lifeguards watch over the public area. There is shallow access with good swimming up by the campsite, and this is perfect if you have young children. Other good swimming spots on the Viaur are La Vicasse and Lagarde Viaur (near La Chataigneraie, the pancake restaurant) and there’s a nice picnic and paddling spot five kms. up-stream, courtesy of the commune of St Christophe.

The Aveyron is not recommended for swimming before the Viaur tips into it; it gets cleaner once you get into the limestone gorges past St Antonin, where there are some delightful secluded beaches to find – try around Cazals (30 mins drive) – but expect them to busy at weekends. For proper canoeing excursions and days-out, St Antonin de Noble Val is the place with several hire outlets, and there is also Najac for a quieter trip.

Laguepie is a fisherman’s, bather’s, walker’s, cyclist’s and sight-seer’s paradise, especially with the local train facilities – and good for jogging if you have the stamina! Maps and routes are available from the tourist office. The campsite has tennis (8€ at the office), petanque (boules), skittles and mini-golf. We have four tennis racquets, badminton racquets, balls and a set of boules, a yoga mat and meditation cushion. Pony-trekking is also available – ask at the tourist office. For golf, you will have to go to Albi. There are two municipal riverside campsites, one on the Viaur with a restaurant and the other on the Averyon. Both rivers run through the town before joining and continuing as the Averyon (the bigger river). Now the Viaur ceases, so you have to go upstream to discover its delights.

All bars and restaurants have their own particular open and closed periods during the week – you need to check. In high season all will be open; out of season only a selection, and then mainly for lunch, but the two café-bars are open all year round. NB. In France you can get a meal at lunch and supper time, but not in between.