The House — Chateau Pélat

About Pélat

The basics

House: Chateau Pélat is a family-owned 12th century Chateau in the Gascony region of France, set on its own vineyard. The Chateau lies within a 20 minute walk to the nearby village of Jegun and looks out over rolling hills.

Bedrooms: The house sleeps 10 adults comfortably, plus six children. The main house sleeps 8, and the petit Bergerie sleeps two (all have Queen beds). There are two summer rooms with single beds for children, called the Owl room and Tower room (photos to follow at the bottom of the page).

Amenities: A large swimming pool, tennis court, ping pong table, many landscaped nooks for having a cocktail or enjoying a cappuccino. Every bedroom has a desk for working (we have Wi-Fi).

The grounds

As you wind your way through the quiet roads of the ancient ‘bastide’ village of Jegun, you may wonder what you will find when you arrive… and you will not be disappointed. First you’ll glimpse a group of solid stone buidlings set amongst trees at the end of a long track. These glimpses resolve into the old gatehouse with its wide carriage doors, the long perimeter wall and beyond this the windows and round staircase tower of the Chateau itself.

The track takes you under trees and round the side of the attractive old wine-making buildings, up to the massive double wooden doors of the main entrance into the walled garden in front of the Chateau. As you enter here, you will find immediately on your right the original Round Tower and set into this, the massive oak entrance door with its old iron knocker. Beyond this is a charming, small East-facing terrace – perfect for morning tea or outdoor breakfast.

The property has stunning views that extend across the rolling hills of Gascony - on a clear day, as far as the Pyrenees mountains about two hours’ drive to the South. The house and connected buildings are beautifully sited around a large walled garden with lawns and trees, offering lots of sitting areas in sun and shade. On the far side of the garden from the house, stone steps wind down to the pool and tennis court, both well sited on a lower, sheltered terrace.

The 40 acres of grounds include places for eating, drinks, games, walks, sitting and reading – or simply enjoying the fabulous views. Pélat has its own vineyard, and you will have an opportunity to taste the wine of ‘Chateau Pélat’ – another way for you to enjoy this truly wonderful and unique country house in Gascony.

The interior

Pélat sleeps 10 adults in great comfort, or a group of 16 with teenagers and children in the (summer only) Tower and Owl rooms.

The main building has three elegant and very comfortable double bedrooms, a twin room with two single beds often used by children (but fine for anybody else), two en suite bathrooms (one with a shower) a large, beautiful separate bathroom with a freestanding bath, and an additional toilet. All of these are on the first floor.

There are additional bedrooms in the outer buildings (the Bergerie, the Tower and the Owl Room, named for a (former!) resident). Together these can sleep a further eight people.

The Bergerie is a freestanding apartment with a double bed, its own fireplace and bathroom with shower. If you’re writing your novel, it also features a desk with an extraordinary view over the hills.

The ground floor comprises the Grand Salon, the Petit Salon and the well equipped kitchen, all of which have many original medieval features.

The Grand Salon is a particularly impressive and attractive room which includes the large dining table and has the original three metres wide working fireplace (that you can walk into!) as well as three very large sofas that make for an extremely comfortable and relaxed space.

If you want a bit of peace from your friends or loved ones, the Petit Salon is the perfect spot to curl up with a book or watch a movie - with additional seating, a well-stocked library and TV.