Modern Provencal Style South-Facing Lock-up-and-Leave House with Pool, Close to Thriving Village

Property Description

Summary
This 2 bedroom 2 bathroom, south facing house was built in 1999-2000 and is very well insulated, hence it is comfortable to live in both in summer and winter and is economical to run. Habitable surface 95.83 m2 - 1031.5 ft 2
The house is in good condition. It has a deep covered terrace on three sides allowing shade for outdoor living even on hot days. For additional shade you can extend a motorised awning. It is located within the popular village of Vers Pont du Gard, close to the World Heritage site of the same name. This area is famous for vineyards, olives, cherries, figs, asparagus, special Oignons de Vers - and for its history dating back to the Romans.

Location
The village of Vers Pont du Gard is located about halfway between the beautiful Papal city of Avignon and the ancient Roman town of Nîmes. Its closest town, Uzès, a Duchy since AD1088, is a medieval gem (12km /7.4 miles). It has many shops, restaurants and bars, a cathedral and chateau, a famous Saturday artisans’ market and very much more. We have a brand-new concert / theatre/ conference hall in Uzès called l'Ombrière, with free parking. There is a good programme of events for young and old.


Vers Pont du Gard was founded around the 1st century by the Romans who used nearby golden stone to build the celebrated 50 km long (31 miles) Pont du Gard aqueduct over the River Gardon, carrying water from the River Alzon in Uzès to its armies stationed in Nîmes. The village still has as least two working stone quarries, one of which also dates from 1st century AD. The village prospered thanks to these quarries and three springs which allowed for the provision of two lavoirs/ washhouses and a fountain, the most recent of which (built 1882) stands in the marketplace. This is a beautiful space shaded by ancient plane trees; the Place au Platanes is the hub of numerous village activities, especially in the summer. Patricia sells her fruit and vegetables here twice weekly and the busy Saturday market here is a delight. Choose from high quality speciality cheeses, fish, meats, vegetables, Asian street food specialities and more, then relax with un verre in the bar alongside. Concerts often overflow into the Place from La Grange, a bar/ restaurant which often hosts live music. We also love Le Versois bar and restaurant, whose tables are placed beneath an ancient square shaded by an old olive tree, next to the Tour de l’Horloge, the last vestige of the ancient Roman fortifications. If you are enjoying a chat over coffee at 12 noon, well, you will have to stop for the chimes! The Angelus in the 12th century Saint Pierre church also rings 10 minutes before to warn you of noon approaching in case you are out working in the vineyards. In France you definitely must not miss your lunch. The Place is also used for the twice annual Bull festival / Fête votive. Bulls are released into some of the well fenced-off streets while heroic youths attempt to snatch scarves from their horns, on horseback or on foot. In summer, festivities often continue late into the balmy evenings while children run about and play with each other safely. These fêtes feature the famous white Camargue horses. Summer brings numerous night markets where local producers sell their wine, olive oil and other produce. You can take a horse and carriage to explore the neighbouring villages on several days per week. Outside this village but within 12km (8 miles) you can find respected restaurants in Uzès, Saint Quentin-la -Poterie, St Maximin and Saint Siffret. There are too many fascinating historic sites to list. Apart from the towns mentioned above, St Bonnet Du Gard has a 9th Century church located on the ancient Salt Road. At St Rémy-de-Provence is the ancient Roman city of Glanum. Local chateaux still show the influence of the 12th century Knights Templar and the 16th century religious wars. Evidence of the now defunct 19th century silk industry can be seen everywhere.

Uzès golf club has 9 holes and there is an 18-hole course in Vacquerolles (30km, 18.6 miles). In Nîmes you will find an 18-hole course on an historic estate (35 km from Uzès, 22 miles).

This village is thriving; in 2023 the beautiful new local Vers stone Scolaire la Romaine opened with its three nursery and five primary classes. (Older children take the bus to Uzès). A few years ago saw the new boulangerie and a wonderfully well stocked mini supermarket-cum-book shop built to replace the old ones in the cramped narrow ‘high’ street. There are also beauty salons, a hairdresser, an épicerie, laundry service, Post Office and other commercial enterprises. We have a sports arena for football, rugby, and basketball plus tennis courts. The sports hall is used for Pilates and Yoga classes and more. There is also a village Hall, la Maison de Pierre where various activities take place.

The new pharmacy is located outside the main village; however, the helpful staff will deliver medication to your home. You can opt to have your ‘flu injections here should you wish it. We have a general medical practice office and an orthodontist, while dentists, ophthalmologists, and numerous other medical services are available in Uzès, Nîmes, Avignon and Bagnols sur Cèze. A brand-new swimming pool is under construction in Uzès, opening soon. A recent addition to cultural life in Uzès is l’Ombrière which holds events including concerts, theatre, stand-up and conferences, all with free parking. Both Nîmes and Avignon have Opera and Ballet houses. Uzès has a cinema which shows an international programme of films and sometimes holds discussion nights with the auteurs themselves. It also shows the live output of the Metropolitan Opera of New York in a comprehensive programme each year.

The Camargue National Park has wetlands, salt flats, canals, flamingos, wild horses and bulls; great walks and cycling as it is very flat (70 km (43 miles). The Luberon Regional National Park is famous for its lavender fields, hilltop villages and is also great for cycling. The Parc National de Calanques is very beautiful, on the coast at Marseille. It has fine beaches with a turquoise sea and numerous rocky coves. Here in 1992 a submarine cave was found with 25,000-year-old paintings and carvings. These can be viewed in the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations in Marseille. There are other prehistoric sites dotted around plus of course, the Roman Amphitheatre, 11th century cathedral and the Roman Maison Carré Temple in Nimes – the former being the site of concerts by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Muse, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton and Elton John to name a few. Further afield, skiing is available in the Massif Central on Mont Aigoual (Prat Peyrot) in the Cevennes National Park in the Massif Central, which is a 2 hr drive. Four hours away skiing is possible at Le Mont Dore and Super Besse. The Alps have much more and larger resorts at a 5 hour drive distance, with the Portes du Soleil and Mont Blanc. You can even ski between France, Italy and Switzerland if you are intrepid enough. The local Commune (village council) provides a bus to take you for a days’ skiing weekly, for about 90€.
If you speak English, or if you wish to improve your English language ability, consider joining BritNimes. This is an Anglophone organisation of about 300 people in the area which arranges numerous and varied social events such as coffee mornings or evenings, book clubs, bridge and chess clubs, hikes, dining and more.

Access
The village is situated about 12 km/ 7-8 miles from the A9 autoroute, 30 km/18.6 miles from Avignon TGV (High Speed Train) station, 26 km/ 16 miles from Nîmes TGV station, a one-hour drive to Montpellier Airport and a drive of 1-hour 20 minutes to Marseille airport. Frequent trains from Marseille travel through Aix-en-Provence and Avignon en route to Paris taking just 3hr 20 minutes. Change trains at Lille in Northern France for Brussels, London, Amsterdam and more. Nice is a 3 hour drive; Carcassonne 2 h 15 minutes, Béziers 1h 30. See Barcelona in 4 hrs, Lyon in 2.5 hours. There are also local train stations and a few buses. Flixbus, available in Nîmes and Avignon will take you to Italy, Spain and Belgium.

Espiguette Beach is a beautiful stretch of natural sand dunes near Le Grau-du-Roi ( 58 km,1hr 30 mins drive). Palavas-les-Flots is a popular seaside resort with bars, shops and a promenade (1hr 15 mins) and La Plage de la Grande Motte is the same distance. If you want a wild swim closer to home, the River Gardon has river beaches and is walkable in about 30 minutes. Canoeing down the Gardon is very popular. You can stop on one of the many islets for a picnic, a swim or just for a rest.

Uzès houses the Haras National d’Uzès which is the most important stud farm in France, supplying the Government and is also a teaching facility for equine skills.

Interior
All rooms are on ground level. The entire house is very well insulated and very cheap to run. The current supplier of electricity, EDF estimates 149€ per calendar month for 2025. This includes cooking, bathing, the washing machine, hot water, pool, cooling and heating. There is no gas. You can easily opt to use well water or town water. There is a small charge to process waste water (approx. 80€ per year).

The large main room (salon) is light and spacious with a brand-new highly secure well-insulated steel and glass panelled entry door. This is located under the terrace to maximise light indoors while avoiding excessive heating in the summer. Heating is provided by a new (installed 2023) reversible heat pump and radiator with a new Norwegian Jøtul high efficiency wood burning stove for extra cosiness (installed March 2024). The heat pump unit also provides cooling. The rear part of the salon is currently arranged as the sitting area, but this is a flexible. From the dining area there is a set of double glazed wooden French doors onto the interior covered terrace or veranda, which itself has two sets of heavy-duty sliding doors looking onto an area of the garden that is currently used for badminton, petanque and for drying laundry. This veranda room is currently used as an office, gym, a place to relax out of the sun, and a sewing room, while also providing storage space for outdoor wear such as coats, shoes and boots.

Leading from the dining area is a second set of wooden doubled glazed French doors onto the roofed dining terrace. This outside area of 3.5 x 6.5 m (11.5 x 21ft) is equipped with an elegant ceiling fan, lighting and a Velux roof window with a shade/ blind. There is a good view of the pool from the terrace, hence it is easy to keep an eye on activity in the pool while relaxing.

There are two bedrooms, a smaller room (4.3m x 3m/ 14 x 10ft) including dressing area with a double fitted mirrored wardrobe, and sliding door access to a large Jack and Jill shower room. Heating and cooling is via a brand new Mitsubishi heat pump system (installed 2023). Double glazed wood window. The linked shower room includes a walk-in shower, wash basin, a large well-lit mirror in the vanity unit with a range of storage cupboards, a radiator, double glazed window, and a wall hung WC. 3.2 x 1.7 m / 3.4 x 5.57 ft

Access to the main bedroom suite includes a wall of wardrobes. Its new bathroom has a new bath, separate walk-in shower, WC and washbasin with storage and a new heated radiator /towel dryer. (3.1 x 1.80m/ 10ft x 5.9ft)
The spacious bedroom includes a heavy-duty sliding glass door with a metal safety grille and sliding mosquito net to allow for the option of leaving the door open securely during the night, while remaining insect-free inside. The ceiling has been very recently insulated to 30 cm (12”) to improve temperature management. Heating and cooling is via the heat pump system (3.14 x 4.10m / 10.3ft x 13.4ft).

Domestic hot water is heated by the 200 litre / 52 US Gallon electric C-rated chauffe-eau located in the bouanderie /utility room (1.7 x 3.10 m/ 5.5 x 10 ft).

The kitchen is fitted with a high-quality Scholtes electronic multifunction oven and a superfast electric induction cooktop, and an Ariston dishwasher. There is a large American style Samsung fridge-freezer (A+-rated) and a range of cupboards. A wood double-glazed door leads onto the side terrace and woodstore. Kitchen (3.30 x 3.10m /10.8 x 10.00 ft)

Exterior
One side of the wrap-around covered terrace provides space for a convenient wood store. There is ample parking with secure motorised gates onto the spacious cobbled hard standing. There is high quality fencing on all sides. The house could certainly be used as a lock up-and-leave, since it is very secure, and the thoughtfully-landscaped garden is very low maintenance. There is a heated pool of 8.5m X 4m /27 x 13 ft (exterior measurements) surrounded by attractive metal railings, a pool shower, non-slip local Vers stone surrounding and a concealed heat pump with a small, discreet pool house. The pool is designed to allow a child to stand up to play at each end, while the deeper part is in the centre. The pool benefits from a brand-new pump and a three-year-old glass filter system. It can be refilled from the pumped forage/ pressure well system, thus avoiding expensive town drinking water costs.

The garage is very large with a mezzanine storage floor, a pitched roof, water supply and electricity. Subject to necessary permissions from the Mairie https://www.vers-pont-du-gard.fr/index.php/fr/ this could be converted into a compact gite, or indeed living accommodation for the owners during the holiday season, when the main house could easily be let due to the international popularity of the area. Garage size 6.6 m x 4.0m/ 21.6ft x 13.12ft.

Additional Details
A local concièrge service suggests a fee of 180€ per night out of season (May, June September, October) and 220€ per night in the high season (July, August).

Annual government tax on this house in 2025 is 1450€.

Fibre high speed internet (supplied by Orange) is currently 42€ per month. Upload speed 169.4 Mbps / Download speed 137.3Mbps (very fast)

House insurance currently 51€ per month.

Energy diagnostic report – C level.

All sizes are approximate.