History
The hamlet of Rouretord, located in the department of Ardèche midway between Lyon and Marseille, is a collection of several houses. The natural stone buildings are located on a hill in a secluded location with a magnificent view of the Rhone Valley and the Maritime Alps and on the other side in the Cévennes. Chestnut forests, mulberry tree and garrigue determine the mountainous landscape in 300-350 m height. Garrigue is the name given to a mixture of broom, evergreen holm oak and boxwood, strawberry tree, juniper and fragrant herbs
In the 12th century, the first buildings were built here as the seat of aristocrats and served as a castle or outpost to protect the nearby castle of Pierre Gourde. From 2004, the renovation of the cottages began. Apart from the holiday homes, only the residence of Christine and Bruno, the landlords, is inhabited.
Animals and nature
Meanwhile, in Rouretord, we have a large herd of the beloved, docile Galloway cattle. The slowly growing meat of our Galloways is characterized by its typical, aromatic taste and is of excellent tenderness and juiciness.
The cattle of our landscape care herds are year round in the wild pasture.
Horses, dogs, cats and chickens make Rouretord a paradise for those who love nature and animals.
Rouretord is surrounded by unspoilt nature, which is the habitat for many animals. On the terrain we have boars and deer, hares and rabbits, but also foxes and badgers and even dormice, ginst cat. In addition, the Ardeche lies directly in one of the largest bird sanctuaries in Europe. In spring and autumn we can follow the train of cranes and geese. Bee-eaters, hoopoes, vultures, eagles, oriole, nightingales and innumerable songbirds are also found more often in the countryside. The stars are the rare Bonelli’s eagle and the Egyptian vulture.
The area of the Ardèche is one of the most diverse butterfly areas in Europe.
The magnificent, hilly landscape is ideal for people who themselves like to discover a region, be it on foot or by bike.
For your well-being
All our gîtes are non-smoking area.
The area around Rouretord is blessed with excellent air quality.
The Ecogite L’Hirondelle is suitable for allergy sufferers
No Wi-Fi, mobile network is limited
The host Christine has a practice for acupuncture and homeopathy, here you can arrange a treatment by appointment.
From our organic vegetable garden and from the fruit trees our seasonal harvest guests receive wonderful fruits, vegetables and salads.
Honey, eggs and meat from our own production can be purchased from Christine.
For further purchases there are numerous interesting weekly markets around Rouretord in the villages. If you want to experience the atmosphere of the markets, you can let off steam here to your heart’s content. Generally, markets start at 8:00 am and end at 12:00 am.
The evening markets invite to enjoy in July and August,
from 17:00 to 24:00.
Typically French:
Numerous markets, nowadays often with organic products, flea markets … It is worthwhile to obtain information from the tourist office or from Christine, your landlady, because in France there is a lot of effort to bring culture to the province during the summer months (concerts, festivals, theater. …) to liven up.
Sustainability
Rouretord is an area that respects and promotes the environment (Natura 2000 EU project).
When renovating the buildings, we use the original materials as far as possible and pay close attention to sustainability during construction. Hot water is generated by solar energy, the power system also feeds electricity into the local grid and heat generation for heating is based on sun and wood pellets.
Nearest airport
89 kilometers, Lyon
Nearest train station
35 kilometers, Valence
Next motorway exit
22 kilometers, A7
Next restaurant
2 kilometers, camping plein sud