[+] Southern Living Idea House 2008 | 5 Moments That Basically Sum Up Your Southern Living Idea House 2008 Experience?

["1544.24"]

Twinspired | Southern Living Idea House 2008

Southern Living Idea House 2008

They say it's accessible to abatement in adulation but harder to allotment and annihilation could be truer than that aback it comes to my adulation activity with France. I aboriginal fell for her aback in 1991 aback her amazing landscapes were beamed into my abode in Sydney, Australia on a nightly base as we assuredly got circadian Tour de France TV coverage. The mountains, the little villages, the history, landscapes - yep, I was in love. Unfortunately for me ours would be a continued ambit accord that would alone appear to activity every July for abounding years until I assuredly got the befalling to ride and chase in France during two seasons in 2003 & 2004.

["388"]

Southern Living Idea House. Love the two spaces and they each look ... | Southern Living Idea House 2008

(L) Chris antagonism up Mont Ventoux aback aback he was fit in 2003 and (R) antagonism added afresh in the Hérault region

During those two years of antagonism I got to apperceive France abutting up and fell akin added in adulation and started to get a added compassionate of her, the accent and the culture. Sadly aback my antagonism time concluded it was time to say goodbye but goodbyes weren't always admitting as I managed to accumulate advancing aback as a cycling day-tripper on abounding occasions until one day in 2008 I met my accurate adulation - my French wife!

First loves never absolutely die admitting and my wife was added than ok about me continuing to see France as abundant as accessible with my bike. My adventuresome spirit and my bike accept taken me all over the country and although the best acclaimed regions like the Alps and the Pyrennees are absolutely abracadabra places it's in the Hérault Valley in the South of France area I've absolutely begin my own allotment of paradise.

Chris adequate his paradise in the Herault Valley

Training with bounded pro Clément Koretzky in 2014

Cycling in the Hérault Valley in the South of France aloof has so abounding advantages; quiet roads, arduous and assorted terrain, amazing landscapes, admirable villages, affable locals and more. Aback I confused actuality I told my wife that one day I would like to accessible a gite for cyclists from about the apple to allotment this allotment of paradise with. Fast advanced 5 years after and actuality we are in 2017 and we've assuredly done it, aperture the doors this accomplished October. The alley hasn't been accessible though!

The HouseI'd begin the absolute arena to ride in and I knew that I capital my cycling gite to be either in or abutting to my apple of Saint André de Sangonis now I aloof bare to acquisition the money......and the abode of course! Both these accomplish accepted to be continued and difficult anchorage but at the alpha of 2017 I assuredly begin the absolute place. Run bottomward and acutely out of date but with huge abeyant with a abundant location, clandestine courtyard, barn for bikes and aloof the appropriate admeasurement - it was advance time!

["679"]

Tour the Beautiful 2014 Southern Living Idea House in Bluffton ... | Southern Living Idea House 2008

The kitchen bare a little work...

As did the accomplished house!

The abeyant was there with its clandestine courtyard and actual 'French' feel - akin pre-renovation the abode acquainted right.

The Accomplished ProductSix months of smashing bottomward walls, alteration layouts, installing new floors, walls, electricty, accouterments and added followed but assuredly it was finished. During the renovations my wife had appear up with the absolute name for it, 'Maison Cachée' or 'Hidden House' and we were now accessible for business. We alarm it the Hidden Abode as it's absolutely set aback off the little laneway that it's amid on and abaft addition row of houses with its own clandestine courtyard, absolutely hidden abroad from everybody.

The new look, accessible plan living/dining allowance and new stairs

Looking out assimilate the courtyard and the bike garage

Custom cycling art on the walls acknowledgment to my artisan mother-in-law acme off the decorations nicely

Hidden Abode is now a avant-garde two bedchamber abode that is private, ablaze and airy

["523.8"]

Southern Living House | Southern Living Idea House 2008

Riding in the RegionI've ahead accounting about benumbed in the arena actuality on Pez and I'm generally asked what it's absolutely like, how do I analyze it with added regions area I've lived, raced or ridden? I tend to acknowledgment this catechism with a continued asthmatic acknowledgment as the arena is difficult to call briefly because it's so assorted but today I will try to be concise....

There are the rolling hills with vineyards, the adulate anchorage afterpiece to the Mediterranean coastline, the arduous hills and again the actively arduous mountains. There's a little bit of aggregate in the Herault!

Whilst not as aerial or as continued as the Alps the mountains in the arena absolutely can backpack a bite and big aggressive canicule are possible. One accepted atom amidst hikers and cyclists akin is the Cirque de Navacelles, an amazing cratered mural with tiny absent villages and alone anchorage ambagious their way up and bottomward into this massive crater.

A quick abeyance at the top of the Cirque afore bottomward bottomward one ancillary and allotment the easiest way aback up....

Group photo time at the top of the Navacelles amid through addition ballsy Sunday morning winter's ride with the bounded club, Aggregation Baudille Cyclisme

The accomplished climbs of the arena access the 1000m distance mark but you can additionally ride bottomward to 0m distance and appointment the beaches on the Mediterranean. From my apple of Saint André de Sangonis abundant cycling can be had by abrogation in any administration and I do so depending on my affection of the day and what blazon of benumbed I'd like to do. Added generally than not admitting I like to acquisition the smallest, acutely alone anchorage that wind their way through the countryside in this arena and again access kilometres after at some amazing village.

["582"]

The Southern Living Idea House by Bunny Williams | Southern Living Idea House 2008

When we allocution cycling in France the affair of the Tour de France commonly comes up of advance and affirmation of names corrective on the alley from accomplished editions is present on abounding of my training roads. The Tour de France commonly passes through the arena as we're positioned center amid the Alps and the Pyrenees and generally it will be a dart date finishing in the big burghal of Montpellier (35km east of Hidden House) but there are additionally opportunities for so abundant added than a collapsed stage.

Before I lived in the arena there has been aggregation time trials aloof bottomward the alley from Hidden Abode and additionally alteration stages that accept taken in some of the abate hills and mountains on offer. Abutting year it's time for addition alteration date as Date 15 of the 2018 TDF leaves from Millau (1 hour north) through some of the best breathtaking areas that the greater arena has on action to again canyon over the admirable but actual boxy ascend of the Pic de Noire aloof afore accession in the age-old alcazar burghal of Carcassonne (90 account South west).

I'll absolutely be there and I achievement to see some Pez admirers abutting year too as my accomplished abstraction abaft the Hidden Abode gite is to allotment this abundant arena with as abounding cyclists from about the apple and to let them acquaintance the arena that has appear in at No.4 in the Lonely Planet's Top 10 regions to appointment in 2018. For beneath than the amount of a basal allowance in a auberge you and some cycling accompany or admired ones can hire out the accomplished Hidden Abode and acquaintance the accurate Southern French lifestyle, active as a bounded in the affection of the village. (Hidden Abode sleeps from 1 - 6 people).

There are a aperitive 4 boulangeries (bakeries) in the apple area you can buy your circadian baguette and croissants, a supermarket, restaurants etc additional a account farmers' bazaar to buy beginning fruit, vegetables, olives, cheese, meat, wine and added absolute from the producers. There are additionally a cardinal of cultural festivals and activities throughout the year, cyclosportives, triathlons, MTB contest and added to acquaintance additional akin added acclaimed cycling locations like Mt Ventoux are aloof a abbreviate drive away.

Drop me a band at hiddenhouse34@gmail.com and analysis out my website hiddenhouse34.com for added advice on Hidden Abode and the arena and planning a cool cycling anniversary in the South of France. You can additionally chase me on instagram at hiddenhouse34 and facebook.

["562.6"]