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Hello, our names are Sharon and Clive Cooper and we moved to this beautiful area in the South West of France in January 2004, with our 3 children, Ben, Katie and Max. Clive has been totally motivated to renovate our french country farmhouse in to 3 self-contained holiday gites, which he completed by June 2008.

We are situated at the foothills of the Pyrénées in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, department number 64, hence our name Explore64, in La Vallée de Barétous. 10km south of Oloron Ste Marie and 40km south of Pau, the capital of the Bearn region.

We believe this area has a great deal to offer, being close to the mountains, ideal for mountain biking, skiing and road biking, but also not too far away from the magical beaches at Biarritz. Our development of 3 self-contained holiday gites, can be rented separately, or a as a whole. We can sleep a minimum of 1 person, to a maximum of 14. We do have further beds available, suitable for children and babies.

For the last 5 years, we have successfully offered good value holidays to families and couples who want to enjoy a stay in a stunning part of France where there is a wide variety of activities to partake in, all year round. The beauty of the mountains is quite breathtaking and changes with every season, the rivers and waterfalls with the backdrop of the pine trees, makes this an area that you instantly fall in love with.

As the years have gone by, we have found out more and more about the area and have realised that there is a lot to offer the more adventurous tourist! We have now started to offer mountain bike tours to groups. We have on board the local guide, who was born and bred in the Vallée de Barétous and knows the mountains and trails like the back of his hand and can organise guided trips for all levels and abilities. He also provides all the necessary transport, equipment and technical support.

Back at base, with us, we provide the accommodation and catering in your self-contained gite, so you start the day with us providing breakfast and packing you off with a packed lunch, ready for your day of mountain biking. After your enthralling day, you return to maybe a swim in the pool, whilst looking at the mountains that you climbed and descended and enjoy a home cooked meal in your gite. You can then relax on the terrace, or in the gardens with a glass of local wine before retiring to bed, to start another day on the peaks!

Our aim is to provide good quality, personal service at an affordable, all inclusive price.

We also understand, that people like to do their own thing, so if you do not want an all inclusive package, we are happy to offer accommodation only. We are available on site for you to answer any queries you may have and to offer information about the local area.

What activities are there available?

In the Vallée de Barétous there is: Mountain Biking and road bike training routes in Tour de France country
Skiing - ski de piste, cross country ski, snowboarding and snowshoeing . Also dog sled and mountain biking on snow, new for 2010/2011.
Quad biking, climbing, caving, pot holing, rafting, fishing, bird watching, walking, high rope courses.

Close by there is: Parapenting, kayaking/canoeing, rafting, hydrospeed, via ferrata, more skiing, horseriding, golf