Camont is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom farmhouse cottage, ideal for two couples or a small family, surrounded by flower, herb and vegetable gardens in a quiet park-like setting by the Canal de Garonne. A distinctive stone and brick three-story pigeonnier, Camont has been authentically restored with the perfect French holiday in mind: good food and local wine served on a vine-covered terrace. The house once served as a way station for the horse-drawn barges that filled the canal. The now placid waterway is ideal for summer walks and fishing. Although the house sits in full sunlight all year, the thick walls keep the interior pleasantly cool on hot days; a modern central heating system and the large kitchen cheminée make Camont a four-season house. The house is filled with antique character as well as modern comforts, including a wireless high-speed Internet connection.
The heart of Camont is the artfully equipped kitchen that serves as the gastronomic location for owner Kate Hill’s French Kitchen Cooking School and has been featured in Magazines and TV (the BBC's Rick Stein's "French Odyssey"). The house is only available for rent when the cooking school is not active. (Private cooking classes can be arranged as Kate’s schedule permits.) The kitchen is dominated by a large stone and brick fireplace and features an eight-burner stovetop. In the library/living room, a comfortable sofa and armchair with good reading lights invite guests to enjoy the book lover’s library, music system, and writing desk. Arched French doors lead into the front garden.
On the middle floor is the first of the two bedrooms; it has a new queen size bed, a bathroom with an antique claw-foot tub, and a separate toilet. The second bedroom is on the top floor. It also has a queen-size bed and a single bed, and a bathroom with a large modern tiled shower.
Outside, the house is surrounded with extensive private land, including a garden, an orchard, and a hidden wooded glen of running springs and ponds. Hammocks and “nook and cranny” seating nestle among the trees for a quiet afternoon read and nap. The vine-draped dining terrace is an ideal shady spot to eat and relax on sleepy summer days. This terrace links the stone buildings with a quiet courtyard surrounded by a medieval-style herb garden.
The cooking school’s potager or kitchen garden is at hand, and offers guests and visitors delicious organic vegetables and colourful flowers for the table. The open setting of the potager and boules court is a perfect gathering spot for evening drinks. There are plenty of activities at hand; the towpath stretches endlessly in both directions and is very pleasant to walk along; a kayak, rowboat, and bicycles are available. Co-owner of Camont, Kate Hill, is often on site (she lives on a canal barge at the foot of the garden) and acts as a bilingual hostess for arriving guests.
