Couvent d'Aubin
property details
for a Hub House Patronship co-operative coliving project

Environment ✧ unadventurous but pleasant agricultural and wooded hilly river valleys; limited walks from door

Services ✧ bakery, 2 good restos; supermarket 25mins walk; town 15mins bus

Access ✧ station 10mins walk, 3h15 Toulouse (+45mins airport, ++4h Barcelona), ~6h30 Paris, direct night train

Notes ✧ small lake and tennis 20mins walk; circuits for walking start 20mins away through village
✦ would function as a good hub with bus, train and driving as there's a reasonable number of small villages around and and permanent desks could be offered given the capacity; there are 2 coworkings in Decazeville but its debateable if either really are, one being in the town's incubator, the other only really having two shared 2–3 desk rooms
✦ climate is steady with regular showers and sun year round thus very green, low daytime average in winter but with nice orangery and the decent amount of sun it would still offer a pleasant enough retreat, with a good firepit and fireplace with comfy well let interiors, a sauna too
✦ regular bus around area and to town making getting out super easy if not for anything especially worthy as the town doesn't even have a central square
✦ this location would be a mix of inward with nice spaces and convenience, with daytrips requiring a bigger commitment and engagement every week, and additional smaller adhoc weekly outings to villages, markets and for small hikes
✦ access is not actually too bad, just long; multiple departures from Paris 6:30am and 12:30pm (arriving 7:00pm), 5:45pm (arriving midnight), plus the 10:45pm night train, thus making all connections through Paris workable without overnighting; from the south it's passable with Toulouse at ~3h30 (+45mins for the airport) and trains at 1pm or 6pm (arriving 9:30pm), thus essentially taking all day from Barcelona though its direct 3h service will be reintroduced (such arrivals could be coordinated with a evening out in Villefranche thus 1h45 from Toulouse last at 7pm +45mins drive; Rodez airport is 30mins drive or 1h by bus/taxi and train with only seasonal flights to London (and Dublin/Brussels); Brive airport is a bit far and awkward (3h train with a quick taxi, but long change) though has all year flights to Porto

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several weekly markets 30mins walk
✦ one local resto around the corner has a great terrace next to the fort, and of course a short bus or tain into the towns for much better variety
✦ for a quick stroll there's a pleasant little lake and the small village center park
✦ there's only one path from the door past the fort and 20mins later has a 20min loop through woods, where much longer circuits start in the acaccia forest or the park; town reachable in 1h30 with bus one way
✦ over 600ha of old mining lands including a massive open pit mine now having a lake
✦ riding 25mins bike
✦ heated pool 20mins train at Capdenac
✦ easy outings 30mins train to the lovely little town of Figeac, with last back at 11:30pm for nights out which is unheard of in rural areas! but as this is more like 1h door to door (including the stroll at both ends), it's not quite so great for simply popping out, but is great for outings alone or in smaller groups, or the weekly saturday market and group dinners, nonetheless at 35mins drive, and 40mins for the equally nice Villefranche-de-Rouergue, driving the minivan may be a more common option
✦ several locations for kayaking, one 20mins drive, two by train at Capdendac and in Figeac itself with SUP but all seasonal though one association so arrangements may be possible
✦ under 30mins to ruins at Peyrusse (drive), tiny perched village of Capdenac hilltop medieval village and tower (train), Conques (drive), Belcastel medieval village and castle (drive), plus various other castles, abbeys, etc
✦ 50mins bus to medieval town of Villefranche
✦ 15 mins drive/train to the river Lot, 30 mins to the Cele river
✦ caving/canyoning/climbing around 30mins
✦ there's one neighbouring station that offers some slightly longer routes looping back for biking variety but not hiking
✦ better hiking is quite far at 50mins drive such as along the steep sides of the upper Lot valley
✦ several good day trips are possible at just over an hour
✦ Najac whilst far at 50min drive can be combined with Villefranche and the river, or other sights on the way, and is good for hikes
✦ Belcastel medieval village whilst not an outing itself, as a drop off can be combined with an all day hike to Villefranche along the small upper Aveyron valley, also possible as a half day bike starting by train in Rodez (pickup at the other end or long train)
✦ Saint-Cirq and the old river haulage route (drive) for nice walks with a stop in Villefranche or via some castles and the upper river cliffs, with hikes/biking in the wooded hills around it, kayaking, via ferrata and other activties in summer
✦ Rocamadour is 1h10 by direct train, again with the late return, but a long walk from the station thus better with shared taxi (5mins), yet can also be combined with a 3h hike or biking from the previous station along the valley
✦ town has a streetart festival which has now reached as far as buildings next door
✦ Capdenac will in future have a 64km greenway reaching to Cahors which is downhill all the way, however the return would be a bit much the same day and is 4h by train… which is essentially the same speed as riding it though a pickup could be arranged at a half way point

Property ✧ fab 3000m2 garden on south facing hill suitable for a dug-in orangery, firepit/auditorium, plunge pool and sauna
✦ roof relaid on main building(!)
✦ 380m2 of immediately usable space with gas heating
✦ much of the property is in fairly good condition, however most is single glazed and would obviously need new fitout (does not meet norms thus expensive for conversion into independent units by a developer)
✦ 70m2 footprint north-east end chaplains house with 3 floors
✦ 60m2 north-west (corner) chapel (great event space)
✦ 2 floor annexe west (connecting) 120m2 footprint plus gorgeous tall attic (skylights)
✦ 60m2 footprint north-centre garden building with 2 floors (back onto chaplain's house)
✦ south main building 340m2 footprint with 3 floors flus attic with dormers
✦ 180m2 of south barns/garages
✦ fronts an extremely ugly pair of buildings (village hall and apartment block) so would be opportunity to instead of repairing the facade in local style, to use a bright mural
✦ maintenance of a property like this would be an ongoing effort thus in addition to volunteers probably 1–2 positions should be expected to be maintained, acquiring shares towards a unit with moderate pay
✦ amazingly the property tax is only 2500€/year however this is probably discounted for a (religious) association, but similar use can be qualified)
✦ has a lift and potential for intergenerational cohousing (down the line…)