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The elegant and spacious former railway station of the little village of Sos sits in the valley of the river Gélise at its foot and was bought and refurbished during 1993/4 to a high standard to provide comfortably furnished holiday accommodation. Although only a few minutes away from Sos village, the station is set in peaceful wooded countryside and hidden from the village (during the summer) by a magnificent avenue of hundred year-old plane trees.

On the ground floor are the living and dining room in the former waiting room and parcels office which now form one enormous L-shaped space, with turn-of-the-century posters advertising the delights of Lourdes and Luchon and the remains of the 1924 timetable on the walls. Instead of the wooden benches in the old waiting room there are now several sofas and easy chairs, with two dining tables and plenty of chairs in what was the parcels office for meals indoors. High ceilings and thick stone walls helped by internal shutters on all five large doors and windows ensure relative cool in summer. A huge wood-burning stove ensures warmth in winter or for chilly evenings.

There is a music system (CD, record and cassette players - bring your own music or browse through my CDs as you wish), a piano, some games and an extensive library - but no television. A telephone is provided and calls can be restricted or not as required. At the moment, there is limited coverage for mobile ‘phones at the station.

In the former ticket office is a well-equipped kitchen, and the ticket-office window looks through into the waiting room so the “cook” in your party doesn’t feel too detached from the others. The kitchen was entirely rebuilt in 2007 and now features a 4-burner gas hob and multi-function electric oven fitted into the beech worktops and solid oak cupboards, along with a microwave oven, dishwasher, washing machine and large fridge-freezer, and plenty of good quality pans, glasses, trays and crockery etc. There are teapots, cafétières, a toaster, a food processor, scales (with me­tric and Imperial weights) an orange-squeezer, a pressure-cooker and an electric kettle. A vast selection of tools (including the vital corkscrews and wine coolers), sharp knives and other cutlerycan be found in the drawers. A separate cooler pantry houses food storage and another fridge-freezer for drinks and ice-cream... Next door to the pantry is a broom cup­board with a high chair, cleaning tools and materials, a steam iron and ironing board. Tea towels, hand towels, oven gloves, aprons, table cloths and napkins are provided, along with detergents etc. for the washing machine and dishwasher, rubbish bags, clingfilm, foil etc... There is a herb garden in pots outside the door and a stock of culinary basics (salt, pepper, oil and vinegar, spices, tea, coffee, sugar etc) and I will happily try and buy anything else you require if you let me know in advance.

The original oak staircase leads up from the ticket office to the first floor and what was the station master's apartment until 1970. There are now three light and airy bedrooms; two of them double (160 cm beds) and one twin (2 x 90 cm beds). There is a big bathroom with a big bath, handbasin/wc, and a huge shower room with a huge shower, hand­basin/wc. There are hanging cupboards (with plenty of clothes hangers), chests of drawers and more books in each bedroom, with rugs on the attractive original pitch pine floors. All beds are made up for your arrival with pure cotton sheets/pillowcases and light bedcovers or cosy down-filled duvets according to the season, and plenty of towels are provided, both for indoor and for pool use. Bedding and towels are changed weekly during longer stays. There is a high-sided wooden cot with mattress, and a hairdryer for each bedroom.

Upstairs again is the attic, which children love. This vast space of almost a hundred square metres has been left open, furnished with four good-quality 90cm beds plus wardrobes and rugs and is perfect for indoor play should the weather be wet. Some toys are provided, including Brio railways and Micromachines galore. The attic roof is heavily insulated to ensure relative cool in summer and warmth in winter, and there is a separate small room with wc and handbasin.

Bedrooms and bathrooms are heated by electric space heaters as required, and three large-capacity immersion heaters provide hot water continuously. For your peace of mind there are smoke detectors and fire extinguishers on each floor, and a fire blanket in the kitchen.

Outside, there are about six acres of long, thin, level grounds where the railway used to run. The former goods platform now makes a sun-trap terrace on the south side, although you may prefer to sit in the shade of the 100-year old catalpa or plane trees during the heat of the day. Whatever you choose, there are plenty of tables and chairs for outside use.

Down a broad tiled path lies the 12m by 5m pool, surrounded by wide tiled terraces and equipped with tables, chairs, and sunloungers. The pool is normally available for use from Easter to October, though it isn’t usually what I would call warm enough until the end of May/early June. A pool house provides further shade under its wide veranda, along with a shower, wc, double sink/drainer and another fridge-freezer inside, and a large barbecue outside. Another kettle and a cupboard full of plastic picnic ware, glasses and cutlery make meals round the pool easy. The pool is entered by steps in the semi-circular “Roman End”; water depth in the shallower end is 1.2m, with a hopper to 2.4m at the deeper end. The water is slightly salted and treated by an electrolytic cell rather than conventionally chlorinated (much gentler on eyes and skin), and powerful pumps, filter and an automatic robot help to keep it all clean. A pair of submerged floodlights encourage swimming in the velvety nights under the stars. A pool alarm system is fitted as required by French law.
A start has been made on creating a garden round the station buildings, but at the time of writing it consists largely of rough-mown grass.

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