Base Calames Reviews

  Super place to stay, 8 of us in a place that can take 12. Well equipped kitchen,big lounge area, DVD player. Hosts live across the courtyard and are super nice.... read more We took the breakfast option and cooked for ourselves at night ,mostly. If climbing the nearest (huge) crag is a short walk away. Part time bar /restaurant in the village and other options a short drive away.Reasonable rate for the week. Can't fault it really.

  There was 10 in our party, the Gite accommodated us easily it was fully equipped and very comfortable.
The walking was fantastic and we could walk from the house without... read more having to take our cars all the time.
The church bells were infuriating chiming all through the night although it did not spoil our wonderful holiday.
Deborah and John our hosts were very friendly and helpful they really could not do enough for us. We would definitely recommend it to others.

  If you want to ride in the mountains then this is the ideal location. The gite is located on the Col de Port, which is a famous Tour de France... read more climb and its close to many other great mountain climbs. The scenery is amazing and whether it's a training camp or a gentle tour I would recommend this location. Just check strava for some of the Pro's who train in this area!

The gite is ideal for groups and clubs with a garage for storing bikes below the gite.
The owners are very friendly and extremely knowledgable of the local area.

  Spent a week in the fabulous Ariege region climbing at various locations. Base Calames was in a perfect position. Excellent climbing at Calames literally on the doorstep - it is... read more closer to the crag than the parking for the crag!! The accommodation was ideal. Very comfortable and well equipped. Jon and Debs looked after us very well. I would have no hesitation in recommending both the area and particularly this accomodation.

  My boyfriend and i stayed in this gite last August (this is a long overdue review!). We highly recommend it! It was a really comfortable house that couldn't be closer... read more to the rock and Deb and Jon were so accommodating, always happy to answer questions & help out. Great breakfast in the morning too! We would definitely return!

  Lovely remote spot - great for rock climbers, cavers and walkers. Need to be a confident driver as roads very narrow (and no public transport?) and church bell rings all... read more night but otherwise 100% plus. A great stay with the owners providing every bit of information about the area you could possibly need as well as loaning books, maps etc.

  Wonderful stay!  - We stayed at Jon and Deb's gite in August 2017. It had everything we needed and was very comfortable. Good location to see the local sites. Our hosts helped us... read more out a lot with suggestions of what to see and do. We enjoyed the church bells which added to the cultural experience. If you're a cycling enthusiast we were easily able to view the finish of stage 13 of the 2017 Tour de France in Foix-this was one of our highlights! Coming from the Canadian prairies we were awestruck with the amazing mountain views.

  We went down by train and spent two fabulous weeks climbing the local limestone crags, cycling and walking. The area was peaceful and the scenery absolutely stunning.
John &... read more Debbie were the perfect hosts and the whole place just had a wonderfully relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The accommodation was clean and comfortable and our experience was that the other guests, who came and went during our stay, were considerate, quiet and friendly.
The local rock climbing is second to none and the nearest crag is about 5 mins walk. Ideal if you want to cut your carbon and leave the car at home.

  Stayed at Base Calames for 9 nights in May 2012 whilst on a climbing holiday. We chose this place due to it's proximity to the Ariege crags. Having the Calames... read more crag on the doorstep and countless other climbing areas reachable within a short drive, this place is superbly located for all climbers, right through the grades. The gite provided us with accommodation (1 bedroom each) on the 1st floor, bathroom, wc and a communal lounge / kitchen area (shared with the ground floor accommodation). Rooms basic but clean and spacious enough. New towels provided every other day. Breakfast provided each day (juices, fresh coffee, tea, cereals, fruit, yoghurts, fresh breads/croissants and home made jams, yum yum..). English owners, very friendly & helpful. Cost very reasonable. Highly recommended. Take some ear plugs, the church bell chimes on the hour, every hour. And then at 3 minutes past the hour, every hour, for those who missed it first time round (Seriously)!

  Just come back from 2 weeks at Basecalames. The gite is great. We squeezed 12 of us into the house without a problem and even arranged to put 2 more... read more up camping in the garden. It's a lovely place, 10 minutes walk from the nearest climbing and with plenty more opportunities for walking and mountain biking in the area.

The cost was very competitive (even compared to camping in the region) and the owners Jon and Debbie were always friendly and helpful.

If you're taking a large group or just a few friends this is definitely worth considering.

Mark Day
Brighton Explorers Club