Just outside the village Vicq, in the department Allier of the Auvergne, lies a very attractive estate with it’s charming country house La Ruats.
A long drive, lined with old horse-chesnut trees, brings you up to the house. The estate (approximately 1,4 hectare) with two farms and stables, gardens with terraces, a fountain , many, very old trees, even has a well and a dove-tower.
The oldest part of the house (kitchen, cellars and tower) is 15th century. The rest of the house was rebuilt in 1773.
La Ruats was once owned and lived in by a noble family which ran the
wine-estate of more than 100 hectares, including several farms.
The present Dutch owners bought it in 2002. One by one they are carefully restoring the house and buildings.
Although quietly situated on a hill and surrounded by rolling fields and pastures, the house isn’t isolated. The panoramic view is unforgettable and on a clear day you can see as far as the Puy de Dôme.
There are plenty of idyllic spots on the estate where you can soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the peace and quiet and be stunned by the views. Guests are free to wander through most of the grounds.