If you love living in natural surroundings and are keen on mountains, then why not consider buying a house in the Pyrenees ? The stunning scenery here is beautiful throughout all four seasons.

In winter, snow is guaranteed and there are many ski slopes to choose from. For a bit of variation, apart from the slopes on the French side you can also go to the tiny country of Andorra, which is located in the middle of the mountain range on the French-Spanish border, or even drive into Spain.

Once winter is over, you'll be able to witness the wonderful transition into spring. Flowers start to blossom, animals become more active and the whole area goes through a true metamorphosis. Summer brings a different kind of tourism to the area, mainly campers, hikers and mountain climbers.

If you're not staying in your property during summer season or have a large property with extra rooms, you could easily have some extra income by renting out or offering bed & breakfast.

While autumn is a grey, wet and depressing season in much of Northern Europe, in the Pyrenees it's another beautiful period of transformation when the forests change their colours and the first snows start to fall.

Although a very quiet and secluded area, the Pyrenees are easily accessible by road and air. On both the western and eastern side of the mountains there are the main traffic arteries linking France with Spain, and there is a motorway running along the northern edge of the mountains linking Biarritz and Bordeaux with Montpellier and Perpignan via Toulouse.

There are also various airports in the area providing excellent connections with Paris (from where there are flights to all parts of the world) and they offer some direct international flights as well. To the UK, there are direct flights from Biarritz, Carcassonne, Pau, Perpignan and Toulouse.

France and Spain are Europe's most popular holiday destinations. With your home base in the Pyrenees, very near the Spanish border, you can enjoy the best of both countries. Fascinating cities such as Marseille and Barcelona are only a couple of hours away. If you are considering the possibility of running a bed & breakfast then this is the ideal spot, with all those people travelling from Northern Europe to Spain and Portugal and passing the area, a place to stay overnight in calm and relaxing surroundings in the mountains would be the perfect getaway for drivers before continuing their journey.

Houses in the Pyrenees are much more affordable than similar mountain properties in Switzerland for example. You get to live the relaxing French lifestyle with peace and quiet surrounding you, and yet the area offers all the amenities you could possibly need. If you love nature and yearn to live at it's very heart, then you should start looking at houses in the Pyrenees .