A former windmill in south-west France has been converted into free one-night accommodation for city dwellers in need of a rural retreat.
The windmill was originally one of a cluster of nine on a hill overlooking the Dordogne river. It is situated by the town of Saint-André-de-Cubzac in Gironde and owned by the commune.
They were all built by royal command in the 18th Century after famine prompted more wheat to be planted and additional mills constructed to grind it.
“The hill, the highest in Haute-Gironde, stands at 76m2 and a real selling point for our refuge is the panoramic views over the river and town,” deputy mayor Hélène Richet told The Connexion.
“The local artisans who built it did a tremendous job, and we are all very proud of it.”
The windmill is open for one-night stays for two people, booked through the town’s website, between May and October.
It does not have any electricity or running water – dry toilets are available approximately 50m away. People wanting to stay the night need to bring a sleeping bag, pay a damage deposit (refunded on leaving) and clean up before they go.
Situated on a point of the river where it was relatively easy to cross, the town benefited first from ferry crossings and then from bridges. There are now four bridges, two rail and two road, near the town.
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The cluster of stone tower windmills on the hill provided flour for the town and for Bordeaux.
They were used to grind wheat until the 19th Century, and then abandoned. Seven of the original nine mills are now in ruins or with only foundations visible.
One was restored with steps leading up to a panoramic viewing point, which opened in 2024.
The other, now converted into the refuge, served as an observatory in the 1980s run by a local astronomy association, but lost its copula and telescope in Storm Cynthia in 2010.
“After the storm, the astronomy association did not have the funds to restore the tower and it reverted to the municipality. We eventually decided that we had to do something with it to show off the heritage and beauty of the area,” Ms Richet said.
The windmill interiosAnthony Rojo
Gironde department has been running a “peri-urban” refuge scheme for a number of years through which city dwellers can get out of town for a night in the local area. The scheme inspired the Saint-André-de Cubzac windmill refuge.
Efforts to restore the building cost €234,141, with local stone masons, carpenters and joiners doing the work.
Grants of €16,740 from Gironde department and €71,068 from an EU heritage protection fund helped fund it.
“As far as we can tell, it is the first time the tower has had a roof on it for at least 100 years,” said Ms Richet.
“It is something we are proud of.”
The town’s other claim to fame is as the birthplace of oceanographer, filmmaker and author Jacques Cousteau. He is buried in the Cousteau family plot in the town.
The main roundabout features a statue of a dolphin with a red fisherman’s cap in its beak, in homage.
The statue was offered to the town in 1998 when Chile played a World Cup football match in Bordeaux. Caldera, in northern Chile, has a matching statue after Cousteau stayed there while preparing for what was his last big expedition, filming the wildlife and waters around Easter Island.
