Travel France - Top rural retreats

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In his harrowing account of French rural life, ‘La Terre’ (The Earth), Emile Zola speaks of the countryside being ‘covered in manure as far as the eye can see… a sort of heaving, surging sea of manure from cowshed and stable’.

In contrast, for writers such as Marcel Pagnol and Peter Mayle, rural France is the epitome of serenity and the Provence they paint in their literature is an Eden of sunshine and vineyards.

Rural France means different things to different people; therefore to determine what makes a good rural location, it is first necessary to assess what exactly people want from a country property.

In 1994, the Department of Geography at Kings College in London published a study in which they interviewed 406 British homeowners in different rural areas of France, examining the reasons why people bought homes in the French countryside. They discovered that buyers in Calvados sought an escape from Britain in an area close to ferry ports, owners of property in the departments of Dordogne and Lot had been attracted to their traditional rural landscapes, while investors in Charente-Maritime were attracted to the cheap prices for a seaside location. They also noted that buyers from the southwest of England who had moved to France permanently had done so for the cheaper cost of living, while buyers from the south-east used France as an accessible area to buy a ‘genuine’ rural home.

Because the survey was undertaken over 16 years ago, when Ryanair was still in its infancy and before Easyjet had even been founded, it omitted much of the far greater choice of rural areas that is now available to British buyers seeking property in the French countryside. However, the points about what different homeowners require from a rural area remain pertinent.

In an attempt to demonstrate the variety on offer to buyers wishing to own a country property in France, the following guide will examine five very different rural areas.

The Dordogne
Invaded by Henry V during the Hundred Years War, the Dordogne is experiencing a second British occupation which looks set to last much longer.

While the Dordogne is a department, the area the Brits usually refer to as the Dordogne starts near Limoges and encompasses the Dordogne and Vézère river valleys. There are no great cities in the Dordogne and its prefecture town, Périgueux, has a population of just over 30,000. Instead its appeal lies in its bucolic landscapes and the scores of charming small towns and villages that are thinly spread over an area that, according to INSEE (the French national institute of statistics), has only has 43 residents per square kilometre.

Its popularity with British homebuyers has been greatly enhanced by the advent of budget air travel which enables Bergerac to be travelled to from nine UK airports, while Limoges and Bordeaux have flights from many destinations all over the UK. According to 2006 statistics, there are now over 13,000 British residents in the Dordogne, 8,000 of whom reside there permanently.

Known to the French under its former name of Le Périgord, the department of Dordogne is subdivided into four areas:

• The Black Périgord, so called because of its dark oak forests, is the best known part of the Dordogne. Its many castles and medieval villages such as Sarlat arguably make it the most beautiful too. It is riddled with underground stream beds and caves, in particular around Les Ayzies, whose prehistoric caves contain some of the world’s most complex rock paintings.

• The Green Périgord is more thinly populated than the other areas and acquired its name from its lush grassy hills. Its countryside is exceptionally beautiful along the rivers Dronne and Auvézère.

• The River Isle has cut stunning gorges through the limestone plateaux of the White Périgord, which contains the prefecture of Périgeux as well as the village of Montpon, a popular tourist attraction.

• Towards the Bordeaux area, the Purple Périgord has a more arid climate and as such is ideal for winemakers whose vines colour the area purple in autumn.

The Dordogne’s estates produce their wine using strict traditional methods, which is typical of the department’s attitude to maintaining rural culture. The reputation of its agricultural produce, in particular foie gras and snails, is second only to Burgundy. There is even a snail market in the town of Nontron.

Estate agent Denise Masters of Dordogne Property Consultants says that with no large towns or industry causing demand for accommodation, the main factors that affect property prices in the Dordogne are a house’s views, condition, whether it has a swimming pool and the amount of land that comes with it. She estimates that location alone can add as much as 20-25% to the value of a property in the Dordogne.

She explains that as well as the significant change in scenery of the Dordogne department from the heavy forests of the north to the open countryside and hills of the south, there is also a considerable difference in architectural styles.

The north is noted for its classic Périgordine buildings, built from honey-coloured sandstone, with steep roofs, and heavy use of wood. Properties in the south are lighter in colour due to the natural lime base of the local stone. The predominant style of country property in the south of the Dordogne is the longère. This was the dwelling of the peasant farmer or small craftsman and was widespread throughout western France. It is a narrow house extending lengthwise along the direction of the roof ridge.

Denise claims that while properties in the Dordogne have steadily increased in value year on year, over-pricing at the top end of the market has led to some readjustment and that now all areas are similarly priced. She cannot envisage prices going up in the immediate future, which she believes is leading to better value for money, in particular in the south of the department where she has a 200-year-old, four-bedroom, stone longère for sale. It has a wine cellar and outbuildings on 2,500m² of land and is priced at €267,000.

To demonstrate the value views can add to a property, Denise mentions a four-bedroom presbytery she has for sale on 700m² of land costing €348,600 and enjoying splendid vistas of the surrounding hills.

Lozère
In the heart of the Massif Central range in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Lozère is the least densely populated department in France. With only 14 inhabitants per square kilometre, it offers unparalleled rural tranquillity, reflected by its economy which functions largely on tourism and agriculture.

Its Mediterranean agrarian landscape features hillside orchards and closely built villages, while also possessing amazing natural sights such as the spectacular Tarn river gorges which are best viewed from the aptly named Point Sublime. Over half the Cévennes natural park is situated in Lozère, which attracts over 800,000 tourists a year. Declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, its varied microclimates range from sub-alpine meadows to sheltered sub-tropical valleys and host an enormous variety of flora and fauna.

The Cévennes park also offers excellent opportunities for walking, while the department in general is considered one of the best areas in France for fishing as well as offering kayaking on its 2,700km of rivers and skiing in its mountain resorts.

Lozère suffered greatly from rural depopulation at the beginning of the 20th century, but its population is now increasing due to the quality of life offered by the region and improved transport links from regional transport hubs such as Nîmes and Montpellier.

Estate agent Vincent Richard of La Lauze estate agency based in the attractive prefecture town of Mende says that reaching the department from Britain can still be difficult, which has limited British interest in Lozere. He states that those who do have homes in the department are generally situated in the southern end which can be accessed within one or two hours from the airports of Rodez, Saint-Etienne, Nîmes and Montpellier, which together offer a large choice of budget flights to a number of UK destinations.

According to Vincent, almost all the homes owned by the British in Lozère are secondary residences and are specifically centred around the Tarn gorges and on the arid granite plateaux of the Causses Cévennes, an area made famous through goat-herding and its blue cheese. He says that prices can reach up to €2,500 per square metre in these areas, depending on the style of the property and the view.

He also explains that the most desirable residences in Lozère are fully restored character properties that have used local materials such as chestnut beams and local stone in their reconstruction. In the Cévennes area, many properties are made from volcanic granite with slate roofs, but Vincent says there is no predominant housing style, although open-plan interiors are common in the department.

In the north of Lozère Vincent claims prices are much lower, €1,100 per square metre on average, and a renovation project can be bought for as little as €500 per square metre.

In the past four years, Lozère has witnessed increases in the value of property of between 40- 50% according to Vincent. He feels that increases in value are set to continue, as property is still cheap in comparison to other areas and that outstanding natural beauty will continue to attract new residents.

Avallonais and Morvan To the French it is Burgundy above all other areas of the country that typifies the rural lifestyle. Its reputation as a gastronomic region is unsurpassed, and it is

The department of Yonne, which contains the Chablis winegrowing area, is the most northern of Burgundy’s four departments and the closest to Paris, with its prefecture town of Auxerre two hours’ drive from the centre of Paris or an hour and a half by train.

Many clichés are written about ‘time standing still’ in parts of France, but nowhere could be said to resemble the country of 50 years ago more than Yonne, where many old-fashioned rural practices such as taxidermy and saddle-stuffing (by a bourrelier) still exist.

The majority of the department’s population of around 400,000 live in villages and hamlets rather than towns, and Auxerre has a population of only 40,000, while Yonne’s sub-prefectures of Sens and Avallon have populations of just over 26,000 and 8000 respectively.

Yonne is popular with British holidaymakers taking barge trips along Burgundy’s waterways, for whom the medieval cathedral city of Auxerre is an essential stop. However, estate agent Laurent Six from Burgundy4U says that increasingly large numbers of British purchasers are also choosing to buy property in Yonne. He reports that Britons are particularly interested in the area of open countryside around the canals, between Auxerre and Vézelay, known as the Avallonais.

Laurent’s office is situated in Vézelay itself, a breathtaking hilltop hamlet, whose stunning Romanesque church contains the relics of St Mary Magdalene and as such as is an important pilgrimage site. Its church and Benedictine abbey are on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.

While it is the best example, Vézelay is typical of the area’s hilltop communes. Another example is the tiny fortified town of Avalon, which is perched atop a rocky promontory above the Cousin river valley. Its stone-fronted buildings are set against the beautiful bucolic backdrop of the Morvan natural park, where wild boar thrive alongside numerous species of deer.

Laurent’s territory covers part of the vast Morvan park, which overlaps from Yonne into Burgundy’s departments of Nièvre and the Côte d’Or. He says that 95% of the property for sale in both the Morvan and Avallonais countryside is the fermette. These long, rectangular working farm buildings were traditionally divided into three parts: the living quarters, the grange (used for storing hay and crops) and the écurie or stable. Laurent points out that most fermettes have stone-vaulted cellars, usually accessed from outside doors, and are built from local materials. Fermettes in the Morvan will be granite with slate roofs, while those in the Avollonais generally have terracotta roof tiles. He also says that although presbyteries and maisons de maître exist in the area, they are not common and rarely come on to the market.

Asked about overseas interest in Yonne property, Laurent replies that there are a large number of foreign homeowners in the department and that many Dutch purchasers are attracted to the woody tranquillity of the Morvan. He says British customers prefer the Avallonais since they generally find the Morvan too isolated, and consider the additional 45 minutes to an hour of travel from the motorway networks too much of an inconvenience. As a result properties in the Morvan are on average 25-30% cheaper than in the Avallonais.

Although there is no airport near Yonne, Paris Orly is only a few hours’ drive from the department which receives flights from all over the UK, including Doncaster International, which Laurent says accounts for the considerable number of Yorkshiremen who have bought property in the department.

Yonne is also popular with Parisians looking for weekend retreats due to its proximity, who buy in the Avallonais due to its motorway network. Laurent believes the area’s profile benefited greatly from France’s best-selling film ‘La Grande Vadrouille’ (released in English as ‘Don’t Look Now... We’re Being Shot At!’), starring Terry Thomas, which was partly filmed in Vézelay.

In terms of buying trends Laurent notices that while most overseas buyers and Parisians are buying cheap second homes, more and more are moving into the area permanently, either taking retirement or working from the region. As an example, he cites a British artist who sends her pictures back to London by courier. Other British residents in Yonne have gained employment in the building profession, as Laurent states there is a shortage of skilled artisans in the area. This shortage has curtailed the trend of buyers to purchase dilapidated projects for €30,000 to €40,000 and restore them, and the current demand is for fully renovated properties.

Capital gains in the Avallonais and Morvan have been as much as 25% in the last two years in Laurent’s estimation, and although he cannot commit to giving a percentage for next year, he feels prices will continue to rise. He also expects the reopening of the air route from London-Stansted to Dijon to have an impact on Yonne’s popularity.

To give an example of prices in the region, Laurent has a large fermette with two further houses for sale on four hectares of land for €278,000.

Côtes-d’Armor
For those requiring ease of access from the UK with a car, Brittany is more rural than the neighbouring region of Normandy, whose proximity to Paris and popularity with Parisians has led to significant urbanisation.

Sylvain Crestaux of estate agency Guy Hoquet suggests that the countryside of the Côtesd’Armor is still not comparable to other rural departments in France, claiming that “you cannot truly lose yourself in its wilderness, due to the number of towns”. However, it is still Brittany’s least populated department, with 79 inhabitants to every kilometre, and it possesses 15,000 acres of forest as well as a considerable area of farmland, especially near the coast.

The Côtes-d’Armor’s scenery features an attractive coastline with rocky cliffs and excellent beaches while further back the countryside is green and wooded, interspersed with fields and apple orchards.

Speaking about the rural property outside of the Côtesd’Armor’s towns, Sylvain says that many longères are for sale, but almost a third of the market is for contemporary housing and neobreton houses built in the 70s and 80s.

He discloses that the majority of Britons residing in the department use their properties as a second home and most have bought properties away from the coast for budgetary reasons. He claims that seafront can sell for double the price of a similar property inland. To give an example of this difference in price, he has a typical longère with 85m² of habitable space for sale on 1500m² of land for €155,600. He contrasts this against a 175m² contemporary property on 1,100m² of land, with a view of the bay of St Brieuc for €420,000.

Asked why so many Britons choose to buy in Brittany over other areas of France, Sylvain cites a combination of access, cheap prices and climate. Brittany is warmed by the Gulf Stream, which gives temperate winters and warm summers.

The fortified town and beach resort of St Malo has ferry services to Portsmouth and Poole and the Côtes-d’Armor is only a short drive from Normandy’s ferry ports of Caen and Cherbourg.

Dinard-Pleurtuit-St Malo airport is located only 10km from St Malo and receives regular budget flights from a number of UK airports, including Stansted, East Midlands and the Channel Islands, while Rennes airport also provides flights to a number of UK destinations.

Camargue
When images are conjured of rural France, it is the Provencal landscape that is most likely to come to mind. Its colour, light, warmth, Mediterranean vegetation, food and culture have been imprinted into the consciousness of almost every prospective French property buyer by Peter Mayle’s book (and the television series it spawned) ‘A Year in Provence’.

Other cultural references that have popularised Provence have been provided by some of history’s greatest artists and writers, who found inspiration in its astounding scenery. Van Gogh spent his most productive period living in Arles, the capital of the Camargue, and he along with Gauguin is celebrated for his paintings of its grape harvest.

Areas of Provence near to the Mediterranean have suffered from over-development in the past few decades as well as a relentless invasion of homebuyers. However, large parts remain unscathed.

La Camargue is generally considered to possess the most breathtaking natural scenery in the region. Western Europe’s largest river delta, the Camargue is technically an island covering an area of 930km². Situated in the Bouches du Rhône department, it is a vast plain of saltwater lagoons and marshes, protected from the sea by sand-bars. Its central area has been a regional park since 1927 and is protected due to its incredible biological diversity.

At the city of Arles, the Rhône divides into the Petit Rhône to the west and the Grand Rhône to the east. The Petit Rhône flows into the Mediterranean Sea west of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the Camargue’s main resort, famous for its traditional gypsy festivals.

The Camargue’s economy relies on tourism, attracting a million visitors annually, as well as agriculture, in particular ricegrowing and salt farming.

The area is particularly famous for its flamingos, who feed in the lagoons and marshland, as well as for its wild horses and bulls. The horses are born black and turn white within four years and are used by the gardiens (Camargue cowboys) who rear the Camargue fighting bulls for export to Spain. Camargue bulls also have an excellent reputation with gourmets.

Estate agent Bob Para of Agence Para in Arles says that the Camargue’s popularity has caused prices to double in the past five years, like the Côte d’Azur, although he says prices in the Camargue aren’t comparable to those of the Riviera. He won’t be pressed into answering how he sees prices performing next year and says that the forthcoming presidential elections could have an effect. He claims a Socialist victory could herald a downturn in the property market like the one he witnessed in 1981.

Most properties bought by overseas owners in the Camargue are used as secondary residences according to Bob, who reports that the British are buying property in the Camargue, but are outnumbered by the Swiss and Germans. The traditional Camargue property is the gardien residence made from stone with a thatched roof.

To give an example of prices in the region, Bob has a 136m², three-bedroom country house for sale near Arles, on 2,238m² of land for €323,000.

The Camargue is accessible from a number of UK locations through Marseille-Provence airport.

-Denise Masters, Dordogne Property Consultants Tel: 0033 (0)5 53 22 50 25 www.eymet-immobilier.com

-Bob Para, Agence Para Tel: 0033 (0)4 90 93 46 19 agencepara@wanadoo.fr

-Vincent Richard, Agence La Lauze Tel: 0033 (0)4 66 49 30 86 www.agencelalauze.com

-Laurent Six, Burgundy4U Tel: 0033 (0)3 86 32 33 95 www.burgundy4u.com

-Sylvain Cresteaux, Agence Guy Hoquet l’Immobilier Tel: 0033 (0)2 96 33 22 22 saintbrieuc@guyhoquet.com

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