At home with - The Walkers in the Dordogne
Sue and John Walker moved to France five years ago. They live in a delightful 200-year-old Girondine-style house called La Poivrière – the pepper pot. In fact, the pepper pot was a presbytery in a former incarnation. John wastes no time in laying down a challenge to English and French alike: “Try saying this in French after a few drinks – we live in la poivrière, which used to be a presbytère”.
Their house is situated in Vélines – the chief town of a canton which forms a link between the Bordeaux and Bergerac regions. As such, it falls within the department of the Dordogne, the beautiful part of France famed for its countryside and wonderful food, including truffles, cèpes and pâté de foie gras, with plenty of history thrown in for good measure, including an important role during the Hundred Year War. The hillside village overlooks the Dordogne valley and its name comes from the Latin velies meaning ‘sail wind’. Even though, as the Walkers are the first to admit, their five years in France have been anything but plain sailing.
“The first year we were here, we did have some doubts as to whether or not we had done the right thing, because we no longer have a home anywhere else,” Sue explains. “John had been ill, it was January and pretty cold, and John said ‘I think we’re going to go back’. To which I replied ‘you can’t make a big decision like that the way you feel now’. And, of course, those rough moments and that feeling passed.”
“It certainly did,” John confirms. “So this is our home now. The reason we like it out here, to be honest, is because we feel safe. Our local city was Nottingham – and Nottingham is a pretty dangerous place right now.We were from the Dukeries, East Nottinghamshire. It’s gone down the pan in the last 15 years. In England,my wife has a special mode of handbag wearing: over her head and by her side. Here she doesn’t even think about it. I also like the civility here – especially among young people. They might have orange or green hair, but that doesn’t stop them saying ‘bonjour madame, bonjour monsieur’ as they walk past our house. It was the social problems in the UK that concerned us in terms of our retirement.We also thought we would like a little sunshine – who wouldn’t?”
And what a house. The Walkers both fell in love with their French pepper pot – particularly its high ceilings and a staircase which winds its way right to the top of the house – perhaps the main feature of the house. It’s been crafted from an assortment of woods; the spindles are walnut, the banister chestnut, while the stairs themselves are made of hard pine. The house also has “a serious cave”, as John puts it.
The gardens surrounding the house are stunning – and needless to say ensure that the Walkers work is cut out in terms of maintenance. John also installed a freestanding swimming pool, the result being that the grandchildren can now occupy themselves during summer holidays.
“We’ve only ever been treated with warmth and friendliness by the French,” John relates. “In fact, we’re going on holiday with a French couple with whom we’ve made friends.We met them in a ‘troisième age’ group for older people. That said, our French is not brilliant – it’s a constant struggle.”
The Walkers knew they didn’t want to live in an isolated place, even though they are in the country. They were aware that the day might come when they would require services and neighbours – and in any event, the prospect of driving half an hour to buy a baguette was far from appealing.
The couple’s judgement proved sound when last year they had a shock and found themselves in need of urgent medical attention. “John was standing behind me in the kitchen when he suddenly said ‘I’m going’. I hardly had time to wonder what on earth he meant before he was on the floor.We later found out he had had a drop attack, when your balance mechanism fails completely.
“I rang our local doctor who luckily speaks English and who said to take him to the hospital right away. Meanwhile,my Irish neighbour was on her way round too. I managed to get him into the lounge by shuffling along the floor – but it made me realise it’s no good being isolated when you are older.”
While the Walkers are under no illusions that one particular country holds all the trump cards, they feel their decision to retire to France was a job well done. “We love our life here in France, it’s superb,” John concludes. “Although I wouldn’t like to be out here running a business or relying on an income. Fortunately, at our age, we don’t have to.We have noticed, however, that some Brits out here seem financially insecure – so my advice to anyone thinking of setting up shop in France is to do your homework and prepare properly, especially financial planning, before you make the big move. You can’t just pitch up and buy something, which we have seen others do. That’s a real recipe for disaster.”
“We have a good social life out here, a good quality of life and you can’t ask for more than that,” adds Sue. “We’re happy here in the ‘pepper pot’ where, I’m happy to tell you, that despite our age, the house has lived up to its name and ensured that life can be spicy indeed! I can only embrace the famous lyrics of that old Edith Piaf song and say that non, je ne regrette rien”.
Out & about
• Sue and John enjoy eating out and their favourite restaurant is L’Imparfait in Bergerac
• Sue goes to art classes in Ste Foy and John plays golf at Château Vigiers, a beautiful course surrounded by vineyards, with a good restaurant
• The excellent markets are a big attraction, where the couple meet friends for coffee on market day mornings.
• A day out in Bordeaux, by train, is also a regular event
Factfile
• Owners: Sue & John Walker • Previous home: Four-bed detached house with 1,000m2 garden in Nottinghamshire
• Current home: Three-bed house in Velines, Dordogne (village with general store, bakery, pharmacy, post office, hairdresser’s and doctor’s)
• Rooms: Large lounge, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, cellar and utility room
• Outside: 5,000m2 garden with orchard, summer kitchen and double garage
• Nearby: Ste Foy La Grande (7km), St Emilion (15km), Bergerac (30km), River Dordogne (4km). The house is located in the Bergerac wine region, and within 10 minutes’ drive of the Bordeaux and Duras wine regions
• Value: €450,000
• Getting there: Airports at Bergerac (33km) and Bordeaux (65km).Train station (Bordeaux–Sarlat) and main Bordeaux–Bergerac road are 2km south of Velines