Hugh MCSHEFFREY's selection of French property for sale

About my area

Situated in the South West of France, the Charente region benefits from a “micro climate”, providing hours of sunshine from Spring through to Autumn – it’s even warm enough on the occasional day during winter to lunch “al fresco”. We live in the beautiful, rolling countryside of the Charente region, nestling between the market towns of Champagne Mouton and St Claud. The gentle slopes of this department rise towards the Haute-Vienne in the east and become flatter as it heads west, towards the coast. Pretty little villages and hamlets dot the countryside and there are beautiful Chateaux to be found all over the region. We live close to the beautiful, historic city of Angoulême, which is a great place for soaking up local French culture, done whilst enjoying lunch or just aperitifs in one of its many superb cafes or restaurants – particularly excellent in the summer months. The city also boasts some fabulous festivals, such as the Circuit des Remparts, which is a vintage car race through the city centre and its renowned International Comics Festival (Festival International de la Bande Dessinee d’Angouleme). This region is very well served with transport links to the UK via airports at Limoges, Poitiers and Angoulême, where the TGV also provides a high speed link to Paris and Bordeaux. Of course, the excellent French motorway system is also close at hand and provides superb access across the country in all directions. There are plenty of ways to “live the dream” here; for those who like peace and quiet, there is the amiable pace and serenity of Charantaise village life, or, for the adventurous, a wide array of outdoor sports and leisure activities which can be enjoyed throughout the year. As well as cycling and, of course, boules (or petanque), there are countless rivers and lakes which are superb for boating, bathing, sailing, fishing and canoeing. The Charente is also very well-known for the arts; the beauty and tranquillity of this region provides people with ample opportunity to discover hidden, inner talents or to simply appreciate the artistic creativity of others through the many arts and music festivals which take place across the region. With its diverse, natural beauty, remarkable landmarks, history and culture, the Charente is truly magnificent.

About me

Having originally bought an apartment in the south of the Charente to use for holidays, we quickly fell in love with the region and the French way of life. We entertained the idea of making a permanent move, as most happy holiday-makers do, but it wasn’t until we watched numerous episodes of “A Place in the Sun” and “le Tour de France” on TV that the dream turned into the beginning of a plan. Once we’d actually stood at the side of the road and felt the rush of the peloton as it raced past and marvelled at the “bonhomie” of the hundreds of locals who’d chosen to make a day of the event as it passed by their village, we realised that there was no other choice – French life was for us.We identified that we wanted to live in the north of the Charente because we adored the rolling countryside with its sparkling rivers, dense woodland, fantastic wildlife and long sunny days (characterising its reputation of being the 2nd sunniest region in France). We determined our criteria with type of property, price and location as key elements and used the agents’ websites, from the comfort of our armchairs in the UK, to whittle our search to a manageable number of viewings; allowing us to spend time at each property to consider its merits properly. We eventually chose a small – and sadly neglected - farm dwelling with a couple of outbuildings and a manageable amount of land, nestled amongst fields and woods just outside of a tiny village in the North Charente. Three years on and we have almost finished renovating our home. We’ve made some wonderful friends; we mix our working lives with evening aperitifs, strolls around open markets and bric-a-bracs, participation in local fetes, impromptu meals at lovely restaurants and have become a true part of our local community. Moving your whole life to another country is never going to be an easy thing to do. You have to be prepared to embrace a lot of new things, including learning the language and accepting a different culture and way of life, as we found out! However, I can honestly say that my wife and I have enjoyed every step (and hurdle!) and have no regrets. If you are serious about buying property over here and possibly making a permanent move, I recommend that you take the time to plan carefully before you get here. Talk to our agents and let them help you – they know their properties and their regions well and understand the pitfalls you may face, so let them help you scope out your viewing itinerary and do consider their suggestions of what may work well for you. Make the most of the time you are here by looking at properties you feel will really suit you and your budget (this is a big country – lots of viewings can take a long time to get done), keep your mind open to different options and make the most of the endless expertise and graciousness of others who will help you to make your decision and ultimately help you settle in. There’s no reason why you can’t have a happy life in France – just like us! I look forward to meeting you!