Janice BURTON's selection of French property for sale

About my area

We live in the Vienne in a small village a few minutes from Chauvigny. Our village is mostly French with a little village primary school and a small bar/post office. Just 5 minutes in one direction is a honey farm and 5 minutes in the other direction is another farm specialising in goats cheese. We have on our doorstep the beautiful 11 th century Abbey at Saint Savin, a UNESCO world heritage site. Chauvigny is our main town with Chateaux and medieval quarter which is still inhabited by artisans. It has all amenities including bank, restaurants and a brilliant weekly market. We have local lakes for swimming and lots of rivers for fishing. The area is great for riding, walking, cycling and canoeing. The glorious beaches of La Rochelle are around 2 hours away. Poitiers Airport is only 40 km away, as is the nearest TGV, which gives easy access to the UK and the rest of France. The Vienne is such a wonderful place. Try it, you won’t want to leave. A bientot.

About me

As I write this I’m sitting in a small traditional café with well-trodden wooden floors, with romantic French music in the background. A couple of years ago I was a Barrister, living just outside of London. Like most stressed out, overworked, Londoners, I dreamt of one day escaping the arduous 3-hour commute. In 2015 we finally escaped and moved to the beautiful Vienne. The difference between then and now is that there is no fight to get on the train and no stationary traffic jams to negotiate. A French traffic jam is being stuck behind a herd of sheep, wobbling along the lane as they move from one field to anther. Our French neighbours have been a Godsend helping us negotiate the French paperwork. One neighbour who has the same birthday as me, invited us to lunch to celebrate. We joined 25 jovial French neighbours for 6 hours of numerous courses and hearty singing . The long hot summers enable us grow sufficient vegetables to last most of the year. Our hens and ducks provide us with eggs and their antics are far more entertaining than any TV soap. The language has been a challenge but most French people are very patient, which helps. My main tip would be learn the language before you arrive. Since the move I have found beauty, peace, and contentment.