A NEW LIFE IN FRANCE
clichéd as it might be, the moment I set foot in this old French town I felt I’d come home. It was the most bizarre sentiment and one shared by my father who felt exactly the same way. Although the barn was based in a nearby
village, we spent most of our time here in St Antonin. Summer festivals, fi reworks, swimming, canoeing, street markets… It was heaven for holidaymakers. T e location is perfect. It is an hour from
Toulouse and Rodez airports. You have everything you need in town: cafés, bars, restaurants, supermarkets, schools etc. T e Pyrenees for ski season are not to far afi eld, the beaches of the South of France and Spain are all within easy reach.
buying process easier and protected the investment. Fortunately, the local estate agent was
fl uent in English and she explained what we needed to do in great detail. She also helped to arrange a French mortgage, which again was extremely straightforward. T e notaire was local. With the estate agent on hand to help with translations, the language did not prove to be a barrier at all. She even collected me from Toulouse airport when I fl ew in to sign the papers. I distinctly remember the day we were
handed the keys. It was January, at dusk; freezing cold and miserable. T e town was eerily quiet. T e only sound was the wind as it raced through the streets and alleyways,
I took a long hard look at all the things
that were making me unhappy in England. Although I love the vibrant nature of Bristol, city living has never been my cup of tea. I grew up in rural Staff ordshire and had always craved more of a rural life for my daughter too. Personally, I wanted, needed the time and space to think and write, feel inspired by my surroundings and focus on living life instead of chasing my proverbial tail. I also felt a strong desire to protect and
nourish my daughter’s childhood. As a child I was surrounded by nature and played outdoors, we kept chickens and grew vegetables and were children for longer without the pressure of the media and consumerist society. I sought this for my daughter. St-Antonin-Noble-Val has all of those
As if in a dream (or a fi lm), I threw open the shutters, casting sun on the smoke-stained walls and saw the most amazing view of the old town with its dramatic mountainous backdrop
T ere are hundreds of quaint little towns
to explore such as Puycelci, Najac, Bruniquel and Penne. It has been used as a fi lm location in Charlotte Gray (featuring Cate Blanchett) and more recently T e Hundred Foot Journey (starring Helen Mirren; released September).
The coup de foudre So it is no surprise that when we stumbled across a regal four-bedroom bourgeoisie townhouse for sale in Val, curiosity got the better of us and we had to arrange an appointment to view it. And she was beautiful. It was love at fi rst
sight, with her thick stone walls, overbearing fi replaces, and a twisting oak staircase with its spine-like appearance holding together her insides and connecting a rabbit warren of bedrooms. T e house is 200 square metres in total and located in the centre of the village. T e house was a mass of period features,
crooked oak beams, terracotta fl oors and absolutely terrible 1970s wallpaper. As if in a dream (or a fi lm), I threw open
the shutters, casting sun on the smoke- stained walls and saw the most amazing view of the old town with its dramatic mountainous backdrop: blue sky, white gorge walls, the bright sun; like a painting framed by the worm-eaten windows. T e house spoke a language, more familiar
to me than French. She prayed that I breathe life into her old pores, to make new and to love what has become our home. We very quickly decided to buy the house
for around £85,000. It was to be a family investment. My parents, sister and I (who were both in our twenties at the time) formed a French Société Civile Immobilière, a type of limited company, which made the
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rattling the shutters of old buildings and sweeping up what was leſt of the silver papered Christmas decorations. T ere was no water at the property, and
nor was there any electricity. T e house was so dark, we couldn’t even see it properly. A stark contrast to summer – it felt exhilarating and exciting but, at the same time, it was also completely nerve-wracking. I remember thinking: “What have we
done?” But it was an adventure. T at day, we also had the opportunity to meet the family who sold the house. It had been leſt to three siblings in their late sixties. T e family had grown up here and kept
the house on as a holiday home when their parents passed away but sadly it was no longer in use and had fallen in to a state of disrepair. On the surface, the house looked pretty dilapidated but we were very lucky as on closer inspection the majority of work on the house has been cosmetic. Shabby chic was the name of the game. We
needed a new roof. We had a loſt to renovate and a room used as a store for logs, which we hope will become the kitchen one day. My four-year-old daughter Poppy was about to gain a huge room fi t for a little princess with pink walls and plenty of space in which to play. T e bathroom and kitchen were very basic but adequate for our needs. We always intended for the house to be a
holiday home as I had dreamt about living in France but never imagined it possible. However, aſt er a diffi cult period for me in
England, I separated from my long-term partner and decided to move to France permanently with Poppy to help give us both a fresh start. It was a romantic idea and I desperately wanted an escape.
Right: Images of The Buckinghams’ house in St-Antonin-Noble-Val and from around the town.
things in abundance. A spa town carved into a white-washed gorge, it has a variety of outdoor activities on off er. Kayaking, fi shing, swimming, caving, cycling, it is all on the doorstep. It is a safe and joyful piece of paradise for children. Young children play together on the street
like we used to. We spend our time deer- spotting, watching the sun rise, marvelling at star-fi lled skies, making jams and eating tarte aux fraises. We make playthings out of bark, pine cones and leaves rather than plastic bottles. When I moved to St-Antonin-Noble-Val,
I enrolled my daughter into the local ecole maternelle (nursery school) and ran a small boutique selling organic and Fair Trade children’s clothes to make ends meet. T e trade here is mostly built on tourism
and is extremely seasonal. However, out of season the town is very quiet and I decided to shut up shop at the end of the summer season. My daughter’s school experience was very
positive, I love the fact that there is no uniform in France, Wednesdays are a non
Pros and cons of life in rural France:
Pros: 1. Beautiful surroundings
2. Property is great value for money 3. Great culture
4. Food, wine, quality of local produce 5. Good healthcare 6. Close to the UK
Cons:
1. Diffi cult to fi nd employment 2. Renovation can be expensive
3. Learning a new language is a challenge 4. Education system is very diff erent - Do your research!
5. It may be diffi cult to integrate - depending on location.
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