A quiet life
Carolyn Reynier explores La Margeride, a scenic and tranquil corner of Lozère
I
want to take you to a wild and secret location in Lozère in the Occitanie region. Its population may be the lowest
in France, but all of the 430-plus rivers fl owing through Lozère – including the Tarn, Lot and Allier – rise in the department. Not for nothing is it known as the Pays des Sources. The Margeride, in the
northeast, is an area of immense plains and high granite plateaux, wooded and eroded expanses of heathland and pines, fl owing rivers and sparkling lakes, all scented with the mossy fragrance of its forests. The 1,050-hectare Lac de Naussac off ers beaches and a variety of water activities, as do other smaller lakes. There’s great hiking, cycling and mountain biking, as well as excellent river and lake fi shing and kayaking, and if enough snow falls, you can explore the area on skis too. We’ll look at property in and
around Langogne, with its circular medieval town centre, on the border with Haute-Loire and Ardèche; Châteauneuf- de-Randon perched on a rocky promontory; and Le Malzieu- Ville, one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France on the banks of the Truyère river. I spoke to Ingrid Trioulier
at the Agence Immobilière Langonaise at Langogne. This
little town lies at the crossroads of three departments, so her sector covers the Margeride and also parts of Haute-Loire to the north, and Ardèche to the east. Langogne is on the N88 Lyon-Toulouse main road, halfway between Haute-Loire prefecture Le Puy-en-Velay to the north and Lozère prefecture Mende to the southwest.
CENTRAL LOCATION “If you prefer to be in town and get everywhere on foot, there are small, tall (one room per fl oor), stone terraced houses available. Properties in the Rue Haute, which starts in the heart of the old town, often have a small rear garden,” she says. You could pick up a house for
restoration for about €40,000; expect to pay €160,000– €170,000 for a renovated one. If you buy in the old town centre and want to do work, you’ll need to consult the Bâtiments de France architect. Some old houses have been converted and off er 40m2
–50m2
independent apartments on each fl oor, she adds. However, they rarely come to market because investors often buy the entire building and let out the apartments for rental income. “In any case,” says Ingrid, “people in these parts tend to purchase houses rather than apartments because both
Learn more about the regions of France
frenchentree.com/ regional-property- guides
For the adventurous, there’s Malzieu Via-Ferrata in the Truyère Gorges
property and building land are inexpensive.” If you’ve set your heart on
building your own home, you can buy a plot of around 700m2 for about €40,000 in housing estates on the outskirts of Langogne; if you haven’t, you can snap up a modern three- bedroom villa for €200,000 just a short walk from the shops. In surrounding hamlets, each
Enjoying watersports on Lac de Naussac aſt er the tourists have all gone home 72 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: March/April 2023
sector has its own clientele. “We have clients who’ll want the Côté Ardéchois, others who
will only want Haute-Loire or the Margeride,” she says. This is the Massif Central, so although landscapes vary, they remain similar – as does the architecture. The main type of construction is the corps de ferme built in local granite or volcanic rock. People love old farmsteads – either to renovate, or already renovated with large living areas of 90m2
-100m2 or
more, created in former stables and barns. Livestock kept in days of yore included cows,
© ELSA CYRIL
© JEAN-SÉBASTIEN CARON – OT MARGERIDE EN GÉVAUDAN
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