REAL LIFE
d’hôtes. Making new friends at any age can be hard, but just go for it: message, call or knock on the door and say hi. Get to know the great and
Above, from leſt: One of Gary and Ed’s holiday rental bedrooms; the couple’s home library and reading nook
gate, door or curtains. Ours were incredibly welcoming. The day after we moved in, a small delegation gathered outside the gates – we knew we didn’t want them to have to ring our bell, we wanted to go to them. So we quickly grabbed our miniature dachshund and dashed down the steps across the lawn and out through the gates to say bonjour. It has to be said that the dog was probably of more interest to them than us being a couple!
TAKE YOUR TIME You can’t get to know an area or community in a few days, so give yourself time to settle into your new life and community. For us, it was only as that first summer came to an end and people realised we really weren’t leaving that we saw a marked increase in the bonjourswe canvassed on our local walks, and the welcome grew ever warmer in our local restaurant, tabac and boulangerie. Our regular visits and
memberships at Château des Milandes and Jardins de Marqueyssac helped too. As Christmas drew near, we felt a real sense of being part of the community – not just because of the Christmas markets and ice skating in nearby Sarlat. Learn the language – a
considerable bonus that will shift how you’re perceived more than anything. We have met new and amazing people through our weekly French lessons and also got to know more locals through attending a fortnightly French-English discussion group in our village.
An extraordinary mixture of show and tell, language lesson and community drop in/ therapy, these really helped get our faces known and gave us a feel for the issues in the area. It was this group I asked
about their opinions of the newly appointed prime minister. Entertainingly (and on reflection, quite rightly), their only concern was what he would do in the job. Everyone was clear that they would judge him on his actions alone. Not one person had any interest or concern about his private life. A reminder for us that in France, what you do is sometimes more important than what you are. Get out and about in your local area. It’s incredibly
important for anyone to build relationships and become part of the community. Our advice is attend every village event, meet everyone you can, converse with people as much as possible and just get involved. I have volunteered to help run the community Loto and karaoke – even though my French is limited and I can’t carry a note to save my life. Try to find others like you;
tap into their experiences and ask their advice. We are lucky in that in our commune of about 400 people there is another gay couple, one of whom sits on the village committee. They have lived here for more than 20 years and run a charming chambres
“We have found our small rural community more accepting than we could ever imagine”
the good. Our maire has been exceptionally welcoming. A professional accordionist with a natural flair for putting on a performance, she needs little encouragement to get her accordion out and play for the crowd. When in maire mode, she has been nothing short of amazing – from visiting our home to advise on planning applications to putting us in touch with local professionals and always taking time to chat at village events.
A WARM WELCOME But it was a little email she sent after the village New Year party that meant we knew we were in the right place. In it, she thanked us for attending, described us as ‘wonderful people who had already become part of our community’, sent her best wishes to my in-laws who had joined the party and reminded us again that ‘the Périgord is a land of welcome’. We love it here, and having
settled into our new home we have been busy making improvements, running our gîtes and establishing a property search company to help others find their dream home in the area. But it’s the energy and effort we’ve put into integrating into the community that’s been most rewarding. We can honestly say that
we don’t regret our decision to move, or the location. There is nowhere we’d rather be. Living here has genuinely surpassed all our expectations. France has been incredibly welcoming and we have found the Dordogne and our small rural community more accepting than we could ever imagine. The appointment of the first LGBTQ+ prime minister is very much the icing on the proverbial gâteau.■
Gary and Ed canoeing on the Dordogne with Château de Castelnaud behind 58 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 2024
Gary Slark-Hughes Instagram: slark_hughes_en_ dordogne For more information, the Dordogne Buying Agent:
dordognebuyingagent.com La Maison du Pont de Cause:
lamaisondupontdecause.com
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