Alison BRETTELL's selection of French property for sale

About my area

Auvergne is generally attributed with having a relaxed pace of life. It is a remote region of natural wonders and a strong cultural legacy that can be found in the architecture, cuisine, and dialect. Auvergne is home to beautiful medieval villages, magnificent frescoed Romanesque churches and the castle's of the Bourbon Lords. We were very fortunate to find the beautiful village of Saint-Maurice-prés-Pionsat, a small village located north of the Auvergne, only a few kilometres from the border of the Allier and the Creuse. During the summers we have spent many hours at the local lake, or walking. The area is perfect for tranquility and nature lovers. Here life is slow and easy, although when you are enjoying it, time seems to pass by very quickly. There are many opportunities for day trips, for example to the Gorges de la Sioule where you can canoe or the volcanoes area where you can do paragliding, mountain climbing and swimming in a volcanic lake. A visit to the Puy du Sancy or Super-Besse is a must for ski-lovers. For a family day out the attraction park of 'Le Pal' offers many thrill rides and a zoo. Our nearest city is the medieval city of Montluçon where you can find plenty of activities on offer (shopping, restaurants, a swimming pool, bowling just to name a few). We have a choice of airports at Clermont-Ferrand or Limoges.

About me

In May 2004 we had sold our house and left England for France, with our three daughters, a car and trailer loaded with everything we needed for a year, our adventure began. We had rental accomodation booked for six weeks in the mining town of St Eloy les Mines and We found the area so appealing that we began to look at properties, within weeks we had found the house of our dreams, our children went to the local primary school where they integrated very well, the local villagers made us feel very welcomed. We felt very privileged. That was ten years ago, since then we have built a succesful business, our daughters are now 20, 18 and 14, all have done exceptionally well both at school and socially. Every day we consider ourselves very lucky to live here, in this beautiful countryside. There are no regrets of having left our stressful life in the UK to live this dream. Here we have found the perfect balance. Let's hope I can help you do the same.