Brittany and Pays de la Loire – France

Part 2 of ” Ce n’est pas difficile!”: Our first foray into serious house hunting in the Loire Valley.

Read Anne’s account of their first house-hunting trip and find out whether they found the ideal house in the ideal location in the Pays de la Loire near Tours

We’re pleased to have sent the first newsletter to our growing membership – the first since we launched the site in January. It has generated plenty of traffic and feedback and so we thought it would be relevant to present it here on the blog for our visitors too.
Read the full Brittany and Pays de la Loire newsletter

This is the first in my new series about how my husband and I ended up owning our own corner of France near Tours in the heart of the Loire – which we now enjoy sharing with other lovers of the French way of life!
Read how Anne and her husband set out to own their own pied à terre in France

Had a very busy Sunday this weekend as we attended the AIKB Kermesse fete in Laniscat, selling both my Usborne Books and also promoting our new MyShoppingGenie Internet Marketing business. I’m especially excited about it today as we’ve just received our first commission cheque!

Did you know that 9 out of 10 people do not recognise a genuine opportunity when they see it? Well, we are looking for Number 10!

So, why did we choose that one? What are the criteria for making the selection?

I can’t really tell you what you should do but I can tell you what we did … and didn’t do!

Read Len’s tips for buying a house in France

Back in Brittany, after a busy few weeks seeing my son in Germany and then back to the UK sorting out bits and bobs. Just about cleared the house now. Haven’t had any interest in our house sale so it’s now on the rental market until things pick up.

I’m delighted to announce that there is now a permanent Usborne Books stall in Elizabeille, the artisan, craft and brocante gallery that’s just opened in Laurenan.

Following in the footsteps of George East (from his latest book French Impressions – Brittany), we decided to take a look at the area between Marzan and Béganne in Southern Brittany, in particular the pretty port of Le Foleux on the banks of the river Vilaine.

Read more about our visit to Le Foleux in Brittany

We finally decide to buy a house near Saumur in the Loire Valley.

Read Len’s first account about house hunting in the Loire Valley

Elizabeille is a great new attraction in Laurenan (just off the N164 between Merdrignac and Loudeac).

Run by an artisan called Elizabeth Turner, Elizabeille is a large craft hall selling artisan products, with regular artisan demonstrations, craft classes, free activities for children and a children’s play area. There’s also a tea shop serving drinks and cakes, and a second hand section with various different items for sale too.

Find out more about the Elizabeille craft centre

Ok so we’re here and I can’t believe how fast the past two weeks has gone!

The furniture was delivered on schedule and then we had the task of deciding where everything was to go. We also cleared out our barn, which was five years overdue and had three full dechetterie runs in our van.

We’ve now rebuilt wardrobes, changed pictures around and the place feels more like home than just a holiday home…

Read Philippa’s account of her relocation to Brittany