Don't miss Wetherby's French Property Exhibition

Discover how to find your dream home in France with this upcoming property event on May 19 and 20.
This charming 3-bed Charente house with pool is on the market with Charente Immobilier for 336,000 Euros.This charming 3-bed Charente house with pool is on the market with Charente Immobilier for 336,000 Euros.
This charming 3-bed Charente house with pool is on the market with Charente Immobilier for 336,000 Euros.

From the busy cafes on cobbled laneways in Montmartre to the shimmering rows of lavender in Provence, France has always been alluring to visitors from this side of the Channel.

For those living in Yorkshire, it’s also never been easier to explore with popular links from Leeds Bradford Airport to Bergerac, Limoges, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice and Paris.

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But why settle for a one-off holiday? With its world-famous gastronomy, beautiful landscapes, unique culture, relaxed pace of life and of course, temperate climate, more and more people are weighing up their options in order to buy a holiday home or make a permanent move to France.

This immaculate spacious 4-bedroom villa is offered for sale by Charente Immobilier for 346,500 Euros.This immaculate spacious 4-bedroom villa is offered for sale by Charente Immobilier for 346,500 Euros.
This immaculate spacious 4-bedroom villa is offered for sale by Charente Immobilier for 346,500 Euros.

That’s just what local couple Nigel Francis and Claire MacMenemey did last year after a visit to the French Property Exhibition.

“It’s a huge country and the show helped us narrow down our ideas enough to plan a viewing trip. We made some really useful contacts with estate agents and were introduced to the beautiful department of Tarn-et-Garonne. We had never explored this corner of France before but on visiting, it was absolutely perfect for us,” said Claire.

The couple attended the exhibition in May 2016 with plans to run a “glampsite” somewhere in France, but without really knowing where to focus their search.

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Nigel had originally spent 11 years running a tented safari camp in Kenya before returning to the UK. When he and his partner Claire decided to escape their nine-to-five jobs in Harrogate and set up something similar, France was an obvious choice, made all the more easier thanks to the experts at the French Property Exhibition.

A charming idyllA charming idyll
A charming idyll

“After a lot of searching, we discovered Le Camp was for sale and we became the owners in June 2017 – right before the summer season and just five weeks before the first guests arrived! It was a lot of work to get ready and run our first season but it was a success with lots of positive feedback and now we are looking forward to another busy summer and hopefully quite a few off-peak bookings too,” she added.

“It really feels like home now and we have made lots of friends, mostly expats like us. We spend as much time as possible outdoors, enjoying the beautiful countryside. Today [mid-March], it’s been 26C and we’ve been busy building guest showers, planting strawberries and looking after our goats.”

So, do Claire and Nigel have any regrets about uprooting and moving to France? “It’s a million miles from our old life in the UK but it’s the best decision we ever made,” said Claire.

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If you dream of buying a holiday home, relocating or, like Claire and Nigel, setting up a business in France, head to the exhibition to chat with the property industry professionals and start planning your move.

If you dream of buying a holiday home, relocating or setting up a business in France, head to the exhibition to chat with the property industry professionalsIf you dream of buying a holiday home, relocating or setting up a business in France, head to the exhibition to chat with the property industry professionals
If you dream of buying a holiday home, relocating or setting up a business in France, head to the exhibition to chat with the property industry professionals

As well as an extensive programme of daily seminars offering free expert advice on all aspects of buying and living in France, there are lots of properties to browse through with great value investments just waiting to be found. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet property agents face to face to discuss how to make your dream move a reality. You can find the seminar timetable here: http://www.frenchpropertyexhibition.com/news/dont-miss-the-seminars-at-wetherby-property-exhibition

Find out more and register for free fast track entry to the French Property Exhibition at Wetherby Racecourse on 19-20 May at www.frenchpropertyexhibition.com/show/yorkshire