Listening to the sounds of countryside silence

I was sitting on the upstairs covered terrace the other evening, watching the Dordogne River gurgle past. The view of the river is superb, the water flows over the Dordogne stones as it makes its way westwards. The path to the river at the bottom of the garden takes you down a 16 metre incline through the wooded copse; Absolutely no risk of flooding!

The birds were having a noisy conversation and all was well in our world. I was supposed to be working on my novel but my muse had left me and I was luxuriating in the calm and peace of the countryside.

I spied some movement in the field next door and a tractor lumbered its way around, cutting the long grass; often amongst this grass is wild mint, and the scent of the chopped mint soon reached my nose. Wonderful, I immediately had a desire for Roast lamb, or new potatoes!

People are often surprised at how quiet the house is. If you google us we appear to be on a main road, the D12, a shady road which follows the river between Beaulieu Sur Dordogne (7k away) and Argentat (12k away). However this main road is incredibly quiet, and not mainstream at all.

We rarely hear any traffic pass by. This may also be because all the living parts of the house are at the rear, presumably built in such a way to get the full benefit of the river from the windows on the second and third floor.

Slowly the smell of the mint disappeared and the sound of the birds took pole position on my senses.

The buzzards continued soaring on the thermals and the young house martins continued their flying lessons.

If you are seeking a fabulous new home in France, near an airport, or just a holiday home, this house for €220,000 is a bargain!

Summer has arrived..House reduced to €220,000… a bargain!

We have just returned from a trip to Normandy and found the perfect house to buy. Unfortunately the buyers of our property decided not to proceed.

So, the property is now on the market at €220,000 plus notaire fees, we will be willing to accept sensible offers to ensure we do not lose the property we have found.

We would not have sought out a property to buy had we known our prospective purchasers would suddenly decide not to proceed; it always creates a dilemma when you find a house before you have signed the compromis de vente (exchange of contracts) on your own property.

Brive airport has the first flights to London City next week, and this house is approximately 40 minutes from the airport.

So please do get in touch if you are looking for a fabulous house bordering the Dordogne River… we will be pleased to hear from you.

Flights from Brive to London City start in June..

Guide2pc Limousin have announced the following on their website

“The new Brive – Dordogne Valley airport, which is due to open for business on 15 June has announced its first international destination, with a new route to London, starting on 25 June.

Airline City Jet will operate the service between Brive and London City Airport, with one-way tickets available from an introductory rate of 59€.

City Jet is an Irish registered airline that is owned by the Air France KLM group, and therefore offers Flying Blue air miles as well as other passenger benefits. The company will use an Avro RJ85 aircraft on the route, which is capable of carrying 95 passengers.

There will be three rotations per week on offer, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the service will run from 25 June to mid September”

You can visit the City Jet website and book flights here http://www.cityjet.com/dyn/pages/destinations/

Fishing at the bottom of your garden!

The Dordogne River offers wonderful opportunities for fishing.

Our house is situated on the river between Argentat and Beaulieu and is said by many to be the cleanest part of the Dordogne river. Here you can fish for grayling and there are also trout in this part of the river.

During the summer months the river is fairly shallow and we often watch the anglers wading in the water or fishing from the bank opposite. They appear to pass many a pleasant evening along the river banks when it is quiet and peaceful.

The picture header on this blog was taken, by us, not far from our house.

Imagine the peace and utter bliss of a time spent in the cooling water, making its way westwards, whilst buzzards hover on the thermals above the rock face, at the bottom of your own garden.

The fishing seasons vary but to give an idea of the fishing season, the following maybe useful.

Fishing is allowed during the season only from half an hour before dawn to half an hour after sunset

Grayling: The grayling season is from 13th March to 21st November inclusive.
Pike: The Pike season is from the 3rd Saturday in April to the last Sunday in January. Pike under 50cms are to be returned to the river.
Salmon: Salmon fishing is not allowed on the Dordogne.
Sea Trout: Sea Trout fishing is not allowed on the Dordogne
Shad: From mid May to Mid June.
Trout: The season opens on the 2nd Saturday of March and closes on the 3rd Sunday of September. Fish under 25 cms must be returned to the water alive. You have the right to take 6 fish per person per day but fish stocks of the wild fish are unsustainable at this level so a policy of ‘no kill’ is encouraged and appreciated.
Zander: The season is from the 2nd Saturday in May to the 3rd Saturday in January.

It is a legal requirement to buy a fishing permit or “Carte de Pêche”. Rivers are patrolled by gendarmes and by ‘gaurdians de pêche’ to ensure that anglers have one. “The Carte de Pêche de Vacances” is valid for 15 consecutive days and currently costs in the region of 30 Euro’s, this can be used between 1st June and 30th November.

After 30th November and before the 1st June an annual permit is obligatory. This currently costs in the region of 60 Euros though prices may vary from department to department. It may be used for the whole year but only in one department. You can add another 45 departments by purchasing a stamp of the Club Halieitique so your total annual cost will be about 84 euros, which is a little more than one euro a week and no driving or parking problems!

Local Airport at Brive to open soon

It’s official, the airport at Brive, some 40 minutes from our house, is to open in July.

At the moment UK flights come into Limoges (approximately 102km from the house, the majority of the route is on the A.20, direct to Brive) Bergerac (approximately 109km on good roads from the house) and Toulouse (approximately 161 km from the house, picking up the A20 at Gramat)

The new Brive airport will provide at least two daily flights to Paris and during the next few days the contract for flights to England, with either Ryanair or Flybe, will be announced.

Watch this space!

You buy our house, we’ll buy yours ~~ … maybe!

Would your consider a house swap for the Dordogne, France?

We might!

French estate agents are reporting an increase in people viewing houses in France, with buyers from Holland and Belgium being the most interested.

It is thought the exchange rate from Sterling to the Euro will improve and British buyers are searching once again for properties in France.

We now understand the airport at Brive, only about 40 minutes from our house, is definitely due to open in June 2010 and there will be daily flights to Paris and England.

So thinking laterally, as I often do, I am wondering if anyone actually living in France, in Normandy or Brittany, is looking to move to the South West of France and has not yet sold their house.

If you have a house for sale in those regions and like the look of our house, please do get in touch and maybe we can do a house swap. We are looking for something smaller and cheaper, but open to ideas.

Alternatively, if you have a house in the southern part of England (central, east or west) we may be interested in doing a house swap with you!

Will continue my ponderings and lateral thinkings..

xx

Strawberry Fair and Beaulieu..

A short video to show how the town responds to the Strawberry Fair and enjoys the massive tart at the end of the day..

Video of Beaulieu Sur Dordogne …

with some lovely music!!… enjoy the calm and peaceful lifestyle which emanates from beautiful ancient architecture.

ALSO… don’t go away yet… The Tourist Office in Beaulieu have produced this website, in English, which will tell you about our village of Brivezac, and surrounding places to visit.. just click on the map to see more … at this link.

Beaulieu Sur Dordogne..

Beaulieu sur Dordogne, which is about 8 kilometres down river, literally, from our house was originally developed around a benedictine abbey, part of which still exists, the 12th-13th century church of Saint-Pierre de Beaulieu.

It is an excellent example of a roman-style church with a stunning sculptured entrance.

The majority of the town, which has two market squares has medieval houses, part colombage and part traditional stone.

Every year in May there is the Strawberry Fair. The powerful scent of almost 5 tonnes of strawberries from the region fill the air and many thousands descend on the town for a day of family fun.

An enormous strawberry tart is built during the preceeding two days by the villagers and at the end of the day it is distributed, free, to anyone who would like a piece; it contains a lot of protein and flies and wasps are in their element, drawn to the sweet aromatic odour which eminates from this massive tart.

Massive Tart Made by the Town for the Strawberry Fair in May each year

French house prices ‘on the up’ by 3.9%

The National Property Guide have this week reported that the National Association of Real of Estate Agents in France (FNAIM) are reporting a 3.9% rise in French properties. For the full report, click here.

It is interesting to see this increase in property prices. Many French Estate Agents we have spoken with have said that the market has remained consistent for properties under 150,000 euros, which are selling well. They also report that the Dutch, Belgians and French are still actively looking and buying rural properties.

Many French people are now wishing to move from big cities to the rural idyll as broadband connections are more widely available to country areas.

British buyers have of course lessened their interest in buying overseas properties due to the world recession, but many still visit France to look for houses they aspire to own.

Brive Airport is due to open in June 2010, approximately 40 minutes from our house and local agents are predicting a 15% increase in house prices in the area.