Village people

A village home can be the perfect property choice — a tiny town with the country on the doorstep

- Julie Savill

Torn between town and country? Want the support of local resources and the companionship of a community around you, but still yearn for wide-open spaces and peace and quiet? We think there is a way to have it all.

Village properties in France have been growing in popularity over the past five or more years and for very good reasons. It’s possible to have a taste of everything a bigger town can offer and, while a village won’t have the range of shops and commerce of a town, it has other things going for it that might swing the balance.

Here are some reasons a village home might be for you.

ON YOUR DOORSTEP

Your lifestyle, age and health could all be factors in whether you choose village life over rural remoteness.

If you are in your thirties or forties with young children, you might want to be close to other families in a similar situation. While the temptation may be to go for the country pad with a massive garden for games and animals, many village properties have decent gardens and the countryside is always within easy reach, so perhaps the need to own acres and acres goes away.

For those making a permanent move, attending the local school means children make local friends, leaving them free to meet up outside school whenever they want rather than relying on mum and dad’s taxi.

Similarly, if you don’t want to hop into the car every time a baguette beckons, then village life could be the way to go.