'My world had colour' A holiday and a new life

As the summer season draws to a close in Europe, three Guardian readers tell how a transformative holiday they took inspired them to make big life changes.

- Jedidajah Otte

'A rail trip to the south of France made us buy and move into a train station'

Abby Kendrick, 40, a researcher, was living in Coventry with her husband, Alastair, when the pair decided to embark on a honeymoon on the French railway in April 2022.

"We got married in December 2021," Kendrick says. "When we met, I lived in London and he in Coventry. We would always celebrate with a cocktail at St Pancras Renaissance hotel when he came down on a train to visit.

We knew St Pancras would be the venue for our celebrations.

"We travelled through France by train and stayed in Eus, the sunniest village in France. I'd been to the Languedoc region, but never that far south.

"I had seen a train station for sale in the Pyrénées-Orientales - why not go take a look, for something to do? Initially, I made the appointment with the estate agent just to be nosy. It was a two-bed house, the old station master's quarters.

"With views of the Canigó, and the sound of the white water of the river Têt, one day out walking I had the wonderful realisation that we could buy the station and be mortgage free - and be close to both sea and ski.

"On viewing the station for a second time, the estate agent asked us if we would be making an offer.

To which my husband replied: 'I think so, yes!' We were both just ready for a slower pace of life.

The couple haggled the asking price of €158,000 (£134,000) down to €133,000, bought the station two years ago and finally sold their house in Coventry last week.