Owning a character French home, complete with blue shutters, a gîte in the garden for guests and scenic views, is a dream most of us have – it’s also a dream that came true for Norma Taylor.

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

In October 2003, Norma swapped Devon for an undiscovered corner of Midi-Pyrénées, when she moved with her husband Mike, sadly now deceased, into a tired but charming property near the town of Villeneueve d’Aveyron. Norma had previously lived in Provence but this time wanted to be surrounded by real countryside and rustic French culture.

“We just loved the countryside and wildlife there, and the general welcome we received from the neighbours, many of whom are farmers and real country people,” said Norma. “You don’t get ‘pretend’ country dwellers who come from the towns here – the Aveyron is one of the largest departments in France, and I believe one of the least populated, so it suited us fine!”

Home for the Taylors became an 18^th-Century village property, which today includes a four-bedroom main house over three floors and with a barn attached for storage, a beautifully converted independent three-bedroom gîte and another unconverted cottage, all within a mature 2,150-sq-metre garden with a pretty courtyard area.

The property wasn’t in quite the same state when the couple, then both in their sixties, bought it, as Norma explains: “Mike was an engineer and pilot in the Navy, and loved DIY and creating things. When we moved in, the house was more or less habitable but the barns were unconverted – we completely renovated one to make the gîte, which has been perfect for putting up our joint families and many friends who’ve been to visit.

“We ended up doing far more to the main house than we intended – but one thing led to another. We restored the entire ground-floor, including the installation of a new kitchen, re-floored and redecorated the first floor and put in a new shower room there, and generally updated the interior furnishings throughout, putting in oak doors and new window frames. We’ve restored original features as much as possible too.”

Norma’s house is easy to reach from the UK, being convenient for airports at Rodez (45 minutes) and Toulouse (two hours) or a drive from ferry ports at Dieppe (six hours) and Calais (eight hours).

The pretty medieval town of Villeneueve d’Aveyron is just a scenic 10-minute drive away from her village. There you’ll find a doctor’s surgery, dentist, bakeries, bank, post office, supermarket, pharmacies, butcher and of course cafés and restaurants. There is also a market there every Sunday.

Norma’s change in personal circumstances means she is now looking to return to the UK, to be closer to family. With an asking price of €366,000, her Aveyron home is now for sale – see details here. Or browse the Rightmove Overseas listings for more property in the Midi-Pyrénées.

A simple way to save money when buying in France is to use a currency exchange specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, download Smart Currency Exchange’s free report or visit the Currency Zone.

For more information on buying property in France safely, download the Overseas Guides Company’s free France Buying Guide.