Pilates en France
When Melanie Geenty had to move from her thriving Pilates studio at her home in Kew in 2003, she says she faced a choice of either living in a bedsit and renting a studio or moving on, following her daughter and making a new life in France.
Melanie needed a home she could base her business from. She knew exactly what she wanted to achieve and, as it turned out, finding a location to make her dream a reality was easy.
Melanie began looking in Lot, where she now lives in a pretty hamlet near the village of Campagnac-lès-Quercy. She was enchanted by the countryside and encouraged by the number of visitors who come to the department every year.
‘It has beautiful rolling countryside,’ she says. ‘It’s quite like the Cotswolds because it’s got honey-coloured stone, and is ideal for a holiday centre. Plus it’s very close to all the massively popular tourist areas.’
Her search was spurred on by her daughter who found several suitable houses for Melanie to look at. ‘Beki put a list together and Les Tilleuls was on it,’ says Melanie. ‘It’s built round a courtyard so it’s got a very enclosed intimate feel to it, and then it’s got these panoramic views.’
It was way too expensive but Beki urged Melanie to look at it anyway because it looked as though it was a fascinating place.
‘And that was the end of it,’ says Melanie. ‘We just walked into the courtyard and went, “somehow we’ve got to do this” which involved massive mortgages and doing all those things I promised myself I wouldn’t do.’
Then the hard work began. ‘You’ve got to really, really want to do it,’ says Melanie, ‘and I think anyone who’s come over here to set up a business would agree with that.’ And she warns: ‘Whatever you think the lead time to get your business up and running will be – double it.’
Yet Melanie says she would encourage others to make the effort: ‘It’s a bit like having a baby. It seems enormously painful at the time but once you sit here and it’s all done and it’s looking gorgeous you forget the process… It was such an interesting time – and my building terms in French are fantastic now!’
Melanie spoke nothing but French for that first year and found that it really paid off. ‘They really appreciate you making the effort. I couldn’t have got through the last couple of years without my neighbours. They’ve been amazing.’
And there is no doubt that her new life has worked out better than she ever expected; and her guests are loving it too, as they relax by the pool, enjoy the scenery and revitalise themselves with her Pilates sessions.
‘I haven’t had a single negative comment from anybody,’ she says with real delight. ‘And I’ve got a visitors’ book that I shall cherish for ever.’
Summing up her experiences, Melanie says: ‘As I stand here looking at this amazing view, it’s just all been so, so worthwhile. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.’
Pilates en France
Les Tilleuils
La Roque Haute
24550 Campagnac-les-Quercy
Tel: 00 33 (0)5 53 31 97 22
www.pilates-en-france.com
Price £250 for a minimum two-night stay
Tillac Photo
Paul Amos and his wife, Paula, left their jobs in 2005 and sold up to run gîtes and a photographic holiday course in France. ‘It was just something about France – the culture, the relaxed way of life,’ Paul says. ‘The whole object was to really do something different.’
But it was a gradual process. ‘It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing,’ he says. ‘Obviously, with magazines like Living France, you read and pick up on other people’s mistakes. And you plan…’ For five years in their case.
Eventually, they bought a large barn in the quiet hamlet of Plassac-Rouffiac, 20 minutes from Angoulême in Charente, and he describes its renovation into two gîtes as great fun but adds: ‘We’ve worked hard for it. It’s not all beer and skittles, but we’ve certainly no regrets whatsoever.’
And they added a pool. ‘If you’re doing holiday lets, then a pool is a must,’ says Paul. ‘When the temperatures get up to above 40-something there is no substitute.’
Having a pool with a gîte comes with conditions though – a regulation safety fence set Paul back an unexpected £5,000. Dreams, it seems, do not come cheaply.
He is unconcerned about these unforeseen expenses, though, and says that the benefits far out weigh the reduction in earnings.
‘We might not have nearly as much income as we did in the UK but I am less stressed and more relaxed,’ Paul says. ‘We came out here knowing that we couldn’t make a living from gîtes alone so, as a professional photographer, I planned the photographic workshops.’
And Paul’s workshops are relaxing too; aimed at people with a love of France and an interest in photography. ‘People enjoy it and learn something,’ he says. ‘We’ll venture out to the countryside, take some pictures, download and have a chat. It’s a fun, relaxing thing.’
Just like the French way of life which he has embraced with enthusiasm. ‘They are much more relaxed than us,’ he says. ‘Sunday, you can’t find a DIY shop open for love nor money, which I quite like …and they still have their two-hour lunches.’
His verdict so far? ‘It’s like I’ve had a year’s sabbatical. Some of the things we’ve done we would never have done back home. And I just think both Paula and I have learned so much about ourselves and each other.’
Tillac Photo
Tel: 00 33 (0)5 45 70 21 90
www.tillac-photo.com
Workshops from April to May and September to October.
Cost £295 including all meals and three nights’ accommodation.
Gîtes range from £400-£800 per week.
Writing in La Creuse
Rebecca Woods and Bill Dawson live and work in Liverpool but run writing courses in Creuse in Limousin.
For Rebecca, it’s a labour of love. ‘We are doing it for pleasure,’ she says. ‘It’s an extension to our life. The original idea was to buy a place, then possibly think about renovating it and then run the courses at our place. And when we got out there we discovered that so many things can go wrong, and if you’ve got a job in the UK you can’t just drop everything to go and sort it out.’
And so, in 2005 they bought a small house for themselves which they rent out when they’re not there; and they run their courses from La Borderie, the nearby home of their friends, Marian and Tim Pearson who provide accommodation and meals for guests. ‘The four of us get on so well and we’ve had such a laugh doing it,’ she says.
They chose Creuse because it was easy to get to by direct flights. ‘We really love it. Creuse is very rural, very hilly with lakes. It is just beautiful and peaceful.’
But they were stung by France’s lack of surveys and an unscrupulous estate agent. ‘The first week after we moved the roof leaked,’ says Rebecca. ‘Make sure you ask about the main things like the roof, electricity… and don’t be swayed just because it might be a beautiful view. Just keep your feet firmly on the ground.’
And she adds: ‘I fell in love with the garden. It’s beautiful but it still has weeds. So, for those who live in France part-time don’t go for a big garden – after all, you can always go for a walk in the hills.’
Maintenance is available from specialist companies but she prefers to seek the help of locals. ‘They’ve given us so much advice,’ she says, ‘and the experience isn’t just the house itself – although that is a big part of it – it’s getting to know the people too.’
Although it’s hard to make running a holiday course cost effective, the couple get a lot of enquiries via their website and marketing early paid off.
‘Sometimes people see something and they won’t make the decision for that year,’ says Rebecca. ‘They’ll make it for the following year or even the year after.’
Bill’s comprehensive course teaches screenwriting and the testimonials are glowing. Rebecca admits to being a bit anxious before they started doing it but she soon found it was a lot of fun and now they hope to expand, with other creative courses in the pipeline.
Writing in La Creuse
Tel: 0151 228 6552
www.writinginlecreuse.co.uk
7-day course £645 single room, £575 shared room.
* Ask the estate agent all those ‘survey’ type questions so you know what you’re buying
* Expect to need a financial buffer for a year at least. The setting-up time and cost could be double your expectations
* Get that website up and running early – don’t wait for the last lick of paint to dry
* Be realistic when buying – someone will have to weed that garden!
* Speak French – and the locals will support and befriend you