French House Hunting 07

Looking for property in France is really a lot of fun. Sure it’s time-consuming, but it allows me to travel all across the country and discover new cities and towns. Although Paris is where my heart is, there are so many beautiful cities in France that it’s hard not to fall in love. The French train system is incredibly efficient, and they have fantastic deals at reasonable prices. You can take a direct train from Paris to Lille in an hour for 10 EUR. Below are a few more houses to peruse:

House 01: 6 Bedroom, 2 Bath for €209,000. Cambrai is a historic town located in the Nord department in northern France. It grew prosperous in the middle Ages thanks to its weaving industry and the powerful archdiocese, and was also a very distinguished musical centre, notably due to the cathedral. Sadly, most of the religious buildings were destroyed during the Revolution, including the cathedral, though the archives survived. The area is also known for the Battle of Cambrai in 1917- a battlefield now seldom visited but groundbreaking due to the use of massed tanks and aircraft. Cambrai offers a number of cultural attractions including museums, chateaux and old fortifications. There are of course plenty of restaurants to sample the local delicacy of chitterling sausages. An annual festival celebrates France’s confectionary specialities, particularly the Betises de Cambrai (mint humbugs). A number of sports can be enjoyed in the area, including cycling, fishing, kayaking and horse riding. Cambrai is 45 minutes from Lille for the Eurostar, 1 hour and a half from the ferries in Calais and the airport at Beauvais.

House 02: 5 Bedroom, 2 Bath for €194,122. A GENTLEMAN’S RESIDENCE IN GOOD ORDER, WITH SPACIOUS ROOMS AND A LARGE, PLEASANT GARDEN OF NEARLY A QUARTER OF AN ACRE, FIVE MINUTES’ WALK FROM THE TOWN CENTRE AND THE MARKET PLACE. ONE HOUR FROM THE PORT OF CALAIS AND THE CHANNEL TUNNEL, 40 MINUTES FROM THE SEA.

House 03: 7 Bedroom, 2 Bath for €173,281. A VERY SPACIOUS, DETACHED, SPLIT-LEVEL HOUSE IN A LARGE VILLAGE WITH SHOPS AND SERVICES, BARELY 10 MINUTES DRIVE FROM THE HISTORIC MARKET TOWN OF HESDIN IN THE SEVEN VALLEYS REGION OF NORTHERN FRANCE. REASONABLY GOOD ORDER BUT NEGLECTED AND NEEDS WORK.. NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF AN ACRE OF GARDEN. ONE HOUR FROM CALAIS AND THE CHANNEL TUNNEL. 45 MINUTES FROM THE OPAL COAST.

House 04: 5 Bedroom, 1 Bath for €138,975. Less than one hour from the channel tunnel, between the market towns of Fruges and Hesdin (each about ten minutes,) a brick-built house with a very spacious living area of 198 square metres, on land of a quarter of an acre. Situated near the centre of a very attractive, historic village in a beautiful rural valley.

House 05: 5 Bedroom, 2 Bath for €214,920. The village of Bimont lies between the market towns of Hucqueliers and Montreuil sur Mer at the northern end of the Seven Valleys. Only 70kms from Calais and close to the motorway network, it is easily accessible from the UK and N. Europe.

House 06: 6 Bedroom, 1 Bath for €185,760. Obviously, I’ll have to add another bath or two but I just adore this property. This is a stunning house with lots of history and potential for the future. This French Mansion is full of character and charm. Set in its own hamlet where it ran the local economy, this house is now waiting for someone to return it to its former glory. Beautiful walled ‘secret’ garden and only 30 minutes to the DDay beaches, 10 minutes to Saint-Lo.

House 07: 7 Bedroom, 4 Bath for €214,000. Renovated Mill house for sale with a gîte and nearly 4 acres of land situated within 10 minutes’ walk of a bustling market town with local walking and fishing in Normandy in Western France. The property benefits from light and airy accommodation with large picture windows affording views over the woodland, millstream and gardens belonging to the property. The gîte and the Mill have been let at an overall price of up to £1,200 / week in peak season. The arrangement of the bedrooms lends itself to use as a B&B too.

As you can see, the search will not be getting any easier. I’m hoping to just walk up to a property and automatically fall in love. I also hope that the one I fall in love with does not require any work aside from a few personal touches. (But who am I kidding?)