Life is better in Brittany and Normandy

There is a respectful observation of religious heritage in Brittany which is to be admired. I'm not a religious person so, to be honest I don't go scouting too far off the beaten track in the UK... but I've certainly developed a curiosity about the spiritual experiences I've had over the last 15 or 20 years... and I've always been respectful about the religious followings of others... You have to admit there was definitely something going on when these chapels and churches were built with such passion, belief and dedication and back then journeymen; masons, carpenters, heraldic artists, stained glass artists and others...travelled far and wide over their careers as indentured apprentices and adult artisans working on ecclesiastical buildings for the glory of God... and probably, if money ever changed hands, it was far less than the minimum wage! We took to exploring churches and chapels quite a few years ago. It began when Micki was undertaking a project to exp...

Brittany's a tough,, ramped up agricultural environment. Even the strimmer we bought from the local DIY shop turned out to be 'Commercial Strength', so it's not surprising that when the local farmers here set about the annual Maize harvest in late September or early October... they have to do it 'big style'. The fields are huge and the task is gigantic and hectare upon hectare for miles around here are planted with sweetcorn. I can't imagine how this task would have been completed before mechanical equipment came into everyday use. It pulls into perspective why there are so many farmsteads and tied cottages making up the thousands of hamlets and many hundred villages across the peninsula so that anything on this scale could be carried out with anything like the same precision manually. It's extremely rare to find fresh maize for sale in supermarkets as a commodity for human consumption ... It's just a big 'Non' from the natives  ...

It's a must if you are in Brittany during the first two weeks of August... And, if you're not it's a good reason to make sure you are! And, with this annual event...another year's passing has been marked. August 4th was actually the anniversary of the Acte Finale - the signing of the finalisation of our contract to buy our house at Le Ros back in 1999. To celebrate the passing of 17 years stewardship of our house in Brittany, we are going, again, to the Abbey of Bon Repos to see 'Le Pays de Conomor'. It's a son et lumiere spectacle (a sound and light show) that is both stunning and heartwarming, illustrating a passion that the townsfolk of Gouarec have for just being Breton. Three hundred and fifty of them - mums, dads, kids, grans and grandads, over a two hour period, re-enact, in front of laser projected backdrops, the history of their region... tinged with good humour and expert timing, the story of Brittany unfolds. It's all about Chivalry and Pa...

For those who don't know, those who haven't enjoyed or endured the experience - having your fosse septique emptied gives you a feeling akin to filling your car's fuel tank to the brim after you've been inexplicably and continually driving past petrol stations when you know you are running on fumes (Never done it? - I'm not sure I can wholeheartedly believe you). "Let's be daring and pass just one more garage"... and then, when you succumb... that strange euphoria.  Yeh! That about sums it up... That sense of freedom. Facing the open road again with relaxation and the confidence that nothing can stop you now! When it comes to the emptying of your fosse the rehearsals of the conversation you are going to have when you telephone to book the appointment for the 'sludge gulper' to roll up are all worth it. Fora start there's the language barrier and the esoterics of it all. Although, when you hang up the phone... because it was in fact so si...

298 metres above sea level may not seem that high in the overall scale of mountain peaks but that's where, in 1380 a local Knight with his home at Le Quillio ('crest' in Celtic) in the Cotes d'Armor, had decided he would build a homage... the first Chapel of St Lorette. The spot had previously been used as a burial site in Neolithic times (10,200BC) and is marked by 28 stones… There must be some significance in that the stones in a line to the North are of white Quartz and those to the south are of schist or slate.  So it was that in the 14th Century a then Count of Uzel (a hilltop village, 6km from our house in Brittany) who significantly became Constable and leader of the armies of the King of France (top job) was fighting in Italy and was close to Ancona where the original chapel to Our Lady of Lorette is sited… He vowed, at this his darkest moment, that if he survived and won through during this, his worst ordeal, that he would build a chapel at the h...

An 8 Bedroomed Manoir, PLUS a 4 Bedroomed Longere/Farmhouse on a large courtyard, with stables, outbuildings and 7 Hectares of land - divided amongst parkland, woodland, grazing and gardens close by the house. Sounds idyllic, ne fait-il pas? Well it is... and it's now available for just 300,000€ + Fees! (£238,000*)  Exceptional it certainly is and deserves to be seen! If this was in the Home Counties you wouldn't see change out of £1.25 million - but in Brittany at today's prices they are just this side of 'hen's teeth in terms of their rarity! At A House in Brittany we don't often publish blog posts about individual houses - but now and again there is a good reason to buck that trend... and this house deserves it in spades. It has been on the market for a good while now and started off, as you can imagine, at a much higher price - some 650,000€ + Notaire's Fees. The current owner, from the UK had the misfortune to have a successful career cut short ...

There was no inkling when we rolled up that anything was unusual about Le Roz... 'The Rose'... an 18th Century Corps de Ferme (the heart of a farm with all but 3,000m2 of it's land redistributed amongst neighbouring working farms) we plucked it from dereliction. And from under the noses of some local would-be buyers, who we pipped to the post; those who might have had a weather eye on the place themselves...but bought by this barmy couple from England. Since March 1999 and the signing of the Compromis and the paying of 10% deposit , we had eagerly awaited the call to say that all the documentation was complete and we were ready for the Acte Finale... Balance wired to the Notaire for placement in his clients' holding account, we were on the blocks and ready for the 'off' when Russell (who had introduced us to the house in the guise of introducing agent) called to give us the preferred date for the transfer of ownership. He suggested that we should meet him...

Our £12,000 house when we first saw it in 1999. Have you outgrown life in the UK? or almost anywhere else for that matter… Apart from all the hype and hyperbolé about Europe the 'are we in', are we out - is it good, is it bad?... How could we have turned this down at £12,000 back in 1999? Maybe you're empty nesters - We were in our time, 'rattling around' in a house that is getting a bit baggy now that the kids have left home. OR, you're younger possibly… and maybe technology has set you free and - lucky you - you can work from home…wherever the difference between income and expenditure is the widest (George Osborne - take note) - anywhere at all in fact. You are, as were are - and still are, 'have laptop… will travel' and all that,. Brilliant! But, whatever makes you footloose, you might just want to take a look at North West France. Out of reach - but not out of touch. Brittany and Normandy have plenty to offer apart from Moules Mariniere, Crepes...

....You bet it is!.. I'm starting 2016's posts off with a quick appraisal of a few properties that show what a stonking investment a house in Brittany can be... according, of course, to what sort of buyer you are... Don't be insulted, but some people are just nutters (in fact this is the category I probably fall into myself)... We, that's Micki and myself, in 1999, bought a dream of a house for just 12,000 of our English pounds (plus Notaire's fees of course). I know - amazing isn't it! We have since proceeded to visit the house 6 times each year for around two weeks each trip and, up to this point, never spent any more time than this over there together. On two or three occasions I have spent a few weeks more than that over at the house when major works were on the agenda - such as when two rooves were replaced... bathrooms created from scratch; including floors, walls, wiring (there's one bloody light fitting still doesn't work properly) plumbin...

12,000 English Pounds got us this place in 1999! Though, of course it NEVER rains in Brittany! But that's probably as true as the one about how it ALWAYS rains in Manchester! The first thing to say is... we have been very, very lucky with property over the years. I'm not sure that I should carry on buying lottery tickets... because I'm certain we have had a lifetime's luck in the surprisingly few houses that have marked out our lives. In 1999 we bought, in addition to our house in West Sussex, what is known as a 'Corps de Ferme' in Brittany, in the northwest corner of France. We had been on a couple of viewing trips and seen some frightening stuff, some total ruins where a complete rebuild would be the order of the day and, on one occasion, whilst holding on to the local Immobilier's details which showed a reasonably maintained and attractive looking property we drove round and round the village for so long that the locals were gathering and commenting...