Judith Stevenson and her husband fell in love with the romantic Cathar country, and vowed to exchange their
'day-jobs' for a new life in Aude............

Our story began many years ago, spending wonderful relaxing holidays in the South of France, sitting under olive trees, sipping wine and wishing with all our hearts we could live in France permanently. Slowly over the years we became much more unhappy with our life in Britain. Being constantly at work or on call and never having time together was taking its toll on us. An opportunity arose for us to spend a weekend in Perpignan and we boarded the plane not realizing that this was our first step to a new life!
During our stay we travelled along the D117 towards Quillan. We saw historic Cathar castles, the fast flowing river Aude and beautiful rocky mountains, we visited the Sunday market at Esperaza and fell in love with the area. Not only was it beautiful but it is easily accessible by air, with Carcassonne and Perpignan airports less than an hour away.

On return to the U.K. we decided that we had to move to France as soon as possible but what would we do for a living? We were tempted to just leave it to chance and think "Oh, we'll get a job when we get there" but realism took over and we decided to look for a house that was big enough to offer B&B.

"Take the roof off and the sun will come in!"

Our search began by contacting several Estate agents and sending a detailed "wish list" In the end there was only one house that suited our requirements and our pockets!
As soon as I entered our house here in Granes (a tiny village about 10 mins from Quillan) I knew I wanted it. The only problem was that it had no garden only a small terrace with a large barn behind it. The helpful Estate Agent just said, "take the roof off and the sun will come in", so we did and it did!!

Our village is situated on a very fertile plateau, surrounded by vines, forests and olive trees. The views are spectacular, with the foothills of the Pyrenees to one side and the mysterious village of Rennes Le Chateau to the other Our address is Grande Rue which sounds important but as there are only 14 houses in Grande Rue and a total of 120 people in the village nothing is very grand in Granes!!

"dream of sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine on a warm sunny evening......"

My hobby has always been cooking and I therefore wanted to pursue this here in France The main attraction of the house was that it had a large kitchen. Opening off this is a stone barn which would make a lovely dining area, opening directly onto the newly constructed walled garden. My dream of sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine on a warm sunny evening was further enhanced when we found out that our neighbour owned the village vineyard and sold wine "en vrac" from the cave next door. My husband, John "appreciates" a good wine and is often seen "visiting " next door with assorted empty bottles and containers, only to return later, a little unsteady but with full assorted bottles and containers! His excuse is that we are giving trade to the village and saving money at the same time!
Our time here has not been easy. I have never been so physically tired in all my life but I can now mix concrete, varnish wood, connect pipes etc. etc. Our house is by no means finished even though we have been here for three years but we do have two lovely letting bedrooms, both with en suite bathrooms. One room has a large mezzanine floor making it possible to sleep a family of up to six people.

Expanding with success....

Our barn has been converted into a wonderful dining room, thanks to the sympathetic expertise of the local builder and carpenter and I am busy preparing meals for our guests most evenings.
On arrival here we soon became aware that offering a small discreet Chambres d'Hotes would not give us enough money to live on, so we decided to spread our resources and buy a couple of small village houses to renovate and let out. These houses have been very successful and are almost always let, either to local people or British people who are house hunting in the area. We have also bought another cottage in the historic village of St. Louis which we let out for holidays.. We felt that in this way we are not putting "all our eggs in one basket" a policy that has definitely paid off.

We have heard of many people who come down here without doing any research and find that they have bought somewhere to do B&B only to find that there are several others within the same village, all chasing the same tourists. In a way we have been victims of our own success, as people have stayed with us, bought their own property and then let it out to friends and family. It is because of this that we have also started a property guardianship service, offering keyholding, changeover and maintenance services.

Valuable Lessons.....

We have been welcomed by our French neighbours and made to feel part of the village. We have met some wonderful people who have stayed with us and subsequently become good friends. We have learnt some valuable lessons which I will try to list below.

1. Find your area first. France is a big country and there are lovely houses everywhere, unless you decide where, before what, you could be looking forever.
2. Be realistic about your requirements. Prices are rising rapidly and it could be better to settle for something that's almost right than to wait for the perfect property as you may not be able to afford it when you find it.
3. Do your research properly. If you decide on a business find out how many others are in the same area. Doing the same thing.
4. Don't underestimate the cost of things. Certain things are not much cheaper here than the U.K. I have had people staying here who say "Oh, I could live on bread, cheese and a glass of wine", to which I always say, "What, everyday?" Electricity, telephone, fuel and water are not much cheaper here.
5. Learn the language! It can make life so much easier if you can communicate. Even basic words are better than nothing. The French people will meet you halfway if you just try.
6. Join in the French lifestyle. Its easy to just mix with other Brits and lets face it, everyone likes a natter with people from the same culture with whom we share a common language but a French friend of mine warned me that the British should try to remember the difference between colonisation and integration!!
The most important lesson I have learnt is to enjoy my life in France. When I serve a meal to my guests on the terrace under a clear blue sky I thank goodness we were brave enough to say "we can do it."

Judith Stevenson, Granes, Aude, France

Judith's B&B details

Thanks for taking the time to read this.