Putting down roots in Burgundy
Hugh Johnson, former owner of a shipping company, has loved France for nearly forty years. His job meant many exotic corners of the earth were no secret to him, but when looking for a second home, France was the obvious destination. “I really loved Aix en Provence”, he recalls, “but my wife wasn’t so keen on the heat there”. He used to ship to Paris, Bordeaux and Normandy amongst other locations and regularly travelled around the world. Driving through France and stopping off in Burgundy, Hugh struck up a friendship with the owner of a prestigious vineyard. This corner of the world, south of Louhans is fairly accessible, being one hour from Lyon and about ten hours’ drive away from South Wales where the couple live the rest of the time. It’s definitely warmer than South Wales too…
The Johnsons travelled around and met with one of Sextant’s local agents after three or four days scouting the area. The agent secured two viewings of properties even though it was a Saturday, and as is often the case, the last house they saw was the one! It’s a four bedroom Bressane farmhouse with about half an acre of land set in pretty countryside. Having been previously renovated by an older couple, they could move in straight away, although not before the old owners removed everything, “including every light bulb and the curtains!” remembers Mr Johnson. Luckily they also removed their beer glass collection (numbering in the thousands!) that was housed on shelves in one of the rooms. To refurnish the place, the Johnsons turned to that cornerstone of French culture, the brocante, for their tables and chairs, chandeliers and more besides. They plan to use the house as a second home rather than a holiday home so they didn’t want to just make do. Mrs Johnson has even planted some daffodils, so a little patch of Wales will spring up next year.
As for the agent, Mr Johnson couldn’t recommend him highly enough. As well as speaking perfect English, having worked as an air steward beforehand, nothing was too much trouble and he helped them out when there was a leak, when the heating needed looking at and even when they wanted to install a Velux window.
Neighbours can be a big deal in the countryside, with sometimes only one other house for miles at a time. Luckily the Johnson’s neighbours are the good sort, and include a retired diplomat who sometimes calls round and another originally from Switzerland. You may often find friendly farmers come round with surplus fruit and veg, as well as the more curious among the local populace, who pop by to stare at the newcomers.
Mr Johnson says he doesn’t have too much trouble making himself understood, though his Welsh is better than his French! He mentions a restaurant owner in Aix with whom he’s had several conversations about horses around a bottle of wine. Even though neither speaks the other’s language properly, they still understand each other and enjoy each other’s company, much to his wife’s surprise.
The couple plan to see a lot more of France when they come over for 3 or 4 weeks at a time. They hope to discover the little things you don’t always see when you’re travelling around on business- typical shops, cafes and patisseries that the French are famed for. Mr Johnson is also into fishing and shooting, occupations he should be able to pursue in the Burgundy countryside as well as in Wales. And of course now they have a place there, there will be a never ending stream of family and friends (more than they thought they had!) passing through. Mr Johnson is planning a barbecue and a pizza oven in his garden, although laments the lack of wine cellar- “even the grotty apartments in Aix had one!” he laughed.
Burgundy is a great area to lay down roots in France- not too far from the UK by road and also serviced by budget airlines meaning getting there is a doddle, compared to other regions of France where flights only run for a short summer season. Burgundy is a rich land, and not just for the wine nurtured in its soils but also in terms of history, architectural heritage and culinary tradition. Properties are still fairly cheap although prices have risen by nearly 6% since 2009/2010, with the Cote d’Or being the most expensive department and the Nievre being the cheapest, which puts the Louhans area somewhere in the middle. At the lower end of the scale, € 50-60,000 can still buy you a charming little cottage with a small garden, although needing some form of renovation. For instance, a traditional farmhouse near Louhans with just under half an acre of land, a stable, a barn, a well and a couple of other outbuildings is priced at € 75,000. The French property needs updating but still comes with 2 bedrooms, a spacious living room and attic space to develop.
For a mere €205,000 you could be the proud owner of an imposing 19th century Bourgeois home with 1.4 acres of land, a guest house and outbuildings. The main house has four bedrooms and two reception rooms although it does need a change of décor! It’s located near Toussy, in the Yonne.
As your budget increases so do your choices- half-timbered farmhouses, striking stone builds, cottages, converted barns, stud farms, mansions and even old viticulture properties. If you’ve always fancied being a castellan, a picturesque chateau near Corbigny set in over 6 acres of woodland comes with a pool, stables and a dovecote. With 6 bedrooms and 550 sqm of living space it’s grand, but not too overwhelming.
Burgundy has lots to offer with unspoilt countryside, medieval towns, national parks and of course its celebrated wines. So if you fancy owning a little corner of this rich and diverse region, book yourself a viewing trip now, and you could be sipping some Chablis before you know it.