What do French Paysans think of the Brits taking on ‘money pit’ renovations. A personal experience

Youngsters and old folk in the village

or, ‘What will the paysans think of your chateau rescue shenanigans’

These tales from France are inspired by two plus decades restoring a sandstone Renaissance castle in the Aude department of south west France, in and ancient region of France known as the Langue d’Oc.

When channel 4 first season of Escape to the Chateau DIY made a programme about us we met others with the same Chateau rescuing bug.

We were perched on a hilltop overlooking a valley chequered with vines, poplars, pastures, and little orchards — streaked with dramatic seams of red and ochre breaking through tilled fields and shaded paths, with the breathtaking Pyrenees rising on the southern side.

The independent culture of the Langue d’Oc reaches back beyond Roman times, superimposing on the ‘France’ that we know, an enchanted veil of savoir faire and fascination.

Through discovering the journeys of other château rescuers in different parts of rural France, the programme revealed to me the subtle similarities and nuances shared across the country.

You can read more in Beyond Paris​Beyond Paris, and Insider’s Guide to Rural France now available…