What were you doing before you decided to move to France?
We had a pizza and sandwich delivery business in Aberdeen, Scotland. We started this when we left hotel school and ran it successfully for nine years, but it was time to either expand it dramatically or do something else.
We now had three little boys, all under the age of six and decided that a change of lifestyle and country would be a great life experience as well as an adventure – well you do when you are 30 don’t you!
France seemed the best option as we had very basic French (my French teacher from school would probably have said I didn’t have a hope!) but we hadn’t ever spent time in France apart from a school trip to Paris.
What attracted you to Gironde?
Friends with a bit more knowledge of France told us to look south of the Loire as the weather would be better. Mark spent a couple of weeks researching properties in Charente and Lot-et-Garonne. We chose Gironde because we were close to Bordeaux and everyone has heard of Bordeaux wines. We also fell in love with our first property – Château de Sanse in Ste-Radegonde. Château de Sanse was a ruin when we bought it and we spent two years renovating it into a 15-bedroom hotel and restaurant. We sold this in 2004.
What were you looking for in your second property?
When we sold Château de Sanse, the boys were all at school in the area so it was important not to move too far away. I was keen to find something that didn’t need complete restoration.
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