High On Life
Living France|May 2017

Leslie Rayney and Teo Leyssen enjoy a serene, rural lifestyle in the Ardèche mountains with their goats, bees and newly adopted donkey. Theirs isn’t the obvious option for a new life in France, and it hasn’t always been easy, but they wouldn’t have it any other way, as Kate McNally discovers.

Kate McNally
High On Life

When an English lawyer based in London and a Belgian whale watcher, who has spent the previous seven years on a boat in the Hebrides, met on holiday in Mexico and fell in love, they had to find a middle ground fairly quickly for their future life together. For Leslie Rayney and Teo Leyssen, it turned out to be a tiny hamlet in the rural village of Albon in Ardèche. It could have easily been Somerset, although the house prices were very expensive, or Scotland where Teo was offered a job at the university. But then they went on holiday to Ardèche where Leslie had spent two idyllic summers as a child, and their thoughts turned towards a new life in France.

“I spent two summers with my mother and brother in a village called Sceautres, just opposite Alba-la-Romaine,” says Leslie. “The house we stayed in was completely dilapidated, next door to the bell tower. It belonged to a friend of my mother who lived down the road from us in Oxford – it had been her grandfather’s house. We drove down, met them here and spent two months just running around the fields and mountains, totally free, getting the milk from the farm every morning. I loved it! That’s why I wanted to come back for a holiday.”

Teo admits he didn’t even know Ardèche existed before his first visit, and even though they spent two slightly chilly weeks camping in March, he was equally charmed by the region. So, they returned with a map of Ardèche divided up into quarters and set about discovering each area to see where they wanted to live. Soon, they spied a house for sale in a brochure picked up in a bakery, arranged a visit and bought it. That was in November 2003. They moved to France in May 2004.

Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de Living France.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de Living France.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE LIVING FRANCEVer todo
Guide To: Working For A Foreign Company
Living France

Guide To: Working For A Foreign Company

If your current employer is happy to let you continue working for them after you move to France, there are a number of rules and regulations to be aware of to ensure you stay on the right side of the law, as Catharine Higginson explains

time-read
5 minutos  |
May 2020
On vintage soil
Living France

On vintage soil

Life in the vineyards of Aude is a dream come true for Leicestershire-born Katie Jones who now successfully exports her wines back to the UK, as Brigitte Nicolas learns

time-read
8 minutos  |
May 2020
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Living France

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

What happens if you are buying a French property but can’t attend the completion meeting at the notaire’s office in person? Matthew Cameron explains how a power of attorney can be used and how it works

time-read
6 minutos  |
May 2020
In safe hands
Living France

In safe hands

There can be few more unusual homes than the 11th-century Château de Clérans, situated close to the Dordogne river in the Périgord Pourpre region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

time-read
5 minutos  |
May 2020
THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE
Living France

THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE

Robin Ellis made his name as the original Captain Poldark but a diabetes diagnosis led the Tarn-based actor to add cookbook writing to his CV, as Richard Webber learns

time-read
7 minutos  |
May 2020
My frugal France
Living France

My frugal France

Embracing modern technology could save you money and time on both the pleasures and essentials of life in France, says Laura Harley as she shares some of her favourite French apps

time-read
2 minutos  |
May 2020
Hidden Talents
Living France

Hidden Talents

Moving to France enabled these three expats to switch off from busy careers and in turn discover new creative talents, says Gillian Harvey, who counts herself among them

time-read
7 minutos  |
May 2020
Beauty to behold
Living France

Beauty to behold

With its legendary vineyards, charming old towns and rich gastronomy, Gironde is quintessential France at its best, as Alison Weeks discovers

time-read
8 minutos  |
May 2020
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
Living France

AS SEEN ON SCREEN

A Dordogne town, a Charente city and a Pyrenean village all have a starring role in three new films hitting the big screen this year, joining a long list of French locations that have gone before them, as Vicky Leigh learns

time-read
8 minutos  |
May 2020
A local's view
Living France

A local's view

Trish and Mark Tyler run a beautifully restored chambres d’hôtes, set in six hectares of park and woodland near StÉmilion, which has a fascinating history

time-read
6 minutos  |
May 2020