Escape to the country

With its temperate climate and lush green landscape, Ardèche was the perfect place for Franco-British couple Jeremy and Marie-Noëlle to retire. They tell about their bellevie.

- Catriona Burns

Guildford-native Jeremy Nicklin knew that France was the right place for him before he had even visited the country. “I’ve always loved France,” he smiles. “I think I was probably French in another life.”

He fell for the charms of his adopted country even more when, after living there permanently for four years, he met Ardèche-born Marie-Noëlle in Lyon where he worked as a translator at her language school. But the pair were not destined to stay in Lyon forever as, after years spent travelling and living in various places, Marie-Noëlle’s thoughts returned to her home turf of Ardèche, a welcome move for Jeremy who relished the idea of a country lifestyle that rural Ardèche could offer him.

In fact, so enthusiastic was Jeremy about escaping to the country that he made the journey from Lyon on his beloved horse, Ginger, arriving in Ardèche some four days later. “The horses introduced us to everyone, really,” Jeremy laughs. “They all thought I was American when they saw me arrive on my horse with my cowboy hat.”

With Marie-Noëlle’s knowledge and the help of local agents, the couple found a plot of land that was flat – “very unusual for this part of the world” – and that boasted fields, perfect for keeping their animals, near the commune of Ailhon. But there was much work to be done to build the property that the pair had envisaged. “We built everything,” says Marie-Noëlle.