Janine Marsh purchased a house in Pas-de-Calais some 20 years ago and after several years of dividing her time between the UK and France, decided to relocate permanently.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, Janine revealed that her new life is a world away from where she used to live in Beckenham, London; she now has 52 pets and pays for beer at her local bar with chicken eggs.
After acclimatising to rural living, Janine admitted she could never stomach city life again.
The expat previously spoke to GB News about the important things to consider before moving to France.
There are several essential questions to ask yourself before relocating. Do you dream of residing in sunny Charente-Maritime? Or do you hope to live in Brittany, where you can snap up a property for around £85,000? Are transport links important to you, and do you need to live near a school?
While Paris is a dream location for many expats, Janine ‘could never live in a city again’
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As for where “not” to move in France, this is incredibly subjective, as every expat will be looking for something different. For Janine though, she hopes to steer clear of the big, busy cities.
The expat told GB News: “Coming from London and now living in rural French countryside, I could never live in a city again.
“I love the tranquillity of country life: the uncrowded roads, waking up to cockerels crowing, watching the seasons change and the traditional ways of life.
“I swap eggs for beer at the local bar, and I belong to a neighbourhood cider club where I give my apples in return for a cut of the cider!
“This is not a touristy area and never gets overcrowded – even in the height of summer I get a table in my local restaurant.”
For Britons envisaging a life like this for themselves, Janine provided an all-important tip.
Before relocating to a seemingly quiet place, it’s worth finding out if it becomes a tourist hotspot during popular holiday months, as appearances can be deceiving.
Janine warned: “There are some lovely countryside towns and seaside towns that you might visit out of season and think are lovely, tranquil and quiet, then in the peak visitor season they become packed with crowds. That’s something you definitely need to consider.
“Parking becomes a challenge, restaurants are packed and the whole nature of the town changes, so I’d say you need to look at whether a place is a tourist magnet and visit in and out of peak season.
“In France, some villages with less than a few hundred people are classified as Plus Beaux Villages de France (the most beautiful villages of France) and they’re very famous and much loved, like St-Cirq-Lapopie in the Lot.
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Les Plus Beaux Villages de France may be ‘tranquil’ in the winter but manic in the summer
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“These are often tranquil and quiet but when the crowds arrive in summer, there can be thousands of people per day in the village.
“You have to consider whether you’d be prepared to put up with that for a couple of months. It wouldn’t be for me!
“On the other hand, if you move somewhere isolated, it might be fabulous in the warmer months, but come winter when the roads are icy, it might not be quite so much fun.”
For those considering a holiday in France rather than permanent relocation, Janine named some of her must-see destinations.
She shared the “brilliant” city you simply need to visit – it’s so beautiful it made her cry – as well as the country’s “best kept secret”.
Janine is the author of several best-selling books and the editor of The Good Life France, for everything you want to know about France and more.
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