Charlotte Corner and Marcus Gough and Melanie and James Sewell from Coventry, England, moved to the Tarn in 2015. Charlotte and Mel are sisters and the couples are also great friends who had a vision. They’re in their 30’s and like an increasing number of people, didn’t want to wait until retirement to move to France to live the good life.
After ten years of taking holidays in France, and much planning, they gave up their jobs and moved to the village of Espinas in the Tarn et Garonne, part of the new super region Occitanie.
“We were inspired to move to this area after a wonderful holiday in 2013 – this place just seemed to ‘click’ and we were won over by the beauty of local towns and villages, especially Saint Antonin Noble Val. It felt like there was a lot going on and that it was a place you could live in, not just a place for holidays” says Marcus.
They knew they had to earn an income and their dream was to run a cycling holiday business – they’re all keen cyclists. They started with a search for a house big enough for all of them. And they needed space to set up their business with lots of storage and accommodation. And it all needed to be in a really picturesque part of France.
The couples fell head over heels for this area at the junction of three regions Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne and Aveyron. “The landscape is spectacular” Mel enthuses “a combination of rolling hills and oak forests, impressive river gorges and medieval hilltop towns glowing golden in the sunshine”.
They love the impressive Gorges D’Aveyron, perfect to visit by bike, market day in Saint Antonin Noble Val is superb and they love the chance to enjoy wine tasting in the Gaillac vineyards. “Taking a tour of the bastide towns including Cordes sur Ciel, a trip to the city of Albi (a UNESCO world heritage site), a visit to the Royal chateau fortress at Najac, the cascades of the Bonnette river or the lush Foret de Gresigne” are just a few of their favourite things.
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