Brits flock to France for a taste of what used to be

A new study has revealed that Britons are flocking to buy French property thanks to a number of towns and villages reminding them of old-fashioned rural England.

Far from heading across the English Channel for traditional French dishes and a change of culture on the continent, many are going abroad for a taste of British life as it used to be.

Researchers in Montesquieu University in Bordeaux studied 2,750 Brits planning to move to France in the next three years.

The figures show that almost all said that one of the reasons for the move was to return to a country where old-fashioned British values prevailed.

Marie-Martine Gervais-Aguer, the author of the study, told the Telegraph: "A lot of these people come from urbanised areas.

"They are looking for an authentic experience that fits in with their dreams. Freshly farmed food, the security of a tight-knit community, all of these things people associate with a typical French village that they feel no longer exists in Britain."

He added that there was "nostalgia" for the way rural villages in Britain looked 50 years ago and a desire to return to this way of life.

The price of French rural property is also attracting more people than ever with Brits splashing out £2 billion on 20,000 homes in France collectively each year.

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