Mini guide

The Limousin’s green, rolling hills and agricultural mainstay make it a haven for fans of French country life. Even the urban centres of Limoges, Gueret and Tulle feel more like large market towns than industrial centres, while villages like Collonges-la-Rouge, Curemonte and Turenne live up to their accolades of being among ‘Les plus beaux villages de France’ – the Gallic equivalent to our Best Kept Village competition. No wonder Amanda Lamb loves it here.

Limousin is divided into three departments: the Creuse to the north, the Corrèze in the south and the Haute-Vienne. Some of the prettiest Limousin villages are in the Corrèze. The star of the show is Collonges-la-Rouge, a riverside town built from red sandstone and crammed with houses decked out in flowers and topped with jaunty turrets. It’s a sought-after setting, as are nearby Curemonte and Turenne, with its 13th-century red-stone clock tower and narrow streets of cream stone houses and grey slate turrets.

Property in the area enjoys a steady demand from both overseas and French buyers and, being close to the border with the Dordogne, it enjoys some overspill from its pricier neighbour. A farmhouse with barns to convert can be found in the area for around €270,000.
The regional capital of Limoges, famed for its porcelain, has direct budget flights to the UK, and has seen a year-on-year price rise of eight per cent in 2007 – above the national average.

The northern part of Limousin is flatter, with several large lakes, but even the lakeland areas are an investment opportunity as watersports resorts are on the rise. The average price in Limousin is €200,000-€250,000.