Published in International Homes magazine Volume 11, number 2, 2004

The Untarnished South

The Tarn is tranquil, slow-paced. People take their time in this relaxed, sunny part of France. The main town, red-brick Albi, is more charming than commercial.

The department is named after the river Tarn, that cascades through gorges then slows right down to pass Albi’s enormous, majestic cathedral. Next-door is the thirteenth century bishops’ palace, now home to a remarkable collection of over 1000 works by Toulouse Lautrec. This exciting, irreverent portrayer of Parisian nightlife was born in Albi in 1864.

To the north of the river valley is bastide country, where authentic, medieval, hill-top villages such as Cordes look down on slopes carpeted in vines and the deciduous Forest of Grésigne. Next door is the ruder Ségala plateau, colder in winter, named after the rye (seigle) once grown there. Carmaux and Cagnac are centres of an old, redundant mining area, re-inventing itself in the twenty-first century as Cap’ Decouverte, an ambitious leisure and sports complex. To the South are undulating, agricultural fields, famous in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries for their pastel, or woad. The leaves of this valuable crop, used to produce blue dye, were exported throughout Europe. East and south again the landscape breaks into the mountains of the Montagne Noire and Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc.

The Tarn is an old favourite with British house buyers, they have been settling here for the past ten years.

Romain Brasset at Albi estate agency Agence de la Cathedrale, says that people are drawn here in search of a better quality of life, attracted by the warmer climate, easier pace of life, food and wine. Those with children believe they are offering them a safer and saner alternative. He knows several families where one partner stays in the Tarn all week and looks after the kids whilst the other jets off to work in London on a Monday morning and comes back on Friday night. Toulouse airport is only up the road and makes commuting possible. Those living in the north of the department also use the airport at Rodez in Aveyron.

The most popular area for British buyers for years has been around the bastides and vineyards. The British love old stones and character properties and there are plenty of them there. Charming, sizeable, stone houses with period features can be found from just under 500,000€. Agence de la Cathedrale has an impressive six bedroom property, with 320m2 living space, a pigeonnier (dovecote), original features, a separate apartment, a swimming pool and 2.5 acres of wooded land for 795,000€. It is near the peaceful, thirteenth century village of Castelnau-de-Montmiral, known for its central arcaded square surrounded by half-timbered houses.

The combination of AOC Gaillac vineyards and enchanting villages give the area an irresistible appeal. Rapid access to the city of Toulouse and the airport via the A68 is another attraction. Such is the pull of this area that the population of a village to the east of Castelnau-de-Montmiral, Cahuzac-sur-Vère, is about 30% British.

House prices come down north of Albi and to the east of the bastides. This area, including the Ségala Plateau, isn’t so classy but does offer undulating, open countryside and a sense of La France Profonde. Houses here are made of solid, brown stone, as against the lighter coloured stone used among the vines. Agence de la Cathedrale has a 1922 maison de maitre (large house of standing), in good condition, with 6 bedrooms, original features, pool and 5600m2 of land near to Carmaux for just over 282,000€. Similarly priced properties can be found to the east of Albi, heading out towards rural Aveyron. This area has many sizeable farms that can be readily converted into bed and breakfast accommodation or gîtes.

There are some wonderful properties among the former woad fields, built by the merchants who profited from this ‘blue gold’. Agence de la Cathedrale has a magnificent medieval type castle, once owned by a woad trader, with a thirteenth century tower, a large hall with monumental staircase, reception rooms that open onto a terrace, 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 5 acres of landscaped grounds (including a Jardin à la Francaise with south facing terraces) and a pool – all for 1 050,000€.

A popular place with British buyers is the medieval village of Lautrec, for its ancient walls, half-timbered houses with herring-bone brickwork, narrow streets, and pink garlic which is grown in the farms round-about. Another popular place is Graulhet which is more work-aday but has a certain charm and is only half an hour away from Toulouse. Bruyere Immobilier has a stylish, modern property near the town, with 350m2 living space and 2500m2 of land, just up the road from a golf course, for 288,000€. There are spacious old farms with plenty of character in the area for less than 300,000€.

If you are looking for spectacular views and lower house prices then consider the wooded slopes of the Montagne Noire and Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc. Sizeable village houses in good condition with a small garden are available for under 130,000€. Privilege Immobilier has an eighteenth century maison de maitre in good condition, currently operating as a chambres d’hôte, with a living area of 450m2, 10 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, land of 12000m2, two barns, and a pool, all for only 554,600€. This property is at the entrance to the Sidobre, part of the Parc Naturel Régional, an area littered with the strangest granite rock formations you are ever likely to see, such as l’Oie, which looks exactly like a giant goose tilted on a plinth.

If you want to know more about the Tarn and the housing market there contact property consultants Couleurs de France. The company is based in South West France and can help you find your ideal house in the area and provide all the specialist advice you need to help you buy.

The different landscapes of the Tarn provide a wide choice of properties for house buyers, and there are some very attractive properties on offer. If you are looking for a bolt-hole from the rat-race, a place to unwind and forget about it all, the Tarn is ideal.