Mayenne in the Pays de la Loire is the ideal place for a gîte business for expat couple Zara Bampton and Simon King…
When Zara Bampton and Simon King reached their mid-50’s they decided to it was time to follow their dreams and move to France. Simon had worked in the hotel industry and IT and Zara had been an MoD scientist who also worked in property renovation. With their backgrounds in hospitality and building, they decided to give up their comfortable lives in Hampshire and move to the beautiful rural area of Mayenne.
Named after the Mayenne River, Mayenne is a largely rural area in the Pays de la Loire Region, western France. Zara and Simon live in the little town of Ernée, about 30km from Laval, the capital of Mayenne, famous for its picturesque good looks and medieval buildings and majestic chateau.
Simon and Zara chose this area for several reasons including its proximity to the ferry ports and their need to be able to travel back to the UK to visit family on a regular basis. They had visited the area, though not the town of Ernée, when holidaying in France and Simon prefers it to the far south which he finds too hot in the summer.
They looked on the internet and with agents when they were property searching and were specific about wanting a gîte complex with a separate property so that they have room for their dogs. And, after several visits to Normandy, Brittany and Pays de la Loire, one property stood out, it ticked all the boxes and the couple found it irresistible.