So has this apparently uncompromising area of France got anything to offer foreign property buyers, asks Jo-ann Hodgson?

The French, by popular consent, aren't slow to voice their objections. This time, it's the people of Sannat who are standing up for what they believe in.

The mayor of Sannat, Henri Sauthon, explained to The Independent newspaper why a portrait of President Sarkozy will not be hanging in the village hall as follows: "People will say this is political but it is not really political: it is a demographic revolt. We don't like Sarkozy's way of governing. We don't like the way he's involved in everything, in charge of everything and the prime minister and ministers count for nothing. We believe in a different a truer kind of democracy."

Indeed, La Creuse, in the Limousin region of France, generally does things a little different to the rest of the country. Although the majority of France has been touched, and indeed transformed by tourism, and the interest of foreign property buyers, the Creuse remains a very rural, quiet and sparsely populated.

"When I lived there the Creuse had the reputation of having the thinnest Yellow Pages in France," says Trisha Mason from VEF French Property. "The area is made up of hamlets and is very quiet – but we do sell a lot of properties there."

Surrounded by the departments of Correze, Haute-Vienne, Allier, Puy-de-Dome, Cher and Indre, Creuse was created in 1790 during the French revolution and sits between undulating countryside and dramatic mountains ranges. Creuse is home to many lakes and pastures, and so popular with foreign property buyers looking to set up rural businesses or pursuits.

"The region is attractive to the British who want, for example, to start a fishing business or to keep horses, as properties here usually come with a fair amount of land and the area offers lots of possibilities in terms of horse-riding paths," says Karine Chaumont from Francophiles Ltd. "The Limousin also attracts walkers and whoever enjoys green, rolling hills and vales."

Although seemingly cut off from the rest of France in terms of landscape and population, Creuse is accessible from Limoges and Poitiers airports and with the opening of a new airport in nearby Brive next year interest from British tourists and property buyers looks likely to increase.

Foreign buyers already make up 25 per cent of all property sales in the department, the largest market share in any part of France.

"It is very popular with the English as well as Swiss, Belgian and Dutch buyers," says Sarah Francis from Sifex. "It is also popular with Parisians looking for peace and quiet."

Besides the allure of its open countryside and relaxed atmosphere, Creuse has another trick up its sleeve which will appeal to foreign buyers: it's the cheapest area in which to buy in property in France.

"Prices for Creuse property are well below the national average and represent very good value for money," says Nick Dowlatshahi from Leapfrog Properties. "The average price of a four-bedroom house in Creuse will cost between 140,000 and 160,000 euros, which is incredibly cheap. Old character farmhouses and cottages and renovation projects are easy to buy in the area."

VEF is currently marketing a house with attached holiday cottage in the Creuse, located a 50-minute drive from Limoges airport. The property comes furnished, is located in a row of four barns set in around a hectare of land which borders the river and is priced at £366,196 inclusive.

Francophiles is also marketing property in the Creuse, with a recently renovated 19th-century, eight-bedroom property currently on their books. Located within a five-minute walk of a small château town, between the larger towns of Guéret and Limoges, the house sits within landscaped gardens of just over two-and-a-half acres, with direct access to the Gorges du Verger and the Limousin countryside beyond. The house is on the market for approximately £522,000.

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Article published on 28 September 2007