An insider's guide to Pays de la Loire in western France, including the main attractions to visit on holiday, the best towns and villages to live in, the vineyards and châteaux to visit, and buying property in Pays de la Loire

Rural house prices in France rose by 2.1% last year - exactly the same as the increase in house prices in the UK and more than house prices in England

On a quest for a more relaxed pace of life, Phil and Elaine Miles decided to swap the rat race for a converted watermill in Pays de la Loire, where they provide bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation

Tim and Rebecca Jones fell in love with 18th-century Château de la Ruche and are restoring it into a luxury bed and breakfast

A cancer diagnosis in 2014 prompted Trevor Thompson and his wife Kay to leave Milton Keynes for a decommissioned watermill in Sarthe, which they have transformed into a home with two gîtes. Here's how they did it

Chase away the winter blues by snapping up a property in one of the most vibrant villages or technicolour towns in France

Whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot, France's different climate zones affect the weather you're like to weather, whether you like it or not, finds Ruth Wood