It’s southwest France, but not as you know it: Gascony is peaceful, spacious and abundantly green – Annaliza Davis reveals why it could be the perfect spot for your home in France
The images conjured by a mention of ‘the south of France’ – crowded beaches, sweltering cities, luxury sports cars and designer boutiques – tend to come from the eastern side. That’s not Gascony. This swathe of southwest France encompasses all the coast from the estuary northwest of Bordeaux, down to Bayonne, then reaching inland to northern Spain and almost to Toulouse. Definitions will vary as it’s an historical region that no longer officially exists, but it includes the modern areas of Gers, Gironde, Landes and Hautes-Pyrénées.
Its nickname of the French Tuscany gives you an instant impression of its open, rural landscape, the quirky little towns and terracotta-topped villages sprinkled between vineyards. Influenced by the Mediterranean and Atlantic climates, the land is fertile and peppered with small farms and vineyards, so everything you eat from the grain, meat and vegetables to the wine and fresh fruit here can be sourced locally. It’s the most agricultural part of France.
Visitors are drawn by the warm and sunny climate, averaging around 2,000 sunshine hours a year, with summer extending into October and mild winters that don’t seem to last very long. Those who live here value family, friends and food, the lack of pollution, the majestic presence of the Pyrénées to the south and the sense of heritage and belonging.
If this appeals to you, along with properties that are both attractive and affordable, you may have fallen for Gascony.
MATCH THE PLACE TO YOUR POCKET
When you buy in this region, your investment can go a long way. France’s average cost for property sits at €2,749/ m2, while here the average is €1,949/m 2, however, there is huge geographical variation. Buying a 50m 2property will cost you an average of €65,300 in Hautes-Pyrénées, €67,050 in Gers, €99,350 in Landes and €158,100 in Gironde. In Bordeaux, this shoots up to €236,150, while in rural St-Sever it’s just €72,450.
LOCATION: WHERE TO FIND WHAT YOU WANT
This is a place with plenty of space, yet there’s a considerable difference depending on location. Gers’ population of 191,377 live with 30 people per square kilometre and Haute-Pyrénées presents a similar profile (229,567, 51/ km2). Landes is in the middle (413,690, 45/km 2) and Gironde has 1,623,749 residents with a far higher population density of 163/km 2, as well as a younger profile of residents with greater dispo
