Giles & mary ‘welcome to our lovely grottage’

The buzz of city life or a quiet rural retreat? Gillian Harvey speaks to expats who’ve chosen to live very different lives in France

I’ve just returned from three magical days in the Lake District. Craggy mountains, mist over the fells, and the gentle hum of a Herdwick sheep or two. I stayed near Hill Top, once home to Beatrix Pott

In a new city, in a new life, Caro Giles wonders if she has at last found home

Nicki and Giles Moffatt didn’t even need to go inside to realise this 18th-century house with idyllic gardens was for them

Someone’s knickers were in a twist over Gillian’s addition to her garden

There’s a momentous decision to be made about life at Greenfields, but will Diana’s heart be ready to make the leap when the time comes?