We sold our poky three-bed semi in Manchester and bought
A couple have told how they escaped the rat race in Britain - to buy a whole village in France.
Liz Murphy, 47, and husband David, 55, worked in local radio and were living in a three bedroom semi in Manchester with their two children.
But sick of life's suburban treadmill, they sold up and bought historic rural hamlet of Lac De Maison, in Poitou-Charentes, south west of France, for £400,000.
The family's new home is in breathtaking countryside and made up of six 400-year-old houses, two barns, a swimming pool and three acres of land.
The couple only spoke “pigeon French” when they arrived, while daughter Charlotte, 9, and son Tom, 13, started school barely knowing a word.
But after settling in, the family are now loving their new life in the French countryside. Liz's mum and dad have even moved out to join them.
Liz said: "We don't regret a thing. And we certainly don’t miss the gloomy Manchester weather!”