No one has to live in the middle of nowhere just because they’ve moved to France. I was born and bred in a City (London) and am very happy now living in a village with good facilities (baker, café, chemist, Dr) that is only 10km north of Montpellier. I’d go nuts living in the middle of nowhere in any country. There seems to be a bizarre tendency amongst a number of expats to live as the woman describes in her article - no where near decent facilities and totally reliant on a car. Alright, it might be cheap living in a field in the middle of the Charente - but the reason it’s cheap is because it’s in the middle of nowhere… “The Dream” as she describes it is a fantasy, and for many people (as with her) is unsustainable. Our life here may not be financially sustainable either(!!) but we’re having a bloody good time!
You might want to have a quick look at this thread Irene!