I came across this interesting article on the Dordogne today from the Daily Mail.

It is basically describing how the Dordogne and Eymet in particular has become such a hub for Brits moving abroad that five of them are running for the local council (only recently allowed due to changes in French law).

It highlights several families who have made the move and their reasons for doing so - a common thread is that the Dordogne is "like Britain 50 years ago". Interestingly, this is a statement made by people in their 30's and 40's - so I'm not sure how they would know.

One family moved to Eymet after the father was diagnosed with a heart condition and was made redundant from his PR agency (it didn't say which occurred first). They now run an internet cafe from the ground floor of his home in Eymet and lives in one of the two flats above.

They were impressed with the French health system. In the UK, he was on a six week waiting list. In France, he was seen by a specialist within three days.

Their children are attending a small, Catholic private school for the incredible price of 15 pounds per month.

So natural beauty, inexpensive property, better health care, and affordable private education. It is hard to see why so many would move.