Mike and Hayley Gibbon, Madranges, Corrèze
When Mike (56) and Hayley (46) Gibbon moved to Corrèze in 2019, they were attracted to the idea of rural living as well as having a new adventure. “My parents live in France: mum moved to Haute-Vienne with my stepdad over a decade ago, then dad went to live in Dordogne with my stepmum a few years later,” says Hayley. “Every time we visited it got harder to leave. Then Mike turned 50 and that was the catalyst for him. He wanted to try a different way of life.” The pair explored areas close to Hayley’s parents, before setting their sights on running a campsite in Madranges.
“We’d lived in a village before, so thought we knew what to expect. But we soon realised there’s a huge difference,” admits Hayley, a former graphic designer. “You aren’t really ever far from facilities in the UK, and our village there had about 14,000 inhabitants. Madranges has around 200.” Despite its relative remoteness, Madranges ticks all the boxes for Mike and Hayley. “We’re right in the foothills of the Massif des Monédières, a stepping stone up to the Massif Central. We have mountains, rivers, forests, heathland. It still takes me aback when I’m driving home and I take in the scenery. And internet connection is great.”
Since their move in 2019, the couple have spent time getting their campsite, Le Ranch, up and running and adjusting to local life. Living remotely may have been the goal, but the reality comes with its challenges. “There are no shops, so you do rely on the car. If we take a trip to Limoges or Poitiers, the nearest cities, we need to plan ahead to make sure we’re getting the most out of it because of the distance.”
Luckily, what the area lacks in amenities it makes up for with community. “The village is very friendly. We joined the comité des fêtes to help with integration and go to all the meetings, all the events. While language is a barrier at times, our French is improving daily.” Their proximity to Limoges and Poitiers airports means, that despite its rural location, the area is quite well connected to the UK. This is very useful for Mike, who has grown-up children back home.
Meanwhile, Hayley benefits from being closer to her parents, who both live within an-hour-and-a-half’s drive. The lack of amenities locally has also led to more opportunities for the campsite business. “A customer who stayed with us in 2021 said how much he’d like to be able to order a drink and have some food on site, which got us thinking,” says Hayley.
“We now have a drinks licence and serve pizzas. It took a while to organise the right licences and health and safety paperwork, but it’s up and running now and has proven to be very worthwhile. We’ve opened it up so that the villagers can also come and get pizza, which means we aren’t just those crazy English people running a campsite, we’re supplying something to the local community too.
“We’ve realised that living remotely doesn’t mean being isolated,” Hayley says. “You can be as connected as you want to be.”