Normandy, €949,000 Deauville airport: 15 minutes 9 bedrooms, pool, tennis court, outbuildings With direct flights from London City to Deauville, you can easily decamp to this nine-bedroom property in the Calvados region for the weekends. There’s a three-bedroom main house, a four-bedroom guest house and a staff house. Outside, in the extensive gardens, are a tennis court, pool and stables. Leggett Immobilier (0870 011 5151)
Méribel, €1.029 million
Geneva airport: 2 hours 3 bedrooms, south-west-facing terrace, parking This ski-in, ski-out duplex apartment is in the heart of Méribel Villages, with access to the extensive ski domain of the Three Valleys. There is a central, open-plan kitchen/living room with a fireplace, three double bedrooms and two bathrooms. Savills (00 33 4 79 06 22 65)
Provence, €995,000
Marseilles airport: 50 minutes This former coaching inn is within a short distance of the pretty Alpilles village of Eygalières. It has been completely renovated, enjoys an idyllic rural position and has plenty of space for outdoor entertaining. Knight Frank (020–7629 8171)
Dordogne, €901,000
Bergerac airport: 30 minutes This five-bedroom manoir sits at the end of a small country lane in a quiet, but not isolated, position. The guest house has its own access and garden and comes with two bedrooms. The nearest village is Sainte-Alvère. Leggett Immobilier (0870 011 5151)
Grimaud, €1.15 million Nice airport: 80 minutes Standing five minutes outside the village of Grimaud and within an easy distance of Saint-Tropez is this four-bedroom villa. It boasts under- floor heating, air conditioning and has a heated pool in the garden. Hutchinson Bell (00 33 6 03 23 28 48)
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A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
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The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West SussexAlthough the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
