TV viewers look on in envy as couples change their lives in Britain for idyllic rural France. One couple from Garnett Bridge didn't just dream - they took the plunge and have started a new life in a stunning farmhouse in Cognac.

We see the programmes, have the dreams, but relatively few take the plunge and cross the Channel for good.

The brave ones make good television. A Place in the Sun, There's No Going Back, Living the Dream all chart the progress of pioneers who have turned their backs on Britain to find sunnier climes, better lifestyles, and great houses, at bargain prices.

Nick and Alli Dorsett had a beautiful home, Saul Hill, near Garnett Bridge. When they bought the 200-year-old farmhouse, attached barn and six-and-a-half acres of stunning countryside, it was a dream come true.

"That was six years ago and we thought we would be there forever," explained Nick, who had grown up in Underbarrow and loved the countryside.

The two had good jobs and salaries. Last week they said goodbye to it all and set off with their three border collies in search of a new life in rural France.

An impressive manor beckons in the Cognac village of Merignac. Nick and Ali went property searching in January and bought the first house they saw. It was love at first sight.

Along with the impressive four-bedroomed house comes a fully furnished three-bedroomed gite, set in lovely grounds, all for £180,000. The sellers were an English couple, moving further south, saying nothing would tempt them back to Britain.

"The estate agent said the French could no longer afford these sorts of houses," said Nick. "Obviously that is a very bad situation, but buying a place that was already in English hands made us feel better."

His mother Jeanette Hughes moved to France in 1991, setting up home north of Andorra, an area where Robin Hood and the Prince of Thieves was filmed. Nick and Ali were impressed by a different, more relaxed, way of life.

"Mum was e-mailing us, saying they were sitting outside having lunch in November temperatures of 18 degrees," said Nick. "The temptation was huge."

He and Ali decided a couple of years ago that they would start looking through French Property News to see if anything hit them.

They had worked tirelessly upgrading and refurbishing their farmhouse, it was just about finished. Last autumn they decided to have it valued, for curiosity's sake, as much as anything.

Friends of friends offered the full price on the night of the valuation. Saul Hill never went on the market. Although Nick and Alli did not want disclose how much the farmhouse made, the price was right to follow their dreams.

"We had already sold our MG sports car and bought a little, cheap car," explained Alli. "We started cycling instead of driving to help pay off our debts."

The pair had already spotted an advertisement for Le Lilas Blanc - the white lilac in November, and planned to see the house on their January visit. Disaster struck, it was sold days before Nick and Alli were due to see it.

"Amazingly, the buyers had to pull out for financial reasons, leaving the way clear for us," said Alli.

"It was the perfect place, around 200 years old, set in three acres, with garaging for six cars, and the potential for another gite."

The gite they inherit with Le Lilas Blanc was the original village ballroom, later converted to a cinema. Nick and Alli are realistic that lettings this year will be spasmodic, but all stops will be pulled out for 2004, and for marketing B&B in the main house.

"We have no experience, and will just have to see how it goes," said Alli.

The nearest neighbours have a vineyard and cognac distillery. They also keep bees and produce honey and nougat. A way of life beckons that promises peace in a beautiful place, where the weather is kind, wine plentiful, and food exquisite.

They both have O-level French and, after intensive tape and CD study, are not daunted by a language barrier.

"It is a risk, we don't know how it is going to work. We are leaving good jobs at Croppers, Burneside, and good salaries," explained Alli. "There were endless pros and cons to weigh up. In the end, it seemed a fantastic opportunity and all our family and friends were encouraging us."

When Alli played violin for the last time with Westmorland Orchestra, there was a moment of sadness, replaced immediately by the thought there would be something to replace it in Cognac.

"Music, after all, is the same in all languages," she figured.

DIY and outdoor enthusiast Nick is raring to go. Both wish they could click their fingers and be there. The three-month wait since clinching the house has been endless. They left Kendal last week.

"It's been easy to keep the desire going in long winter months," Nick grinned.

Anyone wanting to keep up with Nick and Alli's progress or avail themselves of Le Lilas Blanc hospitality can contact them at lelilasblanc@hotmail.com

May 1, 2003 13:00