As the credit crunch starts to hurt, the thought of selling up and living the simple life seems increasingly attractive. Sunshine, fine food and clean air - that is the antidote to Brown's Britain. But where do you find such a fantasy land? You could try Gascony, in southwest France, particularly Gers, the département that is famous for its Armagnac, cassoulet and foie gras.

Certainly, if it's peace you are after, Gascony fits the bill. The most sparsely populated region in the country, its undulating countryside is dotted with quiet medieval villages and market towns. At midday, when only the occasional old man clutching a baguette can be seen, you are in picture-book France.

So who is coming to Gascony? “A lot of young professionals, particularly lawyers and doctors, buy holiday homes here,” says Ian Purslow, who runs the estate agency Purslow's Gascony. “We also meet a lot of people in their fifties, planning to holiday in the short term and eventually retire to Gascony.

But what we don't have is the renovation enthusiasts who want to do up their home to sell and make a quick buck.” The strong euro adds to building costs and deters this type of investment buyer. Another factor is that after substantial appreciation between 1996 and 2006, house prices have been on a gentle slide in Gascony for the past two years.

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However, these comparatively low prices - at least 30 per cent below those in Provence - make Gascony attractive for those moving here for the long haul. John and Lisa Koster, for example, moved from Majorca to buy their five-bedroom, €1,350,000 (£1.1 million) manoir 20 miles from Auch in July 2005.

“The same size house would cost four times as much in Majorca,” says Lisa, 38. “But other factors attracted us here too - Gascony has nil pollution, very little traffic and a very healthy lifestyle.” A highly reputable state education system is another attraction. “The teaching is very formal in style here and everyone has a lot of respect for teachers,” says Lisa, who was looking forward to her daughters Isabel, 4, and Annabel, 2, making their way through the French system, until family circumstances forced them to change their plans.

Yet, sitting by the Kosters' 14m swimming pool, I wonder whether time sometimes hangs heavily here. “Not really, there is a close-knit Brit community that helped us settle,” says Lisa. “And we Brits haven't come here in such numbers that we have overwhelmed the locals, as they have in Provence, so we are welcomed by the French community too.”

You have to travel to Toulouse, Auch or Pau for entertainment, but the region boasts one major cultural blow-out a year: the August jazz festival at Marciac, when the medieval arcades of this sleepy town explode to the beat of free concerts.

Really, though, life in Gascony is all about enjoying the great outdoors. The Pyrenees, with skiing in winter and walking in summer, are an 80-minute drive away. The Atlantic is about three hours away, but there are lots of inland lakes with man-made beaches that are a popular substitute. And everywhere you will see cyclists, making the most of the empty roads.

You can find good-value properties at reasonable prices. Edward and Susie Darrell, the former proprietors of the Riverside Restaurant in Helford, Cornwall, are selling their 25-hectare estate and five-bedroom house for €930,000 through Purslow's Gascony. With four barns and outbuildings, it has obvious potential as a commercial venture. Property Gascony is selling a renovated four-bedroom house on the L'Adour river with a 5,000 sq m organic garden for €215,050.

However, if life is so comfortable in Gascony, why do some Brits want to return to the UK? “The main reason is grandchildren,” says Ian Purslow. “Although it's only a two-hour flight from London to Toulouse, some people feel isolated here.” For younger émigrés, such as Lisa Koster, the decision to return is a difficult one. “I am returning to Leicestershire to be near my parents, which is the right thing to do,” she says. “Yet I regret not bringing up the girls in Gascony because it is such a healthy environment. Children stay as children for longer here.”

Fast facts

The change in Gascony property values:

1995-2000: prices grew at about 10 per cent a year.

2000-04: growth at about 20 per cent a year.

2004-06: no significant growth was recorded.

2006-08: the market showed a gentle slide of 5 per cent to 10per cent a year.

Source: Purslow's Gascony

The Kosters' manoir and the Darrells' farmhouse are both for sale with Purslow's Gascony.

Price: €1,350,000 and €930,000 respectively.

Contact: Purslow's Gascony , 0033 (0)5 62 67 61 50

Property Gascony ,0033 5 6208 3762,

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