After having a small property in the old part of the village it was a dream to have a larger property which was more accessible to all and somewhere we could use as a family retreat as well as run as a holiday rental. We then fell in love with a large dilapidated agricultural building in the centre of the village which was previously used as a winery. This had 5 large wine vats on the lower floor and the upper floor was used as a garage. This had some stunning uninterrupted views of the river, bridge, village and surrounding hills. Our initial idea was to take out the vats and build an indoor badminton/sports facility but after purchasing the building in November 2014 and selling our original property to friends, we changed the plan to create 4 levels, with a total of 8 bedrooms in 2 apartments, a garage and games room. The project took over two years and has now been running for three years as either 2 separate holiday Gites, of 5 and 3 bedrooms, or can be rented to large groups of up to 20 when using both apartments which work well together as one large property. This is very popular with large group gatherings or when two or more families want to spend a holiday together.

Nigel has recently become the manager of the Les Tiers holiday business in Roquebrun. He was a former professional player and a winner of a number of World Super Series badminton titles. He continued his badminton career as a coach and Manager of Westgate Badminton Centre and Performance Centre and has helped a number of players reach their potential as juniors with a number of them becoming National Junior Champions. His wife and business partner Alison, is a Nurse Specialist in Diabetes and works in the Portsmouth area. We both have a passion for France and it’s culture and are currently learning the language so we can converse with our customers in French.

Roquebrun is a wonderful picturesque village in South West France with easy access to the Mediterranean, Spain or the Pyrenees. The area is unspoilt and relatively unknown which is what attracted us to this beautiful area. For those interested in wine this area is abundant with wines which a few years ago were relatively unknown but now being recognised and stocked in our supermarkets. Regions such as Minervois, Faugeres, St Chinian, Corbieres, Picpoul de Pinet, Rousillion are all within an two hours drive. Roquebrun has a microclimate nestled in the hills of the Haut Languedoc and has an an abundance of Mimosa, Citrus plants including oranges and of course a number grape types.