Sniff out a bargain along Cantal’s ‘cheese road’

The Auvergne might be one of the least-known areas of France, yet it is wonderfully affordable and has much to offer, including some vintage cheeses… 

Part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, a little west of Lyon and the Alps, the Auvergne is mostly rural or mountainous so is great for outdoor pursuits although it’s also rich in history. There are historic spa towns (like Vichy), dormant volcanoes, small ski resorts in its Massif Central and some fabulous medieval villages.

Some of these feature on the area’s famed “Route du Fromage” that is a must for cheese-lovers.  The Cantal department is home to one of the region’s famous varieties, that (like wine) are rated on the quality of their production with an AOP system.

Along with Cantal – that’s been made for 2,000 years – is Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, and Saint-Nectaire.

The well-marked map on this site shows nearly 40 stops along the cheese route of farmers, producers and dairies. With the average property price in Cantal around €80,000, here’s a flavour of what you can buy there.

It’s very hard to believe you can get a newly refurbished five-bedroom, five-bathroom property in a charming village – for only €77,000!

Five minutes from a ski resort, this is a pretty two-bedroom village house with superb mountain views – and a price reduction!

This is top draw for Cantal: a six-bedroom basalt stone bastide property – with an extra one-bedroom house – on five acres of land has high-speed internet so might just be perfect for remote working in every sense.