Kathy and Pete Don fell in love with France after years of holidaying there and found themselves yearning for the more leisurely way of life.

They found Gers, a picturesque region to the west of Toulouse and now plan to move there.

Kathy said: "It's absolutely beautiful. It's a very rural, agricultural area with small, very compact towns."

The couple cannot buy a property in France until they sell their home in Turnpike Close, St John's, Worcester after Pete, a financial consultant retires next month.

They plan to rent a place in France while house hunting.

Semi-retired journalist Kathy, aged 61, said: "We are looking forward to having long summer evenings walking and swimming, sitting in the sun, drinking wine and going to the local market.

Pete, aged 64, said: "It's the space more than anything and the slow pace of life.

"There doesn't seem to be any congestion on the roads."

The couple's transition should be easier because they have family there. Their elder daughter Rebecca, 35, married Frenchman Bertrand Dalaison two years ago, giving the couple a taste of how comical it can be when traditions blend.

Kathy said: "In France you can get married in a church, but must also get married in a civil wedding in the town that you live in.

"We had an English-style wedding with a cake bought at Marks & Spencer which we carried over in the boot of the car. A French chef at the chateau put it all together and decorated it with flowers. The pièce de résistance, which was terribly French, was that he put fireworks, like Roman candles on the top.

"All the English people were laughing and saying that's so French' and all the French guests were saying that's so English'."

Kathy's sisters Sheila, 70 and Patricia, 67 live in Charente and Languedoc respectively - either side of where the couple hope to settle.

Although the couple have been brushing up on their French, they confess they are not fluent. They said they will miss Worcestershire.

Kathy added: "We still have three other children who live here and obviously that's one reason we want to be near an airport." Although they can't wait to indulge in fine France cuisine, they confess they will miss home comforts.

She said: "I am sure we will miss bacon sandwiches, fish and chips and getting an Indian takeaway."

Adrian and Chris Nichols have invested in a flat in Wimereux - a relatively undiscovered sea-front town between Boulogne and Calais.

The couple, of Elmley Castle, near Pershore, discovered France after becoming fed up with wet and windy breaks in the UK.

Adrian said: "We went down to south west France where we had glorious sunshine and hot weather for seven or eight years on the trot, eating al fresco and drinking lots of wine. The pace of life is slower."

The couple bought a mobile home in Charente-Maritime, on the edge of Bordeaux, but after forking out £2,500 a year on rent decided to invest in a property.

Adrian, aged 45 said: "Currently there are a tremendous number of Brits buying property in France and many areas have lost some of their charm. We fell in love with Wimereux, it is very pretty and fortunately has a lot of English visitors but not residents.

"It's delightful, charming and architecturally interesting. It's known as the Nice of the north."

The couple decided to have an apartment built there, which should be finished in May. Adrian, a sales and marketing director said: "One of the things that is great is the relative ease of buying property there. Mortgage rates are lower than they are in the UK and French property prices continue to go up and up. It's a very much an investment for us as part of our pension. Everything is cheaper, the food, wine, diesel."

Chris, an assistant gym manager, aged 48 said: "They have a more relaxed lifestyle and more time for each other, be it socially or in business. They do not have the stress of debt because neither the government nor banks encourage debt and do not commonly allow overdrafts. Credit cards are difficult to obtain even for French nationals and usually you will not get more than £1,000 credit limit.

"I love the French markets and find the food in the supermarkets is fresher, cheaper and there is more choice. The quality is excellent and the wine good, plentiful and cheap."

The couple plan to sell the apartment in about 20 years to buy a home in Provence. They say their sons, 18-year-old David and 16-year-old Richard are looking forward to having a home abroad.