With a budget of €250,000, they shifted their search north of the Dordogne to the Poitou-Charentes département, for better value, warmer winters and a shorter drive (4½ hours) from the ferry.

“To know exactly what we were buying, we decided to find an ­English-speaking surveyor. We found one through the Facebook group Charente-Maritime Expats and paid around €1,300,” said Mrs Thompson, a teacher. The couple didn’t find any ­off-putting issues and are planning longer stays there. “At 63, Michael is thinking about retirement – then we’ll look at moving there,” she said.

Brexit has brought with it an added layer of bureaucracy. To move to France for longer than three months, or permanently, like Mr and Mrs Thompson plan to, you will need a long-stay visa. For this, you need to show a net income of about €1,269 per month, or €15,228 a year.

The Thompsons were cash buyers so didn’t get a mortgage, but doing so can be beneficial, especially if sterling is dipping into a bad patch. You can also borrow on a long-term fix at a low rate: one buyer in the Dordogne fixed for 14 years on a €580,000, 75pc mortgage for just 2.2pc.