Brand new 2-bedroom bungalow midway between Caen and Mont-Saint-Michel — Vire Normandie, Calvados

Here is a brand new, energy-efficient 2-bedroom bungalow in the lively town of Vire Normandie, in the heart of the rolling Calvados countryside. Single-storey, simple to run, and ready to move straight into, it makes an ideal holiday home, an easy retirement, or a first step into French life — with a full town's worth of shops and services close at hand and the coast little more than an hour away.

The home is built around a bright, open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area that opens onto the garden. Two comfortable bedrooms, a modern bathroom, a separate WC, and a utility room complete the layout, which can be tailored to your wishes. A garage can be added as an option.

About Vire Normandie

Vire is a spirited market town of around 17,000 people in southern Calvados, sitting almost exactly midway between Caen and Mont-Saint-Michel. The river Vire winds through on its way to the sea, and the valley around it is so green and hilly it has earned the affectionate nickname of "little Switzerland" — a favourite with walkers, cyclists, and mountain bikers alike. Much of the town was rebuilt after 1944, giving it a bright, open, spacious feel, while its finest medieval survivors remain: the ducal keep on its hilltop, the granite Notre-Dame church, and the handsome 13th-century Porte Horloge.

For day-to-day life, Vire has everything you could need — a good range of shops, many of them charmingly independent, along with supermarkets, a hospital, schools, restaurants, a large swimming complex, and a museum. The Friday market is a weekly institution, and the town is famous nationwide for its andouille, celebrated each autumn at its own gastronomic fair.

The countryside around is a joy. The Lac de la Dathée, just 6 km south, offers lakeside walks, sailing, and windsurfing, and a green cycleway runs out through the valley towards Sourdeval. Mont-Saint-Michel is around 45 minutes away, the D-Day landing beaches and the Bayeux Tapestry are within easy reach, and the Channel ports of Caen and Le Havre make journeys home straightforward.