The view from their kitchen window is like a dream come true for Richard and Victoria Hobson-Cossey. Beyond their flowering cherry walk, the Normandy landscape falls away into the distance, with its picturesque patchwork of fields and pear orchards. Not a sound can be heard except birdsong. They've come a long way from the suburbs of Chester.

The Hobson-Cosseys had always dreamed of owning their own hospitality business. After all, between them they had over 30 years experience as hotel managers, working all over England. "We were beginning to think, if we're going to do this, shouldn't we be doing it for ourselves?" says Richard.

Nevertheless, the idea of buying in France didn't occur to them immediately. "We looked first in the UK, even going so far as to bid for a property at auction," says Richard. "But the vendor pulled out at the last minute and we felt rather disillusioned. It was something that came to us gradually, really - the idea that we might combine something like a B&B business with living abroad.

"We'd holidayed a lot in France," continues Richard, "and France held a lot of appeal to us because of the heritage, the countryside, the food and - of course - the wine. Also, Victoria had lived abroad before, in Canada and in Germany, but I hadn't, and I thought it would be an adventure. Obviously, property is also cheaper in France, so it meant the financial commitment would be less burdensome."

The couple were used to using the Internet as a daily business tool, so for them it was a natural first port of call when they came to look for estate agents in France. "We used mostly French ones," says Victoria, "and overall they were very helpful. Most of them spoke English, but we could get by even with those that didn't. We found they had a good knowledge of their local markets and listened carefully to what we were looking for. Of course, you have to know yourself what you want, and your budget, or you can waste a lot of time."

What the Hobson-Cossey's were looking for was quite specific: a character property that they could run as a high-end B&B, in which all the bedrooms could be converted to ensuite. If the house also had outbuildings that could be used for accommodation, that was also a bonus. "The ensuites were crucial," says Richard. "We knew we wanted to aim at the high end of the market, and that means a big bath and a lovely bed rather than things like television rooms. Great views don't hurt either."

The Hobson-Cosseys found there were many suitable properties available but to meet their budget, they had to come down from their ideal figure of six bedrooms to three. "We looked at 25-30 properties over a period of about five months," says Richard, "making one two-week viewing trip and several shorter ones. It was tiring but it was also fun in a way - we had to do a lot of 'envisioning' because nothing we saw was usable just as it was - you had to imagine a house's potential. Of all the houses we saw, only four were really worth further consideration."

Although the Hobson-Cosseys had holidayed many times in France, in places like the Somme, Burgundy and Montpellier, they had never visited Normandy before they came to view properties. "We got as far as making an offer further south," says Richard, "but that sale didn't work out, and the more we looked at it, the more attractive the north began to appear. Here in the north, transport links are more varied and this is also a good tourist area, being close to the Normandy beaches and Mont St Michel. We also catch a lot of business from people stopping over on their way further south."

"When we saw this house from the outside we just fell in love with it as we were coming down the driveway," says Victoria. "Luckily, we also found it suited our criteria on the inside!"

The property, Belle Vallée, was at that time, home to a French family of five. It's the type of house known as a 'maison de maître' - a 'family mansion' - grand in character but modest in scale rather like a small château. Its blonde stone and blue granite window surrounds are typical of houses in the Domfront region of the Orne, but its turquoise paintwork lends it rather a southern touch. At times you could imagine you're on the Mediterranean coast.

The property consists of the main six-bedroom house, a separate 'dower house', which the Hobson-Cosseys have converted into a gîte, a bakery currently under conversion into a further apartment, and various other outbuildings, all surrounding a white gravel courtyard. It even has a sought-after Normandy turret, which houses the staircase. The five acres of garden were designed by a previous owner who was a keen plantsman, and include a walled orchard and a flowering-cherry walk, plus rare shrubs and trees brought in from as far away as Russia.

"It took four months from us seeing the house to taking possession," says Richard, "and on the day itself, we were too nervous to enjoy it! I just kept thinking: I hope it's like I remember. We didn't hang about celebrating - within 30 minutes of getting the keys, we'd started work on the house."

Since Belle Vallée had been a family home, the property's main drawback in commercial terms was that it had only one bathroom. The Hobson-Cosseys quickly installed one for each of the three first-floor guest bedrooms, using local plumbers and builders. "Finding French artisans is difficult and frustrating," says Richard, "but the finished work is excellent. Mostly, the house is furnished from our house in England, plus a mixture of French and English things we've bought in." The couple brought over English baths, which they preferred to French ones, and building work continues in the attic, with a new ensuite room due to come on stream next year.

The Hobson-Cosseys had deliberately chosen a property in good decorative order, and were happy with the existing colours in the house, except those in the children's rooms, which they repainted. Victoria had already made curtains for the house before moving in. "She measured everything up, bought a bolt of cloth from a factory shop, hired an industrial machine, and she and her mother - who used to be a seamstress - ran up 37 curtains in a week," says Richard. "She planned the move almost like a military campaign. Every room had a swatch board with paint colours and fabrics, and a floor plan, and when the furniture arrived, it went into the rooms like clockwork."

In the early months, while Victoria and her mother were getting to grips with sanding floorboards and sponging walls, Richard was still working in England to raise extra income, coming over to France only at weekends. "The whole project was quite daunting," he admits, "especially in February, when the building work was falling behind schedule, but you just have to keep plugging away and hope things will come right."

In the event, the house opened for business just after Easter and Richard and Victoria have been busy ever since. "Our daily routine is up at 7.30 to buy bread from the local bakery," says Victoria. "Then we do the guest breakfasts and clean the house. After lunch, it's gardening, various chores, accounts and dealing with guests coming back from their afternoons out, and then we have the evening pretty much to ourselves. We're normally happy to hit the hay at about 10.00. The downside of such a busy day is that we haven't explored the surrounding area quite as much as we'd like, but Belle Vallée is such an inspiring place to live that we don't really mind not getting out more - we're far too busy to feel isolated."

The couple aren't certain yet whether Belle Vallée is their permanent home but say they will look at how the business is going after about five years. "But for the time being," says Victoria, "we really enjoy life here - the French way of life is very relaxing and there's a far better work/life balance than in the UK. If we could do it all again, the only thing we'd do differently is win the lottery!"