Simple escape to nature, rustic family retreat in river valley in France, YES!

I am a physicist/economist/artist living in Europe who has acquired properties in the best locations for peace and quiet. I have rented these properties out to visitors for nearly 30 years and do so in order to provide myself with an income and to enjoy seeing others taking a delight in the locations I have found. I travelled the globe six times in order to be sure I had found the best spots to invest and continue to do so but as yet have not found anywhere better. An environmentalist since 1980 I have helped further research into alternative techniques to providing people with the knowledge to better themselves without destruction to the surroundings. Hence I respect nature and watch it for years before starting to make any impact which would have an effect on the plants and animals living there.
I offer simple, comfortable best quality options I can find which are usable and not fragile and likely to break quickly. Thus they are not always the newest, but the most robust, Sony, Apple, Stihl, Volvo, Swiss-Made, Brother and Panasonic being the makes I prefer.
Old is not necessarily good, but the older something is and still operates shows that it is of quality and that is the core to all that I do - buying the best available so that nothing is wasted. My dissertation on heatpumps in 1980 earned me a "Bachelor of Science Honours Degree" and additional degrees in the State Academy of Art in Germany and four years working as a researcher into Artificial Intelligence in Tokyo University completed my academic work in 1994. Since then I have been building situations which I share with paying guests who I expect to take care and treat with respect the enormous amount of work that has gone into finding and restoring these locations. This former mill from the 17th century in France was once a commercial enterprise milling flour, then producing electricity and sadly today, EDF banned all production of electricity, + maintain tight control on their nuclear power production.

France offered the highest quality cultural and climatic conditions in the world in the 1990s and remains top except in winter when I retreat to south Portugal where no heating is required in winter. This area in particular the Dordogne offers the best visually stimulating views with more castles per square kilometre than any other place on earth. Undulating hills and green valleys are just one of a dozen reasons to come here and taste the best food available on earth, view the crystal clear night skies and encounter the wild animals all around the property and in the three rivers running through this estate.
The greatest attraction for me was the potential source of power from the river which could power a heat pump, but this is illegal and will remain so until society falls apart and we are each left to our own devices. I have all the equipment in storage for the day when EDF are declared bankrupt and we are all free to look after ourselves with the resources around ourselves. That may come very much sooner than expected if the elites continue to enrich themselves at the cost of the average person and people attempt to start again. So this location is well away from large population centres and thus safer from those who will try to escape the cities when TSHTF!

There is not another property to compete with this Moulin de Madame, anywhere in the Dordogne and thus not anywhere in Europe or I would have heard about it. The fact that it is located on a freshwater river provides positively charged ions which give those who stay here a huge amount of energy - the weir is a constant source of oxygen for the many species of fish which can be watched trying to spring up the over one metre high barrier into the deep water above. Guests marvel at the never ending sound of water rushing over the rocks but I can say that after one month it gets to be an annoyance (for those of us who compose music) and thus another area of gardens can be reached up on the hills (3 kms away) where absolute silence is available, along with a fantastic view of the next local village - Thiviers where the greatest French philosopher Jesn-Paul Sartre spent his formative years - .
The largest private telescope in the region was placed near those gardens, put there by a group of astronomers to exploit the optimal conditions for viewing galaxies billions of light years away. Open to all when the skies are clear.

Close by, is the huge lake open to the public at Nantheuil where anyone can enjoy the fresh clear water for swimming and grassy banks for sunbathing or playing in the golden sand with the children. A snack bar provides full meals and drinks for those who do not wish to bring their own picnic - no waste accepted so guests must take their waste products home with them - yet another positive sign of keeping the local environment pristine and worth preserving.
For those who enjoy discovering caves and ancient rock locations, the valleys here have rock formations reaching back 560 million years. Original cave drawings can be seen, not reproductions but the real thing for a fee, but worth viewing on a hot day - 13 degrees temperature all year round inside.
The cool pool in Le Moulin de Madame gardens offers a cold bath since before humans even existed.