Originally Posted by cyrian

Exactly! We toured most regions in France over the years and when we started to close in on a location, we visited it several times looking at different aspects each visit.
We were sure of our choice when we eventually made it and have had no regrets since.
We considered - too hot in summer or too cold in winter; coastal or inland; good and reliable transport links back home; too many Brits or too few Brits; rural or town.
Consider renting somewhere for 6 months and view everything as a resident - not as a tourist.
Castres is really nice - I spent several days near there - but it is quite far to the nearest airport. I wasn't aware of train links.
Happy planning.