markc555 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 As I absolutely hate flying, or more accurately passing through airports, the decision of where to purchase a holiday home was kind of made for me. I love France anyway and drew a line (arc) on the map 350 miles, or 5-6hrs by car, from Calais and then visited various destinations over a couple of years. Settled on Burgundy and bought an old 3 bed farmhouse, which has a second property attached and also a big barn. I didn't want much land as I didn't want to have to maintain/mow it so we have a modest garden, which is still a p.i.t.a! There's a road sign a few miles from us that says that you're equidistant from the Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean This is rural France and the locals are mostly farmers and in the nicest possible way peasants. They are lovely though but very few speak any English and my French is poor Cows must outnumber people by a significant proportion anyway, not that I speak cow either. The weather is a bit warmer in the summer and a fair bit colder in the winter. Prices/cost of living is similar to the UK. Our village is small and has no services at all, The nearest town is 7kms away and has everything you could reasonably need. We assumed we'd be the only English in the village bit it turned out that we had another English couple at the end of our garden! They've owned their place for over 20yrs and a) are very nice and b) have proved very helpful in getting us introduced to the villagers. Turning up in my Citroen (CX) for a week in the summer also proved a great hit with the locals. We have the vineyards of Challis to our Northwest and Beaune to our Southeast, Dijon Prenois circuit is 40min away I can't wait to go there in the Westie, hopefully next summer if I get my finger out. Mrs C will probably take the train on that particular trip. We get there about 6 or seven times a year for about a month in total. I can't see myself living there, or anywhere else, permanently but I'd like to make this more like 50/50. Of course having to work puts paid to that. Not everyone's idea of paradise but for the moment it works for us. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 My brother lives in France and he and the family are now more French than English. They mix with everyone who they like, but you can tell there are certain things they still miss. Norms advice is spot on, you need to decide what you want a second home for and like the place. Many English go on about the immigrants not learning the lingo and mixing and do exacly the same abroad. I loked at buying a place near my Brother, but, when I thought about it really hard every holiday would be to the same place, every holiday would involve work and maintenance not what I want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dippers Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 We have lived in Spain for the last 11 years full time and although we have seen the prices go up it is still cheaper to live here than in the UK. The main reason we moved here is the weather, it's 21 degrees today and averages between 14 & 26 degrees through out the winter with sunshine almost every day, the evenings get cold and you need heating, the best part is that I get to use my Westy as many times a week as I want. No problem getting it through the "ITV" (MOT). If you need any more info, just ask, Good luck. Dippers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain m Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 My Father ran a division of Goodyear Tyre Co and we lived in Canada and the USA untill I was a teenager and we moved to West Sussex where I still live. Between the age of 30 to 45 my Engineering job took me to various cities in Europe,Africa,Middle East,Far East where I would spend up to a week but only a very few would I have considered moving to. Looking out the window it's hard to believe continous sunshine can be boring and A/C bills can eclipse the cost of central heating for a few winter months. Two things the thread seems to have overlooked, travelling home a couple of times a year can be very expensive and usually involves taking extra unpaid time off so you never have time to explore your country of choice. No one has mentioned getting a job, housing, and cost of living, that may look reasonable but pay outside the UK in countries with a warmer climate is dreadfull, unless you are above the £80k plus expenses bracket and your new job includes healthcare and a considerable pension pot. Travel the World for 15 years and you will discover what a brilliant place the UK is and why so many folk return after a few years. My advise is rent your house in the UK, move to your desired destination for a few years by which time you will know if you made the right decision. I wish you well whatever you decide. :yes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dippers Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 We have lived in Spain for the last 11 years full time and although we have seen the prices go up it is still cheaper to live here than in the UK. The main reason we moved here is the weather, it's 21 degrees today and averages between 14 & 26 degrees through out the winter with sunshine almost every day, the evenings get cold and you need heating, the best part is that I get to use my Westy as many times a week as I want. No problem getting it through the "ITV" (MOT). If you need any more info, just ask, Good luck. Dippers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 That's clever Dippers, how did you do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.