Where in France

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Where in France
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Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 08 7:34 pm Post subject: Where in France

Good Evening to all our DS friends living in France.

We are thinking of selling up here and moving south. Have been for some time now. We want to stay in France for now as our two eldest boys are in school and more fluent in french than we are.

We are thinking of looking for a place further south than our current location (Haute Vienne) as we are well into the Massif Central and get very cold winters. It isn't too bad at present but I can tell it is on it's way.

I'd be interested to know from our other members who live in France what the climate is like in their area and what the property prices are like and what the locals are like.

We came to this part of France in 2004 hoping to mix with the locals and drop into the local culture and at first that seemed to work very well. Trouble is, many English familes have since moved to this area and now we seem to be grouped in with the English abroad society whether we like it or not. This is not why we moved to France.

Further to this, most of the land around us - which was all agricultural land when we moved here is now being sold off as building plots for new builds. It wouldn't bother me so much if the buyers were like-minded folk that were interested in environmentally friendly methods of new-build such as straw bale houses and the like but unfortunately most of them are 'townies' moving out into the country without a clue what it is about (and will probably demand a supermarkwt selling battery chicks to be built close by for convenience) and will continue to consume alongside petitioning us not to keep noisy pintards (Guinnee fowl)

Yes. I am well peeved.

What we would like is a plot of land in a very very remote area where the temperature rarely goes below zero and the snow melts before it has settled.

So ...

Anyone know of a decent plot of land with a couple of derelict(ish) buildings on, in a not too cold part of France?

We don't want to be part of an 'English community' although we would most certainly consider it should it be a community who's ideals were in line with ours. Self-sufficiency, self-reliance & holistic.

Ps. EDF electricery & France telecom need not call!

Tay

Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 2811
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 08 8:15 pm Post subject:

Simon,

The temperature difference between where you are and where we are/were is huge in winter. A good friend lived in the Creuse for 5 years, and was regularly snowed in; in fact she said that winters there were worse than on Dartmoor! She has been in the Indre for 15 years now and is much happier. Whenever we visited her (50 minute drive) we always saw a drop in temperature of 2 degrees. The land there is much higher; that seems to make the difference. The Indre, although there are quite a few rosbifs there, and especially to the west (Haute Vienne/Vienne border) is less harsh in winter as the land is much lower.

If you can find anywhere on the west coast (Aquitaine or Poitou Charentes), you will find much nicer winters, but higher property prices.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 08 8:16 pm Post subject:
Thanks Tay. We live in hope

Tay

Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 2811
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 08 8:21 pm Post subject:
Perhaps I should have added that we're in the Brenne regional park; there is no new-building going on near us; but a lot is going on elsewhere in our patch of the Indre. And everyone keeps noisy birds, including guinea fowl; the locals despise the townies and Parisians!

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 08 8:25 pm Post subject:
Hi Simon Sorry to hear your dismay - hope you can find somewhere suitable.....remember there is always Northern Spain......along the coast there is rarely snow, the past two year the lowest temp we have had is -2 (overnight), temperate climate where veg can be grown all year round..... But realise you would prefer France.......good luck Ian y Luis

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 9:05 am Post subject:

Tay wrote:

Perhaps I should have added that we're in the Brenne regional park; there is no new-building going on near us; but a lot is going on elsewhere in our patch of the Indre. And everyone keeps noisy birds, including guinea fowl; the locals despise the townies and Parisians!

You just after a babysitter on hand?

We will be looking West as well as South as I also miss occasional trips to the coast.

The plan is to do a bit of touring round in the summer hols. I wanted to get an idea of where best to start.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 9:15 am Post subject: Re: Where in France

Simon wrote:

Trouble is, many English familes have since moved to this area and now we seem to be grouped in with the English abroad society whether we like it or not. This is not why we moved to France.

Bloody Brits, going over there, buying up knackered properties, doing them up, installing heating and providing holiday homes! It ain't right, I tell you!

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 9:35 am Post subject: Re: Where in France

Northern_Lad wrote:

Simon wrote:

Trouble is, many English familes have since moved to this area and now we seem to be grouped in with the English abroad society whether we like it or not. This is not why we moved to France.

Bloody Brits, going over there, buying up knackered properties, doing them up, installing heating and providing holiday homes! It ain't right, I tell you!

There are plenty of instances where Britons (and others) have overly restored properties making them prim and proper and losing that French rural charm they once had. Gravelled drives, uPVC windows, smooth rendered walls, shutters removed, hanging baskets... Sigh!

pricey

Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 6444

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 9:36 am Post subject: Re: Where in France

Northern_Lad wrote:

Simon wrote:

Trouble is, many English familes have since moved to this area and now we seem to be grouped in with the English abroad society whether we like it or not. This is not why we moved to France.

Bloody Brits, going over there, buying up knackered properties, doing them up, installing heating and providing holiday homes! It ain't right, I tell you!

Sorry that made me laugh

Isn't it warmer where HWH is Simon?

BahamaMama

Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 9:39 am Post subject:

We have fallen totally for the Ardeche, although it can get very cold in winter. It is a very rural/agricultural region and the population density is low and consequently prices are low. It is an area of extremes with very hot summers but there is always a breeze to make it bearable and the colder winters. But totally, totally stunning - we can't wait to make the big move to be over there full time.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 10:12 am Post subject: Re: Where in France

vegplot wrote:

Gravelled drives, uPVC windows, smooth rendered walls, shutters removed, hanging baskets... Sigh!

Couldn't agree more, but what really bloody annoys me are all the new properties being built by the townies. Hundreds of 'salmon' coloured boxes dotted all over the countryside with perfectly square lawns and concrete everywhere

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 10:50 am Post subject: Re: Where in France

Simon wrote:

vegplot wrote:

Gravelled drives, uPVC windows, smooth rendered walls, shutters removed, hanging baskets... Sigh!

Not unlike the west coast of Ireland.

The problem is one of urban style in a rural setting. Rural areas are meant to be untidy, it's good for biodiveristy but for some it looks tatty and they have a reall need to tidy up. I blame rubber gloved retired housewives myself

You see it every where, rural lanes being turned into sterile, high maintenace, veins of urban street furniture.

Anders

Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 317

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 12:07 pm Post subject:

Hi Simon,

Sorry to hear you guys are unhappy about your place, - and I agree about those 'salmon' coloured boxes.
Our place gets cold in winter too, - though it is weird how 5 km down the road in Le Grand Bourg it always seems to be 5 degrees colder. Doesn't seem like you have to go far to find temperature differences. if you aren't local how are you going to know about that in advance? I guess further south should be warmer if you stay low. However you need rain too. When we decided on our location we thought a lot about water, having seen some places further south in France as well as Portugal that were very very dry. No chance of growing anything much without lots of water from wells or the mains.
Anyway, I'm sure you've thought about all this already. We just hope you find something you like better.

Cheers,

Anders and Judith

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-�a)

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: Where in France

Simon wrote:

Hundreds of 'salmon' coloured boxes

It is amazing how ugly modern French houses are. Arouind here about half the new builds are 'cottage' houses which look quaint. (The other half are 'modern' with funny shapes and lots of concrete or built from ugly brick). There's a lot of building going on here, but at least here you buy a plot of land and have a house built, so there are no estates.

As far as farms go, here's one that's just been sold at �500K for 5 ha. https://www.immoregion.be/pages/detailvente.php?OxySeleCode=00002127705 but it looks as if it needs a bit of work.

Contadino

Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 190
Location: Puglia, Italia

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 08 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: Where in France

Simon wrote:

Trouble is, many English familes have since moved to this area and now we seem to be grouped in with the English abroad society whether we like it or not.

For the first 20-odd times I went to buy milk from the local farm, the farmer would harp on about how another Inglesi family had bought such-and-such a house. Each time I told him that I don't want to spend time with expats, and prefer my Italian friends for company. Nowadays, he's much better, but it was an uphill struggle. I can really empathise.

Here, if you make your place in the country too urban, you'll get robbed. It's as simple as that. 2 weeks after building work finishes, you'll get robbed and they'll take everything even if it's nailed down. You put a pool in, you'll get robbed. You put up a satelite dish, you'll get robbed. You rip out a vegetable bed and put in flowers, you'll get robbed.

I couldn't condone it, but it's a great way of keeping the rural lifestyle.

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