Hello everyone

[willington]

As soon as I have all the work finished on my converted barn here in Norfolk and then selling it, I'll be heading down to PO in search of a house. Not just a holiday home, but a permanent residence.

My French language is pretty rusty and I have only visited France a few times before (mainly to play rugby)...but I just know that is the place where I want to be.

I'm not one for cities and I want to have a home with a view and of 'character' set on the edge of a small village or hamlet....any suggestions?

Ps....I hate gardening, mid 50's, no family and public transport with Internet connection would be a big plus.

[Owens88]

1) If you hate gardening try a 'residence'. Apartments are cheap as chips at the moment.

2) Vernet les Bains has character, walks, bars and life all year round (oh and no tramontane). Apply that checklist to all suggestions. The winter in some places is dire, I hear.

Bonne Chance

[Kate]

Hi Will and welcome.
There are a few past threads that might be useful.
Here's one. You might have to search around for others.
Great area to move to.
Bon courage
http://forum.anglophone-direct.com/ftopic11719.php

[willington]

thanks for the welcome

I'm far too much of a country boy to live in an appartment...appartments - towns in my book!

When I say that I hate gardening.....I don't mind cutting the grass or just leave shrubs to do their thing...it's all that flower tending and all that goes with it that I don't get on with! Now give me a couple of acres and a few goats to keep the grass down and I'll be a happy man.

[Peter Mills]

Hi

We're just putting our two bedroomed villa up for sale, privately, no agents, no fees and it sounds like it ticks your boxes. Check it out on our website www.buyourhouseinfrance.co.uk.

Best

Peter Mills

[Owens88]

Willington

By apartment I did not mean town centre high rise. I meantsomething with a terrace or patio within 'grounds' where the gardening is done communally. The French call this a 'Residence'.
Here, in the country with a mountain reaching 9000 feet in front of your nose, such places can be great if you want low commitments.

NB I have nothing to sell and DO watch out for the Tramontane. I wouldn't live with it.

[willington]

Thanks John

I've been looking at quite a few websites over the past few days...lots of lovely character properties available.

[Prosserp]

We searched in the region for a long time and eventually we bought in Sorede
. We made a wonderful choice in location and have settled here very well ...
We eventually made the choice by looking at a map after narrowing down what we wanted in life, for us we love walking along the seafront of an evening or going to the beach for an evening swim , so we chose an area less that 20 mins for the coast , we also wanted the mountains on our doorstep as we love walking in the mountains , so we chose an area hugging the mountains ,,,
We also wanted an authentic village , not a tourist holiday one ,
Sorede is a great village , but not cheap,,,
But what you get is the coast 10 mins away , the mountain view every morning , skiing an hour away in winter , an authentic village , with a great Marie , for instance over the summer our village has numerous Soiree's , some villages have nothing !!!!
We have four really good restaurants and most importantly they stay open all year , not like a lot of villages ,
We have all the ammenities you would ever need on our doorstep
Supermarket etc ....
Perpignan is 20 mins away if you need city night life etc
If i was to ever buy again i would look in Sorede , Laroque des Alberes and Ceret , you will be very happy if you do

[Sue]

As for the Tramontane you do get used to it and we find it easy to live with.

[Merisin]

I would not presume to advise you on where to live. Apart from saying that there is a great concentration of English speakers around the Le Boulou junction of the A9. There are considerations to your choice of place of residence which do not necessarily apply in the UK. But this is not the place to discuss them.

Mary

[russell]

As for the Tramontane you do get used to it and we find it easy to live with.

Just make sure you tie the garden furniture down

Russell.

[willington]

As for the Tramontane you do get used to it and we find it easy to live with.

Just make sure you tie the garden furniture down

Russell.

I presume that you mean tie the furniture down due to the strong wind...and not like here in rural Norfolk where if it is not tied down the 'Pikeys' will come and nick it!

[martyn94]

As soon as I have all the work finished on my converted barn here in Norfolk and then selling it, I'll be heading down to PO in search of a house. Not just a holiday home, but a permanent residence.

My French language is pretty rusty and I have only visited France a few times before (mainly to play rugby)...but I just know that is the place where I want to be.

I'm not one for cities and I want to have a home with a view and of 'character' set on the edge of a small village or hamlet....any suggestions?

Ps....I hate gardening, mid 50's, no family and public transport with Internet connection would be a big plus.

Edge of small village, no garden and access to public transport don't quite hang together for me. If you don't have much French, it might be better to get in amongst people who do. Or stay in Norfolk and get a sun-lamp - it even cuts out the tramontane.

[Sue]

My husband speaks around 6 words of French and I can just get by but surely if you live in a Brit enclave like some of the towns and villages mentioned you are never going to learn the language. We live on the edge of Argeles which is quite a decent size of town in an apartment with a sufficient amount of garden back and front. Public transport is close by as is the little tourist train which is free until the end of the month. We are not in a purpose built touristy type apartment but in a 2 storey house made up of 5 apartments and we are the only English. The comradery amongst us is fantastic. We all help each other out when something needs doing. Wouldnt change a thing. My only advice would be dont buy anywhere too remote, think about how you would get to shops and doctors etc if you could no longer drive. Also think about the difference in weather between sea and mountain. Maybe rent somewhere first and check out the areas. we had a mobile home in Argeles for several years, where we holidayed, before we bought.Most of all dont let anyone's sarcastic comments put you off. Yes the tramontane wind can be tiresome at times when it refuses to go away but to me it is far better than the wet of the UK. Go for it, you only live once.

[Phipplebert]

Wow, there are some pretty judgement l comments here!

Good luck to you in coming over and trying something new.

There are various places around where you could happily keep some sheep in the garden, where you could also have an area with some low maintenance med style succulent plants or just grazing.

I can highly recommended coming to the area and either renting or doing a recky over a week or so to find out your favourite areas. It is also worth deciding which is more important...sea or mountains and which you would rather be closer too, or if you are happy in between the two. There is quite a variety between villages and areas, I.e. (In general) The mountains are slightly cooler, the seaside areas can be very busy in the summer, some of the villages don't get much winter sun, some areas are more prone to the wind and some are more sheltered from the elements.

Some areas have good internet, some require satellite Internet (it's worth looking into this before deciding on a home if it's important to you, as the latter can be expensive). The tv down here has changed (I won't explain it as I'm bound to get shredded by someone for my poor explanation - but if you look in the high tech and geek section you will see threads on this with info). I don't know much about public transport but if you find a house you like the Mairie is often a good place to start for info like this as well as asking about potential sports clubs etc.

There are English speakers dotted all over the region as far as I have found and it's definitely handy knowing some (and possibly having an English speaking doctor locally if you think you my struggle to get by?). There are also various French lessons available and I personally have found people to be very helpful and welcoming with the language.

[willington]

Thanks to everyone for their positive comments and observations.

Whilst my French may be a bit rusty, I am far from incapable from holding a lengthy conversation in French...and FIVE other languages besides!

I cant think of anything worse than moving to another country and living in a 'Brit enclave'....I want to totally immerse myself into the French culture and integrate with the local people. Otherwise I would just stay in sunny Norfolk and use a Rosetta Stone language CD!

Before I decide upon the definitive property and location, I will rent for 6 months. Who knows, I may even have my home there custom built for me on a plot that meets all my criteria.

[Geoman]

I think if you want to integrate anywhere in this area is good. We bought in the mountains :Montferrer: we think we have found the perfect place. Yes it can be considered remote, but it is a very beautiful village with the most friendly people you could meet, our french isn't great but a little gets you a long way when they see you are trying. There is a house for sale on the village square which is full off character, has a fair bit of garden but would be suitable for goats, chickens etc. it's not everyone's cup of tea, but we love it & there's plenty of English speaking folk around.

[Owens88]

I merely flagged up the tramontaine as being a) something you migh not notice on an inspection and b) might well drive you nuts.
But obviously it doesn't affect everybody the same way.

Bonne Courage

J

[Daphne]

The Tramontane can be a real problem. A friend of ours who is a GP here said that it is a fact that there are more domestic accidents and some children become hyper-active during the period of the Tramontane. ( I can confirm the children bit, as years ago, I taught English in a school in Toulouges and the kids were wild when the winds blew, I used to come home with a headache and sore throat trying to control them)!! I also know of people who have sold up here and moved to other areas. Having said all that, I think that this is a most beautiful region and the Tramontane isn't bad enough for us to leave after living here since 1986!!!! It's just a nuisance at times!

[Santiago]

I would have a look at the bus network on here if public transport is important.

http://www.cg66.fr/553-plan-et-horaires.htm

You will see that somewhere around Elne Argeles and Le Boulou are of interest for Perpignan and the coast and Prades for the mountains.

Don't knock the ex-pat community and enclaves. Lots of people talk about integration but without a French partner, it's not that simple and having a network of people who share your language, culture, sense of humour and other interests can be a lifeline.

[willington]

I would have a look at the bus network on here if public transport is important.

http://www.cg66.fr/553-plan-et-horaires.htm

You will see that somewhere around Elne Argeles and Le Boulou are of interest for Perpignan and the coast and Prades for the mountains.

Don't knock the ex-pat community and enclaves. Lots of people talk about integration but without a French partner, it's not that simple and having a network of people who share your language, culture, sense of humour and other interests can be a lifeline.

Thanks for the info regarding the bus networks. I do drive, but you never know when you might need public transport.

I'm not knocking the 'enclaves', I just am used to living, in numerous countries, with the locals with few (if any) ex-pats in the area. The only country which I found was too much of a cultural difference for me was in the Dominican Republic (I disliked every minute having to be there....they even have armed guarda at McDonalds!

[Santiago]

The 66 doesn't really have expat enclaves like the Costa del Sol or Tenerife. What we mean by enclave is a village where you have a small chance of encountering some English-speakers in the local cafe or boulangerie, and half the time they will be tourists. There are no estates with a pub or corner shop. Nor is it like the Dordogne where 50% of the character houses are owned by Brits and every town has a cricket club.

What, I think, we mean by enclaves are villages that are popular with Brits. They will still only make up less than 1% of the population.

The only place I know that has a disproportionate amount of Brits is Leroy-Merlin, the big DIY store