A pipe dream me thinks, unless you have enough money to be self sufficient & if that be it, then why Canada or the PNW, simply stay in the UK & holiday in the Alps.

If you need to earn a living so that you can live that 'pipe dream' to be close to the Canadian outdoors with all of the wilderness, fresh air, lakes & ski slopes, then my suggestion to you is look for work, housing that you can afford, the children factor in as far as schools - then its down to location, location.

What about Muskoka Ontario, it has all of the outdoors right there & winter activities of the wilderness

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distri...ity_of_Muskoka

Muskoka winter activities

Muskoka life...

You just need a bear eating dog, along with that rifle & do not go out without the traditional GV Bear Paw snow shoes, a whistle, a flashlight, cell phone & a flask of hard liquor.

Thanks of all the info everyone, all very interesting and useful.
To clarify a few points though, the first is we are not chasing an unrealistic pipe dream of a lifestyle change, we already live a similar life, we are now looking at basing ourselves somewhere to have a home base where we can do most of the things we live for (rather than travel constantly and never truly get to know an area). I also want to be able to do more winter stuff (climbing, skiing etc) on my doorstep, as i currently have to travel along way and at great expense to do this.
Workwise, we are very flexible and also not chasing some improved financial situation. Just to get by, as we are now, fund our lifestyle and have plenty of free time.
I would love to hear from anyone, who moved over for similar reasons and find out how it is working out.
Keep posting though, lots of really interesting info cropping up and some great location reccomendations.
Thanks

To get the feel, why not come for a holiday or a recce, visit Muskoka spend a few weeks in the summer (rent a cottage on a lake) & in February (there are packages available).... seriously

Flying into Toronto airport it'll be a 2 hr drive to one of the Muskoka region towns, folks are warm & hospitable, enjoy the experience.

Muskoka as an example, its area is 1520 sq'miles with a population of approx 58,000 people, a density of 38/sq ml (Wiki source)- compare that to a region in the UK

Expats emigrate for all kinds of reasons, some for economic, for the future of their children & others for that adventure to be in the great outdoors or city living in one of the big smoke stack metropolitain cities. It does take money though & Canada is not cheap living.

Best of luck to you

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Sounds like a great idea not2old. Muskoka looks great and not somewhere I was familiar with until now.
Thanks

my post 38, I added

"Muskoka as an example, its area is 1520 sq'miles with a population of approx 58,000 people, a density of 38/sq ml (Wiki source)- compare that to a region in the UK"

Is that wilderness enough for you?

http://www.discovermuskoka.ca/things-to-do-see.html

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Heck we have political riding's in Canada the same size as some entire countries...

We have a riding in BC that is the size or Norway that one lucky MP gets.

It is lovely here and sounds right up your street... But Not2old's idea of a cottage is ridiculously expensive. Cottages are the summer vacation homes of the rich and famous and the cheapest you will get one here is on average about $2000 a week...

There is also not much work here unless you have a specific profession (for example my husband is a Family Physician) or a very specific business idea that makes you enough in the summer working all hours to combat poor local trade in winter. It's tough up here..

Here you go ... Live, Learn and Play! - ABOUT US - College of the Rockies, Cranbrook BC, Canada

A pipe-dream? Why so?

I live, work and play at a ski resort. There's a school here, medical centre, every amenity you need day to day, and all the recreation (and more) that bobble indicates they'd like to have access to.

This week I dirt biked 100kms+ around the mountain, cross-country mountain biked, played tennis, paddle boarded on the lake, played golf and hiked. It was all accessible within 10 minutes of home.

Still have affordable housing there?

That's the only issue in Whistler, otherwise it would be an ideal place to live for those seeking outdoors.

For the OP, RICH's suggestion of a ski resort is a good one, people live year round at Sun Peaks, Silver Star and Big White. I've no idea of house prices at Sun Peaks but Big White is cheaper than Silver Star and for e.g. I found: #2 200 Moonshine Crescent, Big White, V1P 1P3 | Big White Property Group
Seems a very reasonably priced home, it looks like there's a school up there as well although it's about an hour from Kelowna itself. There's a need for construction/renos/maintenance workers in the ski resorts and from owners we know, they all charge a premium because "it's up the hill"
Outside of the Okanagan, Nelson may be worth a look, it's a lovely hippie laid back town, nice lake and more extreme skiing it seems. A family we met there told us they hiked up the mountains with their dog then skied down, given the mountains there, that would be no mean feat! We all loved it but too remote for us, we wanted an airport close by , Nelson's nearest is " Cancelgar"!
Revelstoke and Golden may also be worth a look. Revelstoke has some extreme skiing I'm told!

Single family homes start around $350k. A 3,000sq/ft duplex can be purchased for $325k. Condos are around half those prices.

That's even cheaper then Squamish for a single family. Not bad at all.

[QUOTE=bobble;11746816
I would love to hear from anyone, who moved over for similar reasons and find out how it is working out.
Thanks[/QUOTE]

I moved for the exact same reasons you want to, I live in Whistler and work as a backcountry guide.

I have lived in all the outdoorsy areas of the UK, the lakes, North Wales, Scotland etc and also in the French Alps.
I do miss my classic UK scrambles and ridges but in general all of the above just does not compare to the outdoor opportunities in BC; The skiing, The sledding, Powder up to my chin, The steepness, The remoteness, Bright Bright blue glacier lakes, hugh crevasses, bears, cougers!! ....
I could go on and on but you get the point.

For any truly dedicated mountaineer/skier I really feel like I live in the best place on Earth. There is a lifetime of adventure and still then you would only just have scratched the surface.
There are plenty of people here who have made the move for lifestyle and in my town you can live so many different lives.
You can party with the 18 year old Aussies until you drop or you can live a holistic, healthy lifestyle. There is a great community once you get past the seasonal's.

Now to the negatives
Other than the outdoors I find Canada quite boring, the west coast is bland. I'm sure others might have a different opinion but that's just mine.
Everything is on my doorstep but I miss planning and looking forward to weekends away. I miss the pub culture, quaint towns, oldness and architecture rather than row after row of vinyl siding.
I'm planning a move to interior BC where I can daytrip to different ski resorts and towns. Other than Vancouver I find that we're quite isolated in Whistler.
At first I did not mind the drive to the city but now it's just so frustrating to drive so far for a pair of jeans, to take a course or buy car parts when my stoopid motor needs repair.
If you live in a major city this obviously is not a concern but for the lifestyle you want this is the reality.


It's expensive!!!! Very and alot of the work seasonal. I don't need to earn a lot but I've found it a struggle the last few years. I can't afford a season pass and find I take as much work I can which means I'm not enjoying the things I moved here for but still have the high cost of living associated with the lifestyle.
I'm changing career and my plan is to live in a small/medium town (BC standards) with steady work but still close to the resorts. Maybe Cranbrook or similar.
You already have a trade though and trades pay well in BC so you may not have the difficulty I have had.

Flights, well Canadians must have rip me off tattooed on their foreheads. It's a big country with not alot of people so competition is not the same as the UK and prices I find high.

Even with the above though, I love Canada. I have so much more opportunity for both for lifestyle and career.

There are so many cool outdoor spots to live here, enjoy researching them and making a decision