babyposer

Loire Vallée is not 'northern' France!

Centre is cheap because people are leaving this région.

So yes it's cheap when you buy but when you sell it's a nightmare.

So if the OP wants to go back to England for whatever reasons (health, homesickness and so on) it will be much more difficult to sell a house which is in Centre than in Rhônes-Alpes for instance.

"LE NORD, L’EST ET LE CENTRE EN PERTE DE VITESSE
En revanche, dans le Nord, l’Est et le centre de la France, beaucoup d’agglomérations perdent de la population. C’est le cas dans les agglomérations de Dunkerque, Douai, Le Havre mais aussi Amiens, Metz, Nancy, Bourges, Nevers, ou Blois, précise François Clanché. Globalement, dans ces régions, les communes rurales perdent des habitants ou n’en gagnent pas."

La France, 65 millions d’habitants inégalement répartis | La-Croix.com - France

INTERACTIF. Recensement : les régions qui gagnent des habitants, celles qui en perdent

Novocastrian

As well you should. But I'm not sure if it would be ideal for horses.

It doesn't matter which BE country forum you ask on, most people will try to rationalize their own decisions by touting where they live.

Thus, I don't want to be crass, but have a gander at the St. Lo area and the Marais de Cotentin. The place is dripping with horses.

<prendre avec un pincée de sel>

Touraine

I agree 'Val de Loire/Loire Vallée' is not northern France. North France (for me) is North East of Paris towards Lille and calais. Nice

The OP can't really afford the Loire Valley. I still think Bourgogne is a good bet for horses/house prices. Not many expats as well

babyposer

EuroTrash

I lived in Lille for a year. It's a great town, good friendly atmosphere and lots to do.
Rubbish weather though.
I still think the OP might want to look at Brittany which is west France not north.
I live next door in Normandy and although as NC says it's probably the obvious choice for horsey people on a budget, on principle I never tout it to expats because there's more than enough Brits here already. IMHO.

Touraine

Never been to Lille but everyone raves about it. We move about a lot because of my OH work but never lived in the north.

Personally I would not go brittany or any other expat area. The OP needs to find an expat free zone/region in a nice thriving village/small town where other people have horses. Horsey people tend to look after each other. I do get the feeling that if you go into an expat area you will not have the same type of relationship with the locals that you would normally have in a 'untouched' French town. British expats have a habit of pis***g of everybody of especially the local tradesmen.

EuroTrash

But just because you wouldn't, doesn't mean the OP mustn't. They don't speak a lot of French and the social life, going out of an evening, is important to them. I think they might settle better amongst expat horsey people who also enjoy evenings out.
There are just a few places in Brittany that feel like expat enclaves. Most of it doesn't. I don't think you can dismiss the whole of Brittany an 'expat area'. It's the main food producing area of France, it has a very strong agricultural economy and that's where most people in Brittany work. The expats don't have much of a presence in 'real' life in Brittany.

Touraine

Fair point....if the OP wants Brit-sur-loire then fair enough. I get the feeling though that those people who live in none expat orientated areas are far happier.

The important thing is that the OP will only get one shot at this. The cheaper houses in Brittany will be more remote which means more driving which means more costs per month. Whilst houses are cheaper, rural living in France is much more expensive than non rural areas. That is for sure. My little example I gave earlier (and there are not many about) has a Super U and all the amenities (doctors/dentists/little bar)of a village/town and the countryside is lovely. You can live there without a car. For me that is the sort of area the OP should target.

If the OP was a typical Brit saying I want to move to France because I love France the food and the relaxed way of life I would not get involved in this debate. But given the OP's circumstances I think they can make a go of it. They just need to do it properly. Most Brit expats don't do it properly which is why they end up going back. So quite happy to help if I can.

nicktonight

I agree with intours here and think that OP could make a go of it (PS I lived in France for 25 years). Decent democratic countries like France and the UK go in cycles - at the moment France is really low and perhaps at its lowest point whereas from the continent at least, the UK seems like an economic paradise with almost full employment etc. It may be a good time to buck the trend and buy something perhaps in horsey Normandy. The OP seems an extremely sensible person and there may be lots of ways he can find work - looking after other peoples horse, riding lessons and lots of other ways, just use the imaginaton - and then profit from the autoentrepreneur status to get health care. Even renovating old country houses oneself may become profitable again . Concerning climate, and the other points however I agree with the rest of ths forum - check them out first

grannybunz

Steviecops you might be interested in this article:

In the saddle - Living in France - Complete France

It would seem that. like many things in France you need a qualification to do almost anything but you might be able to contact the lady in question and ask her yourself.

Steviecops

I'm really grateful for all this invaluable advice. Thank you all for contributing. I haven't piped up much because I'm happy to sit, read and digest what's being said here. I now know so much more about what and where to research. I've already acknowledged and accepted that my initial thought of southern France were impractical in so many ways. I've started looking at properties in Brittany and Normandy and they do seem like a better option. More suited for horses, a bit cheaper, plus the climate still appears to be better than the South East UK where I live. Ive still got to check out the other recommended areas, too.

As for our wants and needs, I don't see myself needing to be around lots of other Brits. As horsey people mostly are, we are down to earth and a bit rough and ready. Getting dressed up and going out to socialise isn't at the top of our agenda. It would just be nice to be able to eat without having to cook now and then. Whether we socialise with French, British, or whatever nationality, isn't important. It would be nice to be around other horsey people but, as any horse person will tell you, the horsey world can be very bitchy and sometimes more trouble than it's worth!

Please keep the information, opinions and advice coming! I really appreciate it.

InVinoVeritas

It's nice to have someone who appreciates the advice - some people just come on here and argue with us!

Developing a point that ET raised, it would not be wise to isolate yourself from the English community in France. In the same way that you have found this forum helpful you would really benefit from having some English "resources" around you who have come to terms with the system in France and who have established contacts within the French community.

There is really nowhere in France which is so populated with Brits that you'd be tripping over them every 5 minutes and, in any case, they are not so desperate for English company that they would track you down and camp on your doorstep - they are in France for the same reasons that you would be.

nicktonight

Don't take my post seriously - I'm just remembering a beautiful two weeks of summer I once passed as a young adult in a trappist monastery in Bricquebec - Anyway you can get a place like this vente maison Bricquebec 85 825 euros - vente maison bricquebec (50260) - Immobilier bricquebec (50) - Annonce immobiliere:8671965 OuestFranceImmo
for about £60,000 + Notary fees- Perhaps you are too far from Paris for wealthy Parisians who would like to have a horse but don't know how to look after it during the week but the Cotentin is a very beautiful region and you are right next to really beautiful beaches. IMHO life in provincial France can be very very depressing in winter. Nothing like the UK - but if you are near the sea!

Touraine

Nooooo....too much work and that is OVERPRICED. There is over 100,000 +++++ euros worth of work there.


Good point InVinoVeritas made. Keep out of commuting distance of Paris. Many moons ago we used to go horse riding in Sologne. The Parisians turned up on a Saturday in their 75 registered 4x4 and thought they owned the place. You just wanted to tw&t them one.

Where we live now the kids go horse riding every Saturday and they are all down to earth horsey people.

To the OP. Jump in a car and explore France.

Same area as before....look there is a horse...that is liveable.

Ancienne Fermette Suin Ventes immobili�res Sa�ne-et-Loire - leboncoin.fr

Novocastrian

"Is this near enough?", he asked horsely.