reevesfrench

Hello all,

We're new to the forum so please forgive any mistakes...my wife, Sue, and I are hoping to move across to France next year, we are thinking about Brittany as we've been there quite a few times but only for a max stay of 2-3 weeks, what we're after is a location that has some Brits so we don't feel totally isolated, basically just some advice, any and all will be gratefully accepted,

Don & Sue

dennerlymum

Hi there! Not living in Brittany cant advise, but good luck with your move; you dont mention if you are retired or seeking work... it makes a difference to how we can advise you!

dmu

Hi, I don't live in Brittany, either, and can't advise, except to say that spending holidays in a place, wherever you choose, is nothing like actually living the whole year round, with the nitty-gritty of French life, bureaucracy, etc...
Give us more info about your situation and we can advise you better!

reevesfrench

Hello and thanks for taking the time to reply, as it stands at the moment I'm retired and just waiting for my wife to finish next year...neither of us intend to work when we move to France however, we'd both like to be involved in 'something' socially. We're aware that holidaying and living are completely different that's why we're trying to 'pick' other peoples brains on locations etc

Don & Sue

reevesfrench

Hello and thanks for taking the time to reply, as it stands at the moment I'm retired and just waiting for my wife to finish next year...neither of us intend to work when we move to France however, we'd both like to be involved in 'something' socially. We're aware that holidaying and living are completely different that's why we're trying to 'pick' other peoples brains on locations etc

Don & Sue

cyrian

Hi Don
You have lots to consider.
First I would suggest that you initially rent somewhere in your chosen area of France - including a period of wintertime - before you burn your boats in the UK.
You have to consider healthcare unless you are receiving a UK State Pension because until normal retirement age you will not be eligible for healthcare under the french system. If your NIC contributions are up-to-date in the UK then you can get UK cover for a couple of years.
You should use the search facility at the top right of the french forum index page to search for previous threads - all the really helpful topics have already been discussed.
Google DWP - living abroad. There is a really helpful DWP website.
Have a look at this website http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/en/jsp/site/Portal.jsp
As you have been advised already, living in France is a whole new ball game from visiting.
If you search for more info then you can come back with questions and you should get all the answers you need.
Good luck

bigglesworth

Good afternoon Don

Just a couple of thoughts. How important is access to the UK? For us critical as 'er indoors likes to see the kids. We decided that we were likely to see more of them if we lived in a romantic part of the world with good weather and a swimming pool, so they would come for holidays rather than just the occasional weekend in rainy England.
If you do need that ease of access, you can either stay close to the coast, or go farther afield and pick one of the main arterial routes. We are close to two airports, a main road and the TGV.
Secondly weather - France is very varied, but it does get cold - very cold
Thirdly language. Learning a language later in life requires a lot of hard work - unless you are lucky enough to be a polymath! We have met a number of people who have become increasingly isolated and cut off as the years pass due to their inability to communicate their needs as they age.
The social part is a bit more difficult. In the main, French people's lives revolve around family, so getting involved is a bit challenging. We go to every event in the Salle de Fetes, Randonnees and any thing that moves basically. (except Cassoulet evenings - Bleeeaarrgghh).
Any questions, do not hesitate. You will find a wealth of helpful and knowledgeable people on British expats.
Good Luck

dennerlymum

I agree with all of the above... choose a place or several and rent for a while... Britany is lovely but so are areas further south such as the Gers, or the Lot...

to get involved join you Comité de Fêtes; every village has one and they organise the events in your village - we joined ours and although many of the events are not 'our thing' they are an excellent way of getting known in the village... people really appreciate your efforts to be part of the community

Lastly learning french is obligatory!

White Trash

The best advice given so far is to rent if you can afford to and test various areas to see if they suit. There are several expat ghettos if you need to be near other Brits. Areas around Callac and Pontivy come to mind. Have any of your visits to Brittany been in the dead of winter? I suggest you try that first if you haven't. It can be very cold, damp, grey, and depressing here in winter and it doesn't suit everyone. As has been mentioned above, the French stick indoors with their families and don't include foreigners much in those activities until they get to know you, maybe several years down the line. The more popular coastal areas will be the most expensive to buy into but they may still have some "life" in winter unlike the central Brittany areas that seem to go into hibernation.

reevesfrench

Thanks to you all for your excellent advice, I've a feeling that we may have to look further south where there is a bit more sun as my wife doesn't do to well in the damp, I'm led to believe the Dordogne or Charente are reasonably priced and have good weather, apart from renting down there for a while any suggestions for specific locations??
Regards
Don & Sue

cyrian

Hi Don
Everyone has chosen where they stay because it suits them.
Whether it is rural or in a town.
Whether it is hot in the summer i.e. in the South or moderate in the summer i.e. the North.
Whether it has lots of Brits or not - and so on.
It is therefore difficult for people to advise you on what you want.
You have previously looked at Dordogne in June 2012 and then at Brittany.
Perhaps somewhere between the two would be a good starting point.
The weather in South Brittany is generally better than the north coast and then you have the coastal regions towards Bordeaux.

Regards

bigglesworth

We looked at the Dordogne. I loved it. SWMBO preferred the Charente. You just cannot tell until you get here. The Charente we are told is the second sunniest part of France. But it still got to 20 below in January for a couple of days.
We rented for several years first. In Spain, and then the Dordogne. We eventually got very rational and logical and listed those things that were imperative for us - principally speed of access to the UK if we need to go back. (Which I still have to do once a month - but finish in January, yippeee!). Also proximity to facilities -reasonable town with minimum of two supermarkets, restaurants, market etc.
But in the end it boils down to what you want.
The one word of advice I would give is that land is cheap and abundant here. Just remember you have to maintain it, and that gets harder as you get older

White Trash

"Thanks to you all for your excellent advice, I've a feeling that we may have to look further south where there is a bit more sun as my wife doesn't do to well in the damp, I'm led to believe the Dordogne or Charente are reasonably priced and have good weather, apart from renting down there for a while any suggestions for specific locations??"

Interesting you mention the Charente. My place in Brittany is pretty much unusable in winter because I have no heating installed yet and the WC is in an outbuilding. I commute south to dept.17 in October and spend the winter here. Normally its much drier all year round but as mentioned above it can get very cold in mid winter. Last year there were a lot of cases of frozen plumbing. I personally could 't live here in the summer with temperatures in the mid 30's to 40 degrees. If someone knows of a place without such extremes of seasonal temperature I would be pleased to hear about it.

Ka Ora!

I know of 4 different homes here that were empty in the coldest periods and suffered from split radiators.

White Trash

Not surprising. I was talking about homes that were not empty!

Where I winter in the Charente we lost our water for two days because the mains feed to the house was frozen.