Timmy2

Hi,

My husband is retiring next February, and we are planning to move to the Dordogne we are a little unsure of which area to move to and are planning to rent a house next year for a month to have a good look around.

We would like to move to somewhere rural with a couple of acres but not too isolated , we would be grateful if anyone had any ideas where to start off our search.

Many thanks


Timmy2

dennerlymum

Hi there

as we often say, it is very difficult to recommend a place to someone as everyone has their likes/dislikes etc What we recommend is to visit the area for some time as a renter before moving to really get a feel for the region and what might be the area for you.

There are regional forums that could help you narrow down your search too such as anglo info

cjm

I do hope you have been watching Little England on Beeb TV, or as it has been known for a long time Dordogneshire 'cos of the numbers of Brits who have taken root there. Some of the stories show well how families involve and integrate themselves, but one gentleman of a military background left me speechless by his arrogance.

dmu

Hi, if you are on the point of retiring, then I wouldn't recommend looking for somewhere "with a couple of acres". I have friends who bought such a property when in their early sixties and they quickly discovered that their joints and physical energy didn't match their enthusiasm! There are gardens, and gardens, and no one gets any younger...
Sorry I can't help re the Dordogne but from what I gather from forums, it gets a lot of rain. If you're hoping for better weather than in the UK, then maybe further south would suit better. On the other hand, we're having continuous torrential rain in the Languedoc at the moment, so it doesn't really follow....
Good luck in your search!
P.S. Have just read your other thread - we've had -15°C SEVERAL TIMES these last few winters, and at least two snowy spells. And this is in the Languedoc, of "mild winter" fame!

Timmy2

Thank you for all your replies,

We are only in our early 50's just lucky enough to be able to retire early.

We were hoping for better weather and a slower way of life thought i had done my research re weather.


I do appreciate any information, we have given ourselves 2 years to make the move this is just the begining as i wrote we will be renting a house next June for a month to have a look around.

Many thanks

Timmy2

Timmy2

Just to give you an idea of our winters the last couple of years the weather reach the scorching delights of -- 27 degrees. Now that is cold and we are expecting similar tempreatures this year .

Timmy2

Ka Ora!

Welcome to the Forum, Should you have any problems give myself Sue or Mitzyboy a shout. Once again Welcome

Etoile de Berger

Timmy2, I am a bit confused as to what you consider "better weather".

If you want less rain, go to the interior of France and find out what it means to bake between June and October. The ground cracks, the grass becomes rattle dry and scorched and any gardening is a distant dream.

Over here in the Pyrenees Atlantique we have moister weather and sometimes get impressive storms from the Bay of Biscay or the mountains. But that makes our region far greener and a bit cooler overall than the Gers just next door.

IMO what is more important is how you want to spend the next XXX years. Too hot and you don't want to do anything.

Can you speak French? Then that is something to consider if you need support there. Winter or summer sports? City life? Theatres and concerts? (all of which is of course in French.)

IMO the Dordogne is not France. (I know I will get some flak here). IMO it is Brits on permanent holiday. If you want fish and chips etc but never meet the Real France , you may as well be in the Costa del Sol. The weather is apparently fabulous there if you like it 27 degrees + most of the year.

Re THAT programme...he only ones I really like are the farmer/butcher and his wife. Though THEY are trying to convert the French to Brit cuisine. However that "old gentleman" was well recognised you know. He is happy. (sigh).

cjm

Etoile, forgot the pieman, using up the left-over scraps. Agree it is not the France we know, though we and other Brits are plentiful enough here. France is not the easiest country to live in, especially with its beaurocracy, but there are so many things that counter balance that. And, even the authorities listen and change if a mistake has been made. As to the old fella, think he is well recognised 'cos his punters spend money locally. But, did he pay for the restaurant meals he was checking out so he could advise his gite tenants?

Etoile de Berger

I suppose I was "amused" by his emphasis in the importance (to him if not to anyone else including his long suffering wife silently walking behind him) of being recognised wherever he went.

Don't you know...


I note the French do not tip their berets to him. This IS a Republic!!

Timmy2

Woops !! what have i started ?

cjm

Timmy, you started nothing. It was my diversion when you spoke of Dordogne and the coincidence of the current TV programme.

I suppose I have a view that if you decide to live in France, as we have, then you embrace the country, its culture and as much as you feel able, likely dependent on your language skills. Manage ten words of conversation, use the supermarkets 'cos you don't need language, go along to a few local events, car boot and bonfire (I'm deliberately using English here), say only 'bonjour' to people you meet and remain, mostly in glorious isolation. I know, as do many on this site, many couples who do this. Why then come to live in France? I have said elsewhere my French is limited, nothing at school, picking it up as I go along and as you get older it's not that easy to get it together. But, I try to dive in. Make a fool of myself (well I'm Anglais, so why not), but the rewards are massive. French people are fabulous in their generosity to try and interact, even with no English. But, it's their country so it's down to me to make the effort.
I am amazed how much I have learned since I came to France full tme in 2008. Yes, language is still a struggle, but I soldier on.
Last Noel we held a traditional English style Christmas lunch for our French friends. Hats, crackers (had to import them), whole works. What a fantastic time. But, as with many things, it was about the people. The friendship.
I feel we are fortunate. I am involved with the community and wil be helping with the next am-dram in the village; I go to the bar on Sunday lunchtime (only time it is open) and watch Belote with the locals, who are very serious. I am invited to play and can play, but prefer to watch. On November 11 my wife and I will be at the village remembrance, wearing our Poppies (which we have to explain to our French friends), and then to the Mairie for a glass of 'vin d'honneur'.
That'll have to suffice. It's late.

Timmy2

CJM Thank you so much for your reply, i do appreciate your time and comments.

We are starting French lessons next year (i will be trying very hard because i know my hubby will be so good)he will be very quick to pick up french.
We are giving ourselves mnimum of a year to look and find the area that we finally choose to live in, we are not really after "fish and chips" people we want to be part of the french way of life and are intending renting for a month next year to look around, and even when we do find the area we will rent for 6 months before finally buying

We do wish to get away from the very cold weather, the last two winters have reached minus 27 degs, so anything above freezing would be lovely, therefore we are looking for sunshine and if the sun shines for longer than two weeks would also be a bonus .

Once again many thanks for your replies.

Timmy2

Ka Ora!

So where is this "Real France" you speak of?, Every area has it`s fair share of Brits. I wouldnt say anywhere is quite as bad as the CDS as on the whole France attracts a slightly different type of Brit.

Etoile de Berger

Hard to say Ka Ora...and I do concur with what cjm said.

There may be Brits everywhere but it is what each Brit chooses to do when here that I suppose is the answer.

Happily I can speak French enough to debrouiller assez bien...and my interests in animals and sheepdogs led me to all corners of France delivering pups and to trials where I met just French people. It as odd because they were trying to do something essentially British (training dogs on sheep) but did it "their way" which was irritating to me. But I found a comfortable place and had to get on with them regardless. I did find that as I got more into it, they got more defensive. That may just be my impression but the French can be as nationalistic as the Brits can be on their own home ground in very French-centred activities.

My best times were in the mountains with French shepherds who were so generous with their patience, sharing of their culture and genuinely helpful and inclusive.... It was really quintessentially French as the activity they did went back into the middle ages in France and I was AFAIK the only Brit to share it with them as much as I did. Certainly I never met any other Brits who did so near here. I have spent hours in farmhouse kitchens dating from the 1940's, drinking home made wine out of thick glass tumblers and arranging the sharing of farm equipment as well as discussing the spreading of farm muck as opposed to modern fertilisers. In fact I was drinking coffee out of one of these tumblers yesterday when I went to visit one of my first stud dogs who is still working on a farm. The farmer who is using him ATM recognised me from years ago far faster than I remembered him!! That is because I must be the only Brit involved in his life he has ever met! He told me he has Brit neighbours but they only talk to him when they want to buy some duck he provides.

And I guess there you have the difference between being better integrated and merely passing time/doing business with the people whose country this is.
I don't consider being able to order a loaf of bread in French to be integrated. IMO you should understand Fench history, go to concerts, cultural events, get involved in organising them, know who is related to whom in your area, read your local paper, have French friends and feel as flexibly at home in France as you do in GB.

(Though I admit I am less au fait with French taxes than I am in GB. That I put down to laziness...my OH does all that!!)

I do feel the language is the key to it all. Without that you can only skate on the surface. I do fully understand the difficulties in learning it...I also think it is taught all wrong but that is another subject!!