bluewater1150

Hi,

we moved to Western Asturias in June last year (near Cangas de Narcea). Our Spanish is not good and it would be great to meet up with some English speaking people to share experiences have a coffee etc.

Here's hoping

Bluewater1150

Casa Santo Estevo

Well we are probably your nearest neighbours on this forum. We are in Galicia just to the west of Monforte de Lemos. We area Dutch/English couple, running a Casa Rural.
We know of one other poster on this forum who live in Galicia too. They are near the Northern coast, again in the Province of Lugo.
If you want a chat send us a PM.

bluewater1150

Thanks for your reply - will send you a PM today.

Bluewater

Big_john

Hi,

We live in Galicia, and have lived here for the last four years, before that we lived on the Costa del Crime for 14 years.

We lived and worked down south for many years but just got fed up with all the tourism and crime down there, and the rip off prices.

Here we have a lovely climate, green countryside, rivers with trout & Sea Trout in, some of the very best beaches in the whole of Spain,for sure on this Northern coast we have the very best seafood in the whole of Spain, summers of 31c, and we do not have water problems like the southern costa's

We live in a village called Cedeira on the coast just north of Ferrol and south of Ortigueira.

We know of at least 7 couples who are english and live here in the same village


Big_john Spain

Casa Santo Estevo

Big john,
You are making Galicia seem like paradise!
We have illegal housing here, especially on the coast. We know the Xunta are presently looking into all of this. Galicia had some large areas burnt in the summer. It seems the fires were started by nutters or Mafia, depending on where the stories come from. So if the fires were started by the Mafia. Crime is already here. Crime is here in the form of drug smuggling. They have found two mini-submarines associated with smuggling.
What prices do you find as not being ripped off here? We have the highest petrol prices and insurance prices in the whole of Spain. Wages here are some of the lowest in Spain.
You have not mentioned the present government here in Galicia. The Xunta is hell bent on making Galicia more independent. All official papers are in Galician. They are not presently publishing much tourist information in anything other than Galician.
At present we have had a bit of snow in Galicia.
The Galicians are like all Spanish very friendly and helpful. The countryside is green and vibrant, especially after all the rain in December!
There are loads of things we like about Galicia, but it is not so simple as what you have painted.

Big_john

Hi,

Here where I live on the coast, the Xunta is destroying all illegally built houses even those that have been constructed twenty years, ( the reason I say that is because even near us they have totally demolished some 8 or 9 houses that were built illegally some 20 years ago )

I think what they are doing is for the benefit of Galicia or otherwise we will end up with another Marbella Jesus Gil, all total corruption not good either.

No more building 500mtrs or closer to the coast, and a lot more to be demolished which has been built illegally.

As regards the fires back last summer, if you read the local papers you will find that the majority of the fires were started by the local firefighters & some were local vendettas between neighbours, which is fairly common here in Galicia.
Some of it was also sour grapes due to the new laws that were passed, re Novo decreto para a prevencion dos incendios forestais.
Check out this www://mediorural.xunta.es

Distances for planting types of trees & what you can now cut down due to the new fire breaks and where your neighbours have to comply with not planting and have to cut down trees affecting your property.

There are free handouts regarding these at your local town hall.

I find that if you ask whatever official office is sending you whatever official document in Gallego they also have it in Castellano and will send it in that if you ask.

I also find that having lived in Spain since 1989 that drug smuggling is everywhere including the U..K. so that is a fact of life we have to put up with until they make drugs legal.

Petrol and diesel prices here are O.K. I pay 0.89 cents per litre for diesel cheaper than most places once I get across the border into france, or in the South of Spain.
Insurance prices here I find to be O.K. if you shop around.
Wages here are virtually the lowest in the whole of Spain, but you can't have everything, I can get someone to work for me for 46€ per day here, now if I was to be down south it would be a fortune.

The cost of living here is also some of the lowest in the whole of Spain, and some of the best food at the right prices

In the paper RAZON on sunday the areas that have the highest percentage of increase in the population by Extranjeros in Spain is Castilla la Mancha some 25%, followed by Asturias 15% then Galicia 14% which has to be good for the future, Andalucia and the Balaerics have the lowest increase 7.5%

People are moving away too many problems, and climate changes are making this north coast one of the better places, at the moment property prices are some of the lowest in Spain also.

A couple of years ago I was talking to some of our local businessmen and they said they do not want any extranjeros as it puts the prices up for everyone, all they said was keep your lips sealed.
Ask any Madrileño, that is why there are so many of them buying up here now, around our village there must be some 100 houses used by Madrileños just for holidays, they are not stupid people

Be lucky

Big_john Spain

Big_john

I forgot to mention we don't get any snow down here on the coast either.

It's either rain or sun

Big_john Spain

accommodation-in-spain

The area certainly looks beautiful to me from the photos I have seen of it - you are very lucky people

Big_john

Hi,

At the moment it's still very cheap up here, but changing rapidly.

If you ever fancy a trip up here for a holiday the May or September is a good time when either the schoolchildren have not started their summer holiday's or have finished them and the weather is normally excellent as well.

If you like Fiesta's then Galicia has a number of food fiesta's of which a number are free & they are year round & very very busy

www.galinor.es/galeria/fiestas-g-e.html

Casa Santo Estevo

We have more than enough trees so we don’t need handouts, but thanks for the info. We live in an area of native trees, Chestnuts and Oaks.

We have asked many many times for documents, but this is Spain and you know how the system works. Besides we are not talking just about official Xunta or Concello documents even the tourists information is only published in Gallego.

And regarding your conversation with the locals…You are so right.. We also know that the Galicians are afraid of the English coming here. It will push the prices of houses and services up. Then we feel they will not be so hospitable.
So may it is time to do as you was advised.