Where are the French PH Massive?

[Caractacus]

racerbob said:

Still based nr Malestroit, still very happy especially now the new garage is finished, 6 cars in there at a squeeze.

Morbihan is a big department, the Northern end is cheaper property-wise, but the southern bit is warmer from my experience.

Give us a shout if you need any help / advice for this area.

Bob

Thanks, Bob, will do. We may well be over there for the recce in a month or so. :-)

[Fatt McMissile]

I think your other half should understand the country she might be coming to!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34538672

""And beards and menstruation are basically the same thing, right?" ---French parliament, apparently"

A British view by one of us made the BBC twitter quotes! and quite rightly so.
Steve

[Russwhitehouse]

I would recommend anyone thinking of moving over here to read drillers thread very carefully. There is a lot to be said for life in France, but rose tinted specs should be removed. Renting here for at least a year if not more is, in my humble, the most sensible approach if only to see if your chosen area is to your liking and the life is actually what you expect it to be. Many of us, myself included, moved here after thinking "fk this, I'm off" in the UK, and now find ourselves thinking "fk this, I'm off" in France. Make the move with eyes wide open, the grass is not necessarily greener and sunshine and cheap wine does not a life make.

[gemini]

We're looking to move to Monteux or nearby. Uping sticks from Blighty and heading to France to set up a hospitality venue. Tours, walking, wine tasting, DBB.
Love the area. So much to do.

[smifffymoto]

"Build it and they will come" only works for Kevin Costumer.
Do your research and then leave it a while before you do anything.

[racerbob]

i agree with the folk who say 'rent for a period to see if it's right for you' also be really aware of what it means to start a business here, even a small one. To retire here (like us) is no problem, we encounter frustrations with 'officialdom' and so called 'customer service' but those frustrations soon seem to pass on balance, i think that in general things are easier to deal with up here in the Morbihan.

I know and have experienced life in Paris, also places like Toulouse and Pau, and I do think that people in general are ruder and more unhelpful than where we have lived for the last 11 years (retired very early). So yes it isn't all beer and skittles over here but I can still recomend it if it's what you both want to do, and that's the important thing, you have BOTH got feel that it's what you want to do, otherwise it doesn't work.

Just take your time, do your homework or whatever. When I have a downer I just remember the reasons why we came here in the first place, that seems to work for me anyway, no where is perfect after all.

[Caractacus]

Good words, Bob.

We'll be taking our time, and looking around loads.

Still, can't wait, all the same! :-)

[PotHoleHater]

Hi all.

Just wondered if you were all still there and loving France?

We're finally heading over for a nosey and sneakily adding in the classic at Le Mans. Sweeeet! We have a few places to look at, mainly in Morbihan and near the coast down towards the Charente.

Take it easy and enjoy he vino :-)

Jason aka.'Potholehater' and formerly the grumpy 'Caractacus'

[racerbob]

We are still nr Malestroit and still happy,there has been a slight problem with the fuel supplies but back to normal now. Been here 12years now and it still amazes me how good the roads are for going out in the old motors and the pushbike !

Hope you find what you want.

[elster]

I'm down in Nogaro, Gers (Armagnac region).

Only been living here 18 months, but working over here for the past 6 years.

It would be good to know if any of PH people come to the track days here. I hear a fair few english voices at Trackdays so wondered if any are on here.

[PotHoleHater]

Ok, French massive, are you still there?

It's finally happening, we are France bound this September.

We've just returned from ten weeks in the Lot-et-Garonne and are really looking forward to calling the area home.

Are you all still enjoying life there and what are your thoughts on Brexit ( if you live in France all year)?

We are going to be near Castlemoron-sur-Lot, so if anyone is close (ish), it'd be great to say hello! :-)

[smifffymoto]

You won't be far from me,I'm near Eymet.

[Prolex-UK]

Buying a place in charroux vienne. Should complete in june move over sept or october this year

[PotHoleHater]

It’s spring here in the Haute Pyrenees! Time to get on the road and up some glorious Tour de France roads (in the car!).

We moved from the Lot et Garonne down here as we preferred the mountains, wild rivers and all the fun stuff that goes with them.

Anyone else down this way?

[Mike-tf3n0]

We are in the Aude, near Carcassonne, been in the same commune since 2000. Built a one off wood house and moved in 2005, raised a few eyebrows at the time as it was the first in this area. Went to Nogarro last year and have been to Angouleme several times. Got our 10 year Cartes de Sejour Permanent last year, very settled here and can't see us ever going back.

[PotHoleHater]

What was Nogaro like? Track day or spectating?

Your build sounds interesting, Mike. We have plans for a Straw Bale pad if we can’t find a house that suits :-)

[Mike-tf3n0]

Nogaro was interesting for the cars that were there but the facilities were pretty thin on the ground and I thought the track was pretty boring, both as a spectator and as a one time competitor. The house is interesting but I lost count of the number of times French strangers, as they then were, told us we couldn't build a house in wood. Why not? We don't do it that way, my father didn't do it that way, we build in stone here, it doesn't look right, wood is for chalets, just endless. That all stopped once we were in and we made friends who realised that it was a lot warmer and comfier and cheaper to run than their traditional houses. Anyone who wants to come and have a look is welcome, just PM me. There is a bale house being built now just a couple of hundred yards away, looks really good.