Creuse

General Discussion
1

Anyone else on the Creuse area? Just starting a renovation - need lots of advice if anyone knows the area please!



Sascha

2

Hello! How did it go in Creuse? We are thinking of buying a property there and would love to know what your experience was/is! All the best, Richie

3

I lived in the Creuse for 20 years, PNR Millvaches. What area are you interested in?, lots of diverse landscapes and climates there. What do you need to know?

4

Hi Mark,

My partner and I are thinking of establishing a small psychological/spiritual retreat centre in the area. He is Dutch, and I am English. Apart from life in general—for example, how welcoming the region is to foreigners—we were wondering how easy it is to find English-speaking services for renovation, gardening/landscaping, plumbing, and similar needs. We do know some French, but handling these tasks in English would be much easier for us.

We are visiting next week to explore the region, but our situation does not allow us to live there for an extended period before making a decision.

Any insights or advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Richie

5

There are more English speakers (and therefore english “builders” who will be more than happy to take your money) around the NW of the Creuse. I lived in the SE of the department, landscape much more rugged, higher elevations and it used to be fairly chilly in the winter :wink:.
I suggest you find an area that you like, then rent somewhere over the winter if possible. Generally, the creusois/e are fairly friendly but in isolated villages, and they’re a lot of them, can be insular.

We jumped in the deep end after burning all our bridges and had a great life there for 20 years, but it was hard work at times, and not just physically.

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6

Love the area having lived close by for 20 or so years but could never lived there. Far too isolated for services and medical requirements , not to mention the weather .
Just my opinion of course.

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7

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like you had quite an adventure. The idea of renting over the winter is a good one. I am glad to hear that people there are generally friendly. Appreciate your insights.

8

Thanks for sharing. I am curious, what specifically did you like or dislike about the weather?

9

Cold winters compared to say, the Haute Vienne next door.

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10

When we first arrived, we used to get seriously cold (-25c) winters on the Millevaches, sometimes with a lot of snow. And hot summers.
Last 10 years not nearly so cold or as much snow.

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11

Am I reading that correctly, –25 °C? I have never experienced such cold in my life. Coming from South Africa, it took me a while to get used to the 0–7 °C of the Dutch winter. I cannot even imagine –25 °C!

12

Yes, it was around 2006/7. It wasn’t that bad as it reached -10C during the day :cold_face: at an altitudeof about 650 m. Climate change has made it much milder now, I dont remember it going much below -10C in recent years

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13

Wow, that is quite a rise in temperature. I must take your advice and visit in winter. The place we are viewing has two houses, one of which has no double glazing or central heating. It does have a fireplace, though. Luckily, it is fairly small, so it should be fairly affordable to insulate and heat.