Mention of Fumel recently had me pondering. In the course of my investigations of properties on Google Earth, I’ve formed opinions of some places which would deter me from buying there. Some of these off the top of my head would be Capendac Gare, Marmande, a couple of places with Laurière in the name I can’t exactly remember right now. And a bunch of others.
Which places would you not touch with a festering bargepole and scream through as fast as the speed limit allows with your eyes shut?
Used to be : all the bit between Calais and Paris.
A lot of this was pre-motorway. For a long while the last half-hour to Calais, the last bit (A26 motorway) wasn’t built. I guess the costs of building that last piece of motorway, which was pretty much for those going to England, were recovered in their own way…Even while the A26 was still a building site, it had 2 speed traps on it ready to go.
Gosh, you must have had a bad experience! I’ve found people here very friendly and open, much more than in the Aude ! It does get very hot in the summer I’ll admit, although no wind, unlike the Aude which drove me nuts!!!
There’s nowhere I feel that negatively about, but as mentioned, I’d avoid the bit from Calais south to Paris and especially around Paris. Agde was dog-turd central and one of the few towns we would absolutely not want to live in. There were also a lot of new estates going up in all sorts of the more popular places, and we would avoid those areas too because they produce the same feeling we have in Britain - claustrophobia and sadness at land disappearing under unsympathetic tarmac.
I worked in sarlet for 8 months back in 2002 full of tourists .I lived in PACA for ten years talk about false friends all nice to your face and knieves out behind your back and my wife is french too. Way to hot in the summer very cold in the winter. Sil lives in St Raphael /Frejus only ever visited out of season nowhere to park otherwise.
I don’t often agree with you, but will do on this one. To my tastes are over full, either people or tourists or twee’ness. We stopped for a cup of coffee in Sarlat one time and I felt I was part of a coach party to visit a sanitised town. Wall to wall overpriced coffee shops (not cafés), and foie gras/truffle shops.
Take the people away and the landscape is pleasant.
I’m a big fan of the Perigord / Dordogne but I know exactly what you mean. We didn’t even consider it, we just commented in how horrific it would be trying to get kids to sport / scouts / whatever while dodging a million tourists a year! I think you can’t judge a whole department by one town / area! We are much further west in a wonderful, pretty, charming, non-touristy area, with warm, friendly people. Yet we are only an hour or so to most of the ‘sites’ over Sarlat way and the same to Bordeaux, 20 minutes to Bergerac and 30 to PX.
It’s just a boring C19th town, OTOH the original Capdenac, nearby Capdenac-le-Haut is rightly one of the Lot’s plus beaux villages that has some lovely mediaeval property with walled gardens (and a decent crèperie and a Michelin star resto)
At the other end of the spectrum, there’s also alarge Bricorama and an Action neaby, also you’re only a few minutes from Figeac. Also, their vide greniers are pretty good too.
If you('re looking round that way Bouillac Cuzac and Felzins are also very nice.
OTOH to return to the subject of the thread, Boisse-Penchot has a lovely location on the Lot and some of the ugliest property in the Aveyron
Was disppointed on our sole visit - every resto foregrounded aligot and confit de canard, but it’s not the Cantal or the Aveyron. It could be a nice place but was spoilt by a sort of dumbing down of south- west tourism. Plastic swords and Templar tat!
Well PACA’s a biggggg place. Sure the coast is horribly crowded in summer and deserted in winter but what about the rest of it? We’re in the mid Var amongst vineyards yet with a TGV 8 klicks from us, a hospital and a clinic (more and more relevant ) 8 kilcks the other way and a bunch of lovely villages all within dining distance too. We have always found the locals very genuine, we just don’t know any “foreigners”, though we suspect there’s a ladies that lunch contingent in Lorgues I think we’re too “native” for them , thank goodness.
You like the marseille arm round the shoulder attitude bff one day scumbag the next? Being retired in a place is not the same as going to work everyday.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience Flocreen. I’ve worked in a lot of places and it would take more than the Marseillais to worry me Try Beirut for two timing. The worst experience I had was with a $100m (including $20m cost of doing business ) US telco deal in Saudi, the American execs were animals, not a shred of honour or integrity. And having tried to screw us over the VP asked me if I could help get his wife an Irish passport
I would give the Aude a miss, certainly Quillan the area is windy hot and dry homes suddenly catching on fire and to many beggars Had enough after4 years and moved on
) 8 kilcks the other way and a bunch of lovely villages all within dining distance too. We have always found the locals very genuine, we just don’t know any “foreigners”, though we suspect there’s a ladies that lunch contingent in Lorgues 
I think we’re too “native” for them , thank goodness.
Try Beirut for two timing. The worst experience I had was with a $100m (including $20m cost of doing business 
) US telco deal in Saudi, the American execs were animals, not a shred of honour or integrity. And having tried to screw us over the VP asked me if I could help get his wife an Irish passport