I know of no other region of France where what you say isn’t true. Certainly nowhere in the South West, nor the Alps or the South East, nor Lyon/Grenoble.
Perhaps this explains why many Americans think the British are rather ‘reserved.’ It must be the fault of the Normans!
A Bonjour is always returned in our bit of Normandy. All the people my husband meets in his extended hospital treatment say Bon Courage too. 
Yes, this 
is how I find it too.
Even if one has t be the instigator of the greeting it is returned on 99,9999999% of occasions.
How did you get on with your move. We are at a similar decision point and Swiss Normandy seems to tick our boxes. But we have yet to visit it!
Our first French house was in the Swiss Normande. Bought in 1992 because it was close to UK via Caen and at a time when 20k bought a large rambling farmstead with an acre or two.
During our first summer there it rained almost every day and that’s when we understood why it was such a green and pleasant land.
Our overall opinion waa that it was like Somerset with a few more hills.
It was our maison secondaire for 12 years by which time we had already bought another house in the much warmer Dordogne but we have experienced very cold winters in both areas.
Normandy certainly has a lot to offer but in terms of weather it isn’t the French Riviera.
I don’t cope with heat, so the Riviera is out! As is most of Southern France. In fact our short list very short!
Don’t forget that one advantage Normandy has over your current area is the massive range of beautiful fish avaiable at the markets… 
I love it here!
1 Like
We loved it when we stayed - and it was the scene of our introduction to Saumur Champigny and the Cabernet Franc grape - but it was very Norman in its weather. And hilly. As you would imagine.
Definitely worth considering, as long as you’re not put off by those two factors.
We came back with new rust on the bikes.
We have now moved to the Mayenne, near to Ambrieres les Vallées. We think we have made a good move and we like the area very much. We decided that Swiss Normandie houses were a bit too expensive and there was a lack of suitable property on the market.
2 Likes
You are in a very pretty area. The Mayenne is below most people’s radar, but it has some really lovely villages. Ambrières is one of them, and in the same area are Fontaine Daniel, Saint Loup du Gast, Saint Fraimbault, and Juvignè. One of my most memorable days in France was a drive around all the flowery villages in this area.
Of course you know all this, but I think it’s worth mentioning here because the Mayenne is so little known.
The former towpath along the Mayenne river is a real draw for us when we visit.
As French cities go, Laval is pretty nice and to us it is right sized. Lots going on there. Our current screensaver is a drone view of the river and old chateau lit up for Christmas.
We have friends in the area and they are pretty happy with their location. Their village doesn’t have everything but they are a short drive from Laval or the city of Mayenne.
On our next trip I’m hoping to find a place to rent, but I’m dragging an anchor behind me who does not want to leave our current home.
Still, if I ever do manage to persuade him, the Mayenne and the Orne are our top choices.
I hope we hear more from you about the Mayenne on Survive France.
We looked at Mayenne, but the weather has put us off. Currently researching the central area that runs from Caen to Alencon
Bon endroit pour les tripes, though suspect this may not be your primary criterion… 
Jane Jones, have you looked in the Perche? It is our flat-out favorite part of France, maybe because it’s beautifully hilly and green, like where we live now, and because of the manor houses from the 15th century. It’s fairly quiet, which may be a plus in your opinion or may not be.
As far as weather goes, we’ve had many spring and fall trips to the Perche and the Mayenne with wonderful weather. Last year the weather was rotten on both trips, but it was cold and rainy over the whole region. Even south of the Loire we couldn’t escape it.
1 Like
I lived in Caen and then 15 kms south of the city for a few years. It was an ok area though I found very damp for the non summer months which played havoc with my chest.
1 Like
We live near Falaise. It is a lovely town with everything you need. Easy for Caen, Ouistreham and the beaches and straight onto the autoroute for heading south. .
Great to know as that’s high on our list! Lisieux and Mézidon also feature…. We can’t actually research on the ground until Autumn as have clients in gîte until then. So if we get an offer on our house we will have to move fast.
Happy to answer any qustions.
Or questions even. 
1 Like
Medical services a priority and sounds like you know much about this locally. We currently live in a bit of a desert, but after nearly 20 years are now on the books of good practitioners. So this is going to be hard for us as will need quite a range of them. From paper research Caen hospital seems ok?
Stick to the qustions, they are easire to answre. 
1 Like