Hello, I work in London and live most weekends in France. I cannot wait to move to France full time. Cannot believe somebody could swap the kind of life in France for life in England. France has got loads of sunshine, relaxed pace etc. but it is good to have other views from people that have lived in France. Don’t get me wrong, England has being good to me as has Ireland but too much rain, winter seems longer
Hi Ben,yes you are doing right and I think it is more straightforward when you sell as the Notaire sorts out all the closure of utilities and we were stupid to rely on our Landlord, still everything is a learning curve even at our age!!
Oh yes Ben she's discovered other tastes - though like many French people she doesn't stray as far as a Madras!
I'm sure you're right about postcode lottereies wherever we are. Maybe we've just been lucky first in Toulouse and more recently in Caen. My remarks about the NHS were based not on the press (which I don't often believe) but on my sister who lives in East Sussex who says that if she tries to ring her local GP at openinig time the line's permanently engaged and stays so until mid morning by which time there are no appointments for the same day and he takes no forward appointments. She's 78. But one swan doesn't make a summer or whatever.
We will!
Yes, well observed. However my wife had cancer and it was excellently treated in France - but another problem took two months to see a specialist. For me, a severe eye problem was going to be 5 months to see an ophthalmologist and I only got operated on by going to A&E (in France).
But I hate these 'here and there' comparisons! 1) We are damned lucky to get either health services and 2) I think it is probably a 'postcode lottery' in both countries. You certainly hear good and bad of both.
Having a French wife obviously helps in France. I hope she has discovered other nations can cook as well!!
Totally understand. The senior rail card is brilliant, especially when travelling off peak. You've no doubt got your bus pass already. We have a place in London so our Freedom passes have been excellent giving free tube/bus usage. I'm sure you'll continue to come back to France from time to time which will allow you to keep a reasonable wine stock!!
One of the major différences between France and the UK is that in the UK a lot of people aspire to living in the country because it's often a sign of wealth to be able to afford space around you, whereas in France it's more often a sign of poverty and the younger generation here think of the countryside as a bit 'granny' and head for the towns.
Many of us come to France to enjoy the cheapness of space and being able to live unhassled by traffic and double yellow lines and the rest. Trouble is because land is cheap here we get tempted to take on too much and as you get older it becomes harder to keep on top of it - all the mowing and weeding etc. Space becomes much less important as you get older.
But I shall stay here for two reasons: I 've got a French wife now who couldn't envisage living anywhere else and as we become elderly neither of us really fancy taking our chances with the NHS and waiting a week or two to get a GP appointment.
Absolutely right advice. In fact we sold our last LHD car in October and ordered a new RHD car in the UK on the Internet (built from the 'ground up') having tested its French equivalent in France. Very pleased with the result.
Thank you Angela. And the point about troisième âge is right. There is even the U3A (?) 'University of the Third Age'. Pity about the price of wine though!
We have found off peak trains with a Senior rail card brilliant too.
I am 77 and my wife 69 and we want a lot more things to do as well as the things we do now.
France has been wonderful buts its time to move on (personal choice!)
That sounds nasty. I keep a very regular record of kWh used and our buyers will come to look on the day too.
En passant, we have a flat in England and I have had endless rows with Cooperative Energy. They are bizarrely incompetent. They are so bad its quite funny. (For example giving me a statement saying "your account is £3.98 in arrears for the year and we are therefore increasing your monthly DD from £38 pcm to £63 pcm"! This for the third time. I have suggested they use a calculator rather than an abacus or use the fingers on both hands.
Thank you - really useful.
I went to see EDF and they and the notiare said it was enough to call them with the readings as we move out, they don't operate a 'read on the day' service. They said they could tell from our normal usage whether the figures were greatly distorted. Our buyers are coming to look on the day too.
Our landlord was informing them of our final reading and we are not sure if he did or not or if it was an EDF mistake but they charged us 835 euros even though we had paid 120 euros on monthly Direct Debit right up until we left the house, I wrote and informed them that this was a mistake several times but got no response until I had a weird email from a recovery agency in Ireland??? Phoned them and was informed that EDF had instructed them to recover the money....As we were in UK and we do not have legal french expertise we decided to pay up although we were really annoyed. Phone calls to the Landlord went unanswered....
Hi Ben,
I'm sure you have made the right decision. Many of our friends who have been in France for many years have made the decision to move back to Britain - not just for family reasons either. There is far more to do back home for people of the 'troisième age' and despite what you read about there is still a good rural bus service, plenty of adult education courses and of course online shopping with delivery if you can't get out.
For the past seven years we have been spending six months here and six in the UK and for now that works well for us. However, we have decided that we will move back permanently before my husband is 70.
I wish you the very best of luck for your move back.
Hi Ben we moved back to the UK after just 5 years in France and it was so easy to slot back into the system. We had rented our house out so had that to go back to but like you we have since downsized to a smaller house. I thought the most stressful part was arranging the removals and packing up, worrying that they wouldn't get everything in the lorry (we had English removal firm) but all went ok. The NHS, HMRC, Utilities, Local council was so easy just a phone call and it was sorted. We sold our French car and hubby flew over to UK and bought an English one which he then drove back to France in...all this was done 3 weeks before we came back.Haven't regretted moving back at all. 3 of our friends in France are trying to sell their houses to return but they are not having much luck so you were lucky. Good Luck for the move....Just to add, we are still having tax forms sent from Les Impots and EDF were a nightmare and charged us an extortionate amount which we refused to pay until they had a reclaiming agency contact us threatening us with court action. In the end we paid just to put an end to it all.
Do you have a LHD car? If so sell it before you go back to the UK and buy a RHD in France! This recommendation is only if you are driving back! LHD cars make far higher prices in France and you can usually find a RHD car that will be cheaper here than in the UK. Good luck!
To be with family - yes. I guess families do provide care if they are near by.
We have seen old people on their own here and when they were ill, their children (in their 50s) having to fly out to be with them frequently.
In our case we have gained six grandchildren and would like to see more of them. When they are in their teens, they are not so thrilled to spend time in the French countryside.
Personally I don’t have a ‘returning to roots’ call but the combination of family (we have 16 descendants and probably more to come) and old age on one’s own are the spur.
Anyway, it’s everyone’s own personal decision. Often argument happens because people want to defend their own decision, they don’t want to face any doubts.
Life moves on and we all change both from circumstances and attitude.
Getting older.....so moving back?
To be with family?
Will growing old and older in uk provide a secure and caring
environment ?
Nobody on this website yet perhaps but within our friends around here, many are moving back! Older age group probably.