I spent wednesday in Finistere. It actually stayed fine until two 'clock in the afternoon until it ....wait for it......RAINED !!!!
So what's new ?
By the way, Vic says 'hi' to everyone.
What's all this anti Brittany rubbish! Funnily enough Wales was my plan B as well but I ended up in the Monts d'Arree in Finistere. I bought my first property here in 1972 so roots have taken. I have experienced all stages of family life here from family births to death of a wife. Healthcare is good. We have masses of friends of many nationalities over a wide area. There are infuriating aspects of French life but I know I could not have the lifestyle I have on what I have in the UK or more expensive bits of France. Come and see us in Scrignac- we are not hiding and easily found on the internet.
Yep, that sums it up nicely John.
It can get very cold in the Brive basin from mid october to mid march. Loads more snow than where I am about an hour and a half further northwest for example. This is real Limousin territory and it can be harsh. The town itself isn't as nice as Rennes either in my opinion.
If you really want somewhere out of the way, you could come south to Aveyron (12). Its very rural but I have found everyone to be generous and helpful. There are regular flights from Stansted to Rodez which run from March to November time. I've had one "...go back to England..." from a young burger flipper in McDonalds (says it all) but apart from that, very hospitable people. Its also warmer in the summer though you can get a much cooler winter. I live in South Wales for most of the year and would not move here if I was choosing somewhere - think wellies and raincoats for most of the year... Good luck with finding somewhere for your retirement!
I am very greatful for all the detailed replies to this discussion - it's great to get comments from all of you 'on the ground'. Thanks to you all. We are just off to the France show at Olympia so that should help too.
Tim
All good points, Dan.
Comparison between Rennes (Morbihan) and Brives-la-Gaillarde in La Corrèze (Département 19)
Hi Tim,
When we moved to France in 1986, we first spent 3 months travelling around the different areas before settling on Brittany, we then spent 6 weeks travelling around Brittany before settling on where we are now in Morbihan.
Lots of different factors came into play, the weather is good, admittedly not as hot as the south, but how hot do you want it? Also though, compared to the south we have very mild winters, I have been here nearly 30 years and it has snow 7-8 times and if you want a photo of your house in the snow you have to get up early before it melts!
There is also the proximity of airports (Rennes, Nantes, St.Brieuc, Dinard and Lorient) and ferry ports (St.Malo, Roscoff and the normandy ports) for easy access to the UK, and you are not just reliant on one Ryan Air line which might close at any time.
Coast wise, as mentioned earlier, you are never more than an hour from a varying seaside, whether you prefer wild cliffs, long sandy beaches or small fishing ports, the choice is there.
After that, where to be in Brittany ? We choose Morbihan as it on the southern coast and hit by the gulf stream, its protected from a lot of the rain by the hill range which crosses Brittany east-west on the 22/56 border and from the Atlantic swells by Finistere, so in general has a better climate than the other counties.
Morbihan is also the richest of the 4 counties, not being snobbish, but this reflects on the road infrastructure, shops and facilities. Employment is also higher in Morbihan. So in general there is a bit more money in the kitty of the local consortiums, and thus better services.
We personally settle on an triangular area which goes from Pontivy down to Lorient, across to Vannes and back up to Pontivy. To the north of this area the weather factor comes into play, to the west we found it a bit too rural for our liking, and to the east is more open fields, less hedges and woodland (accept around the Malestroit-Redon area perhaps). We have the Blavet Valley running from Pontivy to Lorient, which is a canalised river and all the surrounding lovely rolling woodlands. Also there is the Gulf de Morbihan within easy reach, and Rennes is just an hour along the dual carriageway.
Hope this helps...
Brittany is gorgeous; a fantastic amount of beautiful coast and generally pretty unspoilt throughout the whole region.
There are obviously lots of other areas of France that are beautiful too but, it seems to me, the main question is, what sort of weather do you want? Myself, I don't like it really hot and I get bitten to bits by mossies and other nasty flying bugs in the Summer, so I am not a Summer person: I love the Spring and I'm fond of the Autumn too. Winters are fairly mild here compared with my original home town of Manchester, so not a problem. Check out the weather in those different regions.
If you don't like it really hot; don't go too far south.
Brittany is great if you don't mind the dodgy weather. It can be damp & murky but the Côtes d'Armor is lovely and great for holidays tho' I couldn't live there.
I'm on the Charente/Haute Vienne border and it's brill. Good climate, not too hot or cold and handy for most parts of France by car.
Brittany is so pretty though. Brittany is where I planned to be but by accident ended up in the SE, and now live in the SW. Very nice, very hot in summer, and can be verrrrrry cold in winter. I quite like rain and drizzle though and miss it a lot - yes, really! :-)
I think you've summed it up perfectly.
Brittany is a good choice.
Among my friends I have an English couple who live in Quelneuc, in the Morbihan region in the south of the Breton peninsula. They love it. The nearest large town is Rennes, a nice place to be too. Apparently le Morbihan enjoys a mild winter considering it's so far north.
Here's a site which, apart from giving a lot of information on a selected town, region or Département, allows you to compare two on the same page.
Good luck whatever you decide to do.
http://www.linternaute.com/voyage/climat/morbihan/departement-56
Hi Tim, I agree with Ian, why move to somewhere with the same weather as the UK , we are in area 19 in the Corrèze, Limousin, come and stay at our Chambre d hotels and we will tell you what’s in our area and why you should consider moving near us, hot summers and snow in the winter but not much wind so is beautiful
Bretagne is a great choice! Property prices are very good outside the obvious hotspots and it is difficult to be more than an hour from stunning coast line and beaches. If you go for a village or small town it's more than likely that you'll be connected into the sewer system so no worries about tanks etc. Contrary to common perception, the weather here is pretty good. We benefit from the 4 seasons without harsh winters and although it does rain, it rarely lasts for long and makes for beautiful skies and a freshness. Summer temperatures are warm, not scorching which means you can sleep at night, no droughts, hosepipe bans an all the nasty beasties that go with the heat. Been here for nearly 10 years now and have visited rest of France with my french family over the past 20 years - still never found anywhere better to live than here. Bon chance!
The climate in Brittany is very similar to that of SW England, so if that is what you are looking for you should be ok. Nearer the coast would be more expensive than inland. We found the Breton people very welcoming. We chose not to live there because we wanted less rain and drizzle but this past week has just shown that if it's going to rain it will. Have you thought of renting in France, a sort of 'try before you buy'? Wherever you choose to retire to I hope you will be very happy.
Agreed further south is better, we're just north of Lyon in department 69. Here we have Lyon airport with easyjet and BA, the TGV which either direct of via Lille can get you to London and into the UK rail network (if you can afford UK train prices) then finally a great motorway system on our doorstep - The Mediterranean is 3h30 away, Calais 5h30 away, Italy 2h30 and Switzerland 1h50. I think some of the best food in France and at some of the best prices, great wines even Beaujolais and property prices that seem to ignore all of these benefits!!
Thanks Ian - definitely food for thought.
Hi Tim. Come further south. Weather better, friendly people and always somebody to help. Try 84 or 26. You won’t regret it