My husband, whose roots are in Yorkshire area and whose children and grandchildren reside generally in that area, came up with an interesting idea: buy a stationary camper and keep in a caravan park, so that we can use it as a home base when we travel to the UK to visit the families.
Has anyone on SF ever done this kind of thing? Seems like it might make sense for folks who are from the UK residing permanently in France, but who have family they want to visit. That way, one could stay for a few weeks or a month in one’s own place… With busy young families, it seems sometimes like a good plan to be available for family members to visit rather than to descend on their tiny homes and busy lives all of a sudden.
Also, of course, it would mean having a home base from which to explore the UK together.
The cost and the fees are high, perhaps; but then again the quality of life and all of the intangibles might make it worthwhile. We figured that it would cost about 400 per month (after paying for the stationary caravan), and we’d need to use it for 12 weeks per year to make it economically worthwhile.
I think it sounds like a very good idea and I imagine that you’d probably be less likely to be there over the summer holidays etc so perhaps could rent it out when you are not using it which would cover some / all the costs (or perhaps make some money!!).
You are very lucky to have a husband from GOODS COUNTRY.
Have a look at FLOWER OF MAY FARM Lebberstone which is South of Scarborough. and owned by the Atkinson family. I have known the site from the 50’s They now have other parks in the Yorkshire area, should be a mine of information.
Just research the site very carefully, as some site owners have bad reputations for raising charges, kicking people off sites for minor infractions, and generally being rip-off merchants. And also check the condition of the home carefully and level of insulation - Yorkshire can ne cold!
We had a static van for 20 years when the children where small, we enjoyed every weekend and summer time. Few things to look out for some site wont allow you to stop for a couple of months in winter, all to do with paying council tax i think, also some site wont let you keep a van on older than ten years, and they are nit cheap to change.
i looked at this as an alternative living but very soon dropped it as a really bad idea; too many other people involved in what could and couldn’t be done - plus closed ff months, taxes etc etc; plus having to go back for maintenance etc to the same pl&ce again and again made the anchor more of a millstone; what about the changing 'neighbours", noise, kids etc; plus british weather although changing can make a massive difference to the appeal much as i dislike them on the road, and i know they can be expensive, a campervan seems a better idea; although i have only limited experience of the old vw campervan of sixty years ago when we used to whizz around the ‘continent’;
I don’t think I’d want to live in one year round, but as a holiday home they have an appeal. On a good site everything is taken care of, other residents are managed (and some sites are specifically for over 50’s). And the permanent park home sites are very different from the serried rows of tightly packed units along the coast for holiday makers.
Although it does occur to me that a park home site might have restrictions on sub#letting or airBnB type activitu.
I was considering this idea and looked into it having sold my house in the UK and being in the process of buying somewhere in France to live full-time. I thought it seemed like a sound investment as the place could be let when I wasn’t there or used by family members. However, the site rental was just over £400.00 pcm (or was it £4,000.00 per annum - I can’t quite remember) and there were other fees as well. I decided it wasn’t viable and would eat into my income. I nevertheless think it’s an excellent idea if you can afford it and if you can find the right place. The place I was interested in was Suffolk Sands at Park Homes which although not in your area might give you an idea of cost, etc.