The classic Benjamin Franklin quote “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after 3 days”.
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We rarely go back. Cannot stand the place. The family can come to us now. Much simpler.
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This thread has been very therapeutic to read 
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One spare bedroom will be fine in my experience. And if you ever have folks planning arrive en masse, find them local gites to book.
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I spent a lot of time going back when the grandchildren in England were small and I could spend significant time with them in holidays and half-terms. I loved doing that and it gave us the solid foundations for very close relationships as they grew older. Our family in England visit several times a year (the advantage of living in Normandy) and our family in Spain once or twice a year. Friends visited at the beginning, but like others it tailed off after Covid.
We have not been able to leave home for three years because of husband’s illness which has been very hard. Thank goodness for Facetime with family and friends.
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Agreed. A great topic chosen by @gbrowne
It does though beg the really awkward question (to me)….. ie which family weddings and funerals to return to the UK for, and which to not attend.
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That is a Cunning Plan. When my nephew had his “Wedding Part Deux” at my sister’s partner’s place in Mayenne (they got married in Islington Town Hall), most of the family stayed in local gites, which worked very well.
The neighbours next door to our gite popped round on the Saturday morning with a gift of cherries - I guess they had a glut and were keen to get rid of them! We had to decline extra supplies as we were only staying two nights, but the cerises added a touch of local colour to the wedding breakfast!
The couple’s friends stayed in “glamping” bell tents in the field next to the house, which they enjoyed.
The tent rental had to be sourced from the UK as somewhat surprisingly there wasn’t anyone offering that service in Mayenne. This was in 2017 when such transmanche transactions were still possible…
By cunningly planning their celebrations for Quatorze Juillet weekend they also got a free fireworks display courtesy of the fine folks of Saint-Mars-du-Désert. 
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I have one spare room, but it does not have a bed in it and is full of junk. Fortunately, the only visitor these days, my son and his kids, arrange an Air BNB and hire a car, so there is nobody to get in the way. 
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We are close to the motorway to the ski slopes, so have friends using us as a stopover. Which is nice. A convivial evening and they’re gone.
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Helen - I’m in UK at the moment trying to make ‘big’ decision. Why do you feel you’d be perfectly happy to stay in UK - if you don’t mind me asking. I’m so torn - wish I had enough money to do a ‘split year’ - love france for many reasons, and dislike it for others - but mixed feelings about UK as well.
The main reason is linguistic. I can function perfectly in France. But when it comes to socialising, I’m far more comfortable chatting informally with English speakers. That’s sheer laziness on my part, but I’m just not motivated now to get my French up to a level where I would be totally relaxed in French social situations. And able to converse in any depth on the hot issues of the day.
As I might have said (I talk about little else these days…,), I’m hoping to retire next year so will have a lot more time on my hands. So I’ll have to join a few clubs and widen my social circle. And to be honest, the prospect of toddling along to, say, U3A classes on local history, art, etc. or taking part in fungi forays, badger watch evenings, beach clean-ups or even just doing Pilates with a bunch of Brits appeals to me far more than anything on offer here in Strasbourg. Entirely my bad but there you have it.
Come and join me in Norfolk. We can pop along to the tea room in the Cathedral for scones.
If your budget is tight, there are plenty of warm places where you could probably escape the winter without spending too much money. That’s what we intend to do.
If the UK depresses you, though, for God’s sake don’t move there.
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But there is exactly the same on offer here? Including the university inter-age which is like U3A but with wider age range.
Helen - interesting comments - thank you. The UK doesn’t depress me as such - find it lovely to be able to just ‘chat up a stranger’ sitting on a bench in the high street - or quick question to someone without having to drain my brain cell trying to do the language conversion. But as I’ve suffered from winter blues in the UK which was greatly helped by moving to france - I’m worried I’ll start to suffer again through the bleak UK winters. But the ease of everything in the UK is a big draw, plus family of course. So big decisions; Norfolk is lovely I know -and I’d love tea and scones in the cathedral and chat with you - but you have the North Sea !!! I’d be more tempted to go back to Devon to live but that’s not close to family. Time will tell…………
Sorry everyone - slightly off topic.
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Yes, but here it would be with French speakers. And there it would be in my native tongue. I’ve tried joining associations here in Alsace and it wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs. Again, my fault entirely for not getting my French up to a level where I can have real conversations rather than making facile comments about the weather. But I’m just not motivated now.
Well, if we don’t like Norfolk, Exeter is our Plan B…..
I think you’ve thought a lot about it and are being honest with yourself! Would you be able to get a little lock up and leave to be able to do a bit of both if you think you’d miss France? You’re still quite young so maybe an option?
Ah… 4 years in Exeter… wonderful memories.
Loved my schooldays there. that’s where I met Paul McCartney and John Lennon without knowing who they were… 
I think it’s all changed a bit since then… I know I have 
I think that’s a nice idea in theory Toryoo but in practice - for us - it would probably feel like a millstone round our necks.
With self-catering accommodation so easy to arrange these days, I think I’d much prefer the freedom of being able to book a little place as and when needed rather than all the responsibility that comes with ownership. Also, there’s the expense. Buying a place in a nice part of the UK is going to use up a fair chunk of our funds. And we’ll be living on my pension from next year so definitely wouldn’t want the expense of running a second home.
I really want to simply the administrative side of our lives when I retire. And having 2 feet - or rather 4 in our case - in one country is a big part of that.
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Excellent idea for now-and-then visits to either country… 
Helen - must admit the admin and tax side of things is one of the draws of the UK; I understand the UK tax system, and then also the ‘forced inheritance’ nonsense as well. Best to avoid - and I can by returning to UK. Would not wish to inflict the french system on family.
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