Spot on comment. Crucial, if one is in the creaking, grizzled-raver stage of life, as I am
Here in Manche [50] GP’s are thinly spread. In fact, SFista ‘railang’ has described it as a ‘medical desert’.
The one found for me by a French friend [off Doctolib] is a very junior half [qualified last year] of a two-doc practice, in a shabby building [on arriving outside I thought it might be a squat] with no secretary and both docs with a distinctly off-hand manner. It’s 20 mins drive away.
I was tipped off by the pharmacy in my local town, Torigni-s-Vire, about a health centre in the town.
This place is so well appointed, with such a range of prefessionals, that it has become the locus for what will be my house-hunting area, when funds are in hand. The hospital at St Lo, 20 mins north is vast, as you would expect of one funded by the USA.
These two factors have confirmed my choice of area. Although I may well be able to improve on it in geographical, meteo and other respects, all those places are within reach.
The area has its appeal, the weather is what it is - an improvement on Somerset/Devon - and that’s good enough for me.
And unless there is an aspect of where one ends up that is really unappealing or insupportable, you never miss what you never had.
I can confirm that near Toulouse is windy, only yesterday we gave up the gardening because the wind was just too boisterous. Does anybody else get the vent d’autan ? Comes from the south east. But our predominating wind is from the West. Actually I wouldn’t recommend my bit of the Tarn to Philip Dexter - really quite a lot of wind. In summer dry and hot most people hide indoors in the gloom behind thick walls and shutters. I often think I’d like to leave here during July August. They are the worst months.
Yes, vent d’autan here the other side of the tarn, seems to blow longer and harder (ow er misses!) with global warming. July and August I’m glad to be in the tabac with the clim on max!
Hi Richard
Thanks for your feedback, it’s all really helpful, it prompts us into looking in villages and regions that you all mention. Of course having a dog, the info about pine processionary caterpillars re pine forests in important to us. We have previously spent a long winter/early spring in Spain and had nests in our garden. But it leaves you avoiding walking greenish spaces for long periods. A motor home for work winter travels sounds like the dream. Thanks again.
I had plans to do that, in my camper van but I could not get it re-reg to ES plates so that brilliant wheeze - to spend 10-12 weeks on the Biscay/N.W Atlantic coast of ES was nixed.
In my case it included Sept. I object, age 71, to having 3 months of 12 p.a. deducted from my life due to heat that results in “… in the tabac with the clim on max!” or “most people hide indoors in the gloom” As I was doing - lockdown by climate.
I’ve learned my lesson. Sunshine is all very well - until there’s too much of it. Then it becomes purgatory.
I’m finding as much pleasure in this sort of weather as any.
I drove my Morgan down to Valencia in May '19. Stoped a couple of times on the way down and way back (and not due to breakdowns ). A very nice city. A good trip all in all. I took her across the top of Spain to catch the Santander to Portsmouth ferry in '17. Of course, I forgot to book tickets for the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum even though I was staying in the hotel opposite it. I’ll go again.
Wonderful photo of Scotland, such a great place. Took my husband (French) there for a holiday in early days of our marriage.
‘Wont it be cold’ he said
‘No, no, they have the gulf stream,’ I said. It didn’t actually result in divorce but it was one of the foggiest coldest Augusts we’ve ever spent. But even that didn’t stop us loving the countryside. And whisky of course!!
I remember it snowing on the first day of the summer term at my school in the Yorkshire Dales.
I sailed from Poole to Alderney on an August Bank hol. I was soon wearing every garment I had brought. Long John’s, trs. T-shirt, long sleeve vest, heavy shirt, sweater, poloneck sweater, all enclosed in a Musto Offshore set of oilies.
In mid-Channel we came across a catamaran stationary [whoops - Land Lubber-speak … hove to] in the fog, “I say”, they hailed, “could you tell us where we are?”
we ar e now down in the Aude but started looking in the Gers.
We rented for a winter in the Gers, I commuted back and forth to work, but found it todamp and wet.
We moved across to the Aude via another winter’s rental in the Ariege, which was also too wet for our liking,
Having crossed the partage des eaux the more Mediteranean climate in the eastern Aude suited us perfectly.
The summers are hot but not as dry as on the Med coast of the Aude, Herault, Gard. The winters are mild, we have a couple of handfuls of of days of serious snow in the 20 plus years we have been here and many days of being able to eat outside during the winter. It is also almost completely vines and arable farming, no cattle, sheep, which we found a problem because of flies, ticks etc in the Ariege and Gers.
The only downside is the wind which can be pretty fierce, so great views from a house in a hillside village can have its disadvantages…
I’d highly recommend renting before buying including renting during the winter, not just for checking the weather out but also what the towns and countryside are like when it not sunny and green.
recently sold big big garden and big house and bought 2 houses from a friend
In the most beautiful spot imaginable with orchards and vines near the river
Not so far from St Emilion,
Seriously thinking to sell the smaller house with garden not in a rush but not sure if we need 2 houses,
More info available.
). A very nice city. A good trip all in all. I took her across the top of Spain to catch the Santander to Portsmouth ferry in '17. Of course, I forgot to book tickets for the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum even though I was staying in the hotel opposite it. I’ll go again.