My only reason for going back to UK to die would be to save my siblings from paying 35-45% French inheritance tax…
I’m not sure I love them that much. 
Or I may hook up with some exotic French floozy and avoid the whole issue altogether.
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You will not make a better choice than my aunt. Her house is on the street which is Mayfair on the Region’s Monopoly board. The fact remains, being in a town does not always mean better access to the essentials.
I really don5 understand what you mean about La Rochelle. I do know what I’m talking about, I keep a boat there and when I say I visit often I mean really often. I believe my experience is greater than your house hunting mission. Compared to SE England LR is quiet.
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Curious. You yourself have already told me exactly how I could make a better choice than your aunt. 
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You obviously don’t understand. My point about being in town not necessarily being closer to the essentials still stands.
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Good grief.
of course, I no longer have any idea about England… but we stay in La Rochelle a couple of times a year and, like you, we have friends with a mooring there.
Each year it is noticeably busier, more hectic, crowded and noisier.
but for the first time in many years, June 2024, I was nervous of walking late-ish at night, from the boat to our hotel.
and the surrounding areas are noticeably more built-up.
I prefer La Rochelle itself, in winter, no tourists just us locals/almost locals… 
a nice place to visit with friends .. but my home in the heart of the countryside always holds my heart
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The big problem with driving into and out of La Rochelle is that they have carried out huge changes to the roads which has slowed down the traffic flow. They want visitors to use the park and ride locations at the edge of the town but of course most people head for the centre. This has resulted in big queues on the N11 where it passes the Puilboreau shopping centre. Leaving that way can also be slow. This doesn’t affect me as I never use the N11 anyway and travel in (and out) on a backroad, through a quiet trading estate and onto the marina. No hold ups, no problem. They have made a new road making access to and from the south easier but most of the traffic comes from the east. The traffic has ‘rush hours’ where things in that route can be slow but they pale into significance when compared to the all day traffic density I experienced in Kent last month.
The lively nature of La Rochelle is one of the things that I love about the place. It is of course a big city not just a seaside holiday resort. It’s alive 365 days of the year. I’ve sat outside eating or drinking in every month of the year. I need to go over to pick up a repaired sail in the next few days but I’m so busy I’m finding it difficult to find a day. The recent post where people were implying that they may need to find some sort of job to help keep them occupied during retirement made me smile.
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absolutely… I’m as busy now as I used to be… but in a completely different way… and it’s my choice what I do these days… and I can step back if ever I want to…
Life is great !
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Yes, I’ve no idea where I found the time to work 
I used to have a boat, a Najad 322, but I sold her when we moved full time t France in 2011. We are about an hour from the sea but that’s too far to just pop down for a quick sail, and I didn’t feel we get value from the amarrage. I do keep up my skipper’s licence though
Most people living in France can’t move back to the UK. They wouldn’t be able to buy or rent a place to live in. I know 2 couples who went back just before pension age, they had struggled for years in France financially. They played the system on their return, booked into a cheap B & B visited the council and said they could only afford another few nights. Last I heard they are on disability, pension and pension credit. Social security paying their rent on a flat. A comfortable life. I don’t think it would be so easy now.
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People like that boil my ****.
It’s not up to the state (at taxpayer expense) to support my poor decisions.
They said they were going back to start their next adventure in life. Not much of an adventure in my book.
From a few recent posts, and hopefully dragging the thread back a little, some posts on insulating and current standards if there are any for retro fitting old places could be useful to the newcomers and the old guard facing energy price rises?
That’s not what I said. 
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Apologies… I’ll expand on what I should have said:
Like you, many people moor their boats at La Rochelle.
We know Dutch, Belgians and French (but no Brits) who all live quite a long way away… but enjoy mooring their boats at La Rochelle…
I think they get a rather different view of life there, compared to visitors and folk (landlubbers) who live in or near the town itself.
Why would boat owners get a rather different view to visitors and folk who live in or near the town itself? That makes no sense to me. No sense at all. We are just visitors or people who live nearby who also keep boats there. I probably know the town better than casual visitors who may visit once or twice a year but that’s because I visit all year round often for extended stays. I shop there and get my motorcycle serviced there, I pick up and drop off my children at the airport there, I often visit restaurants there. Last year I spent a week with my cousin and her husband cycling around La Rochelle, it’s hinterland, the Ile de Ré and the Ile d’Oleron. I would imagine my view of La Rochelle is similar to most people who live nearby or visit for extended periods. I’m not sure why boat ownership should change that.
sounds like you have the best of all possible worlds.
the boat people we know tend to centre their lives around boats.
I do not agree with the saying ‘my country right or wrong’ and I believe the world could be a better place if more folk felt the same way.
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