I'm trying to book a holiday - how it feels!!!

[enid]

Alan

We're just a footstep behind you and Joan age wise. We have always known that we couldn't stay here forever - too big a place - but we wanted to do live in the country for a while and have land etc etc. The renovation project is still not finished after nearly 5 years but we are on the last bit now and the gites are bringing in a good return on investment.

We want to stay here for a few years yet though - then I fancy an apartment on the sea front with a balcony - so a bit of flower fiddling but no grand maintenance work and a walk close by. I love it here in the middle of the fields on our hillside - but I love the sea too and I've never been able to live beside the sea and watch it through the changing seasons. If I could keep a small house in the French ciountryside and a seaside apartment so much the better - having my cake and eating it!!

K and I are trying to live as much as we can while we still can - having a project is what makes us buzz - this on is nearly at ticking along point so why not start thinking about the next one?!

[Hells Bells]

yep, the grand was at the bottom of the street. He lived in no 17.

[Mouse]

I love it here in the middle of the fields on our hillside - but I love the sea too and I've never been able to live beside the sea and watch it through the changing seasons

its interesting reading all your views on the sea. I lived for 4yrs in a large apartment overlooking the med. and could sit on the sofa looking out over the comings and goings of the bay...and also watch the sun setting, changing through colour after colour.

However - I gave all that up for the country, and village life. I missed not seeing birds ('cept seagulls and egrets) and although I could lie in bed and listen to the waves splashing the shore, I missed hearing the wind rustle through leafy trees. And a balcony with a sea view was nice - but I wanted a garden where I could grow things (few plants survive the salt winds and winter sandblasting)...and I wanted privacy - something you rarely get in apartments.

I really thought I would also miss the sea - but I don't. I love watching rabbits and pheasants run around, bird watching and also the changing seasons of flowers in the fields.
And I love having pets.

Mind you - here I've the best of both worlds as a 5 minute drive takes me to the best beaches on the island.

Who knows where I'll retire to - living over-looking the sea isn't always idylic but I agree with Enid - to have both options would be!

mouse
x

[Alan Knighting]

Enid,

You’re right except that Joan is 8 years younger than me.

We neither want nor can afford a house in the country and a house by the sea. I’d be happy with either but if Joan says our home will be by the sea then that is where it will be.

If either of us saw ourselves finishing up in “an apartment on the sea front with a balcony� we would push off to one of the Spanish Costa’s. There’s tens of thousands of them available at the drop of a hat but they’re not for either of us even though we both love Spain a lot.

Projects used to give us “the buzz� but now we think “Oh no! Not another project? We’ve been there, we’ve done that and we’ve got lots of tee-shirts to prove it�.

In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions Joan would really like to hear about them.

Alan

[Big Sis..]

Ive always lived by the sea...

and as Ive said before cant imagine not

Hope you find somewhere that suits Alan Im sure you will

[enid]

Projects used to give us “the buzz� but now we think “Oh no! Not another project? We’ve been there, we’ve done that and we’ve got lots of tee-shirts to prove it�.

Well I did say we were a footstep behind you so perhaps we have a couple of projects left.

With K's new job in the IoM I fancy a promeneade apartment - we need to buy somewhere for him to live in - he has got the rental of a lodge at the moment but we'll be house hunting again when we go over at the end of the month.

If either of us saw ourselves finishing up in “an apartment on the sea front with a balcony� we would push off to one of the Spanish Costa’s. There’s tens of thousands of them available at the drop of a hat but they’re not for either of us even though we both love Spain a lot.

Well I think I could go for it but I don't mean being one of the tens of thousans - I do like Spain but I need more greenery around me to have a home of my own there and I never want to live in an expat community.*

Who knows what we'll do - but it's fun making plans - still got to finish this place!!!!!

[Alan Knighting]

Enid,

Who knows? We might finish up by the coast in Western France and you might finish up in the Isle of Man?

Who Knows? We might finish up doing the occasional house swap?

Alan

[enid]

Bon idéé mon ami

[Nightowl]

Well I think I could go for it but I don't mean being one of the tens of thousans - I do like Spain but I need more greenery around me to have a home of my own there and I never want to live in an expat community.*

Exactly my thoughts, Enid, until I saw the Costa Luz side of spain. It's really green with gently rolling hills, but wonderful white sand beaches as well. Not crowded, even the tourist areas are carefully managed and no high rise hotels, but the rural areas and little spanish towns are just lovely.

I knew as soon as I saw it that I would be happy there. It will be a while before we live there permanently but we go to our house every few months and the more I explore the area the more I know I will be happy.

At the moment we have a place in an urbanisation with managed gardens, but possibly when we move permanently we would want somewhere with its own garden. The climate in CDL is much more moderate than the rest of spain, cool breezes, sun and a fair bit of rain, but not extreme, so ideal for gardeners.

There IS an expat community there, but it's not predominant - most expats living in the area wouldn't want it any other way.



Best of both worlds.

[enid]

Nightowl - I was waiting for someone to point me to a region of Spain just like yours. For me it stays a holiday venue - but that's now - all plans can change andyour property is already in my favourites for our real retirement trips!!!!

[Big Sis..]

Hi All..

Nightowl yours is a lovely area in Spain..Best of Both worlds Id say...

Dont know if youre aware of it
but the HR link isnt working..says it doesnt exist ...
Thought Id let you know

[Nightowl]

Thanks for letting me know that Ros, I have fixed it now...

.. and Enid, you are welcome anytime...put the Luz on your list of 'would like to try' holiday venues and I'm sure it will stay a favourite. Every time we go there I am more and more enchanted by the area, I love the climate and as I discover more and more of the countryside, the more I love it. Last time we went, we discovered that due to the new motorways, we are now only about 2 hours drive the mountain ranges of Ronda and Grazelema. Had a wonderful drive through scenery that reminded me of the Lake District, it started off sunny at the bottom and by the time we drove to the top, there was snow and people building snowmen. We saw Eagles and stopped off for a lovely walk through open forests; had a great day.

Our current house is in the more touristy areas because we are catering for tourists... but even there we back onto miles of forests and a 5 minute drive takes us into the little spanish towns which remain unchanged.

The Luz certainly changed my idea of what spain is like....

[Partridge]

I know what you mean about the countryside Nightowl. We really haven't explored inland at all BUT one day last month we were supposed to be heading to Vilamoura (Portugal) and took a wrong turn (well HE did) and found ourselves going up a flippin mountain road, round and round, very beautiful but I thought we were in Switzerland, it wasn't till I saw a sign for Lisbon that I said, 'I really think we should turn back now hon' Still have no idea where we were !

[Giddy Goat]

I wonder, does anyone have any suggestion or does this subject deserve a thread of its own?

If you've become used to the warmer and more reliable weather of the south, and your preference is for the southwest, have you explored as far south as the Pyrenées Atlantiques: the area around the delightful town of St Jean de Luz and the Spanish border Alan? Perhaps not quite as reliable and warm as Lot-et-Garonne, but more so than Brittany? We house hunted in the Gironde area, and found it quite built up in comparison to where you and I are now, and of course flatter. Also, (we were looking around in the winter), there is such a high concentration of vineyards that some parts did tend to look a bit on the glum side, with their serried rows of gnarled grey branches - whereas elsewhere in wine-growing regions perhaps, the countryside is broken up more by other crops. We did rather like Arcachon however as a seaside resort - you either do or you don't and I've also read quite negative comments about it on here!

Thought of the Charente-Maritime? We also looked there and La Rochelle is wonderful, once you get into it. The down side of all these coastal areas is that you have to put up with thick traffic during the summer of course.

Our definite favourite is St Jean de Luz, and if you were to buy slightly inland, in a typical little village in the foothills of the Pyrénées, you could still feel part of a small community, which I imagine may remain important to you, and keep the coast at a respectful distance during high summer if you wished, while enjoying the delights of the Béarn? Sare, St Étienne de Baïgorry, St Jean-Pied-de-Port .... then of course, it doesn't take you too long to hop over into Spain - haven't been to St Sebastian (on the to-do list), but perhaps you have? Sounds a great city.

The architecture in this part of France is very different - depends whether this is important to you; if an apartment is the preferred option, they are the same there as elsewhere by and large!

Anyway, maybe you've discounted this area already. Just my deux cents worth.

[Mouse]

haven't been to St Sebastian (on the to-do list), but perhaps you have? Sounds a great city.

GG I can confirm it is a great city - infact my favourite and if I won the lottery tomorrow I would definately buy a place there.

It has such charm and has quite different areas to it, the barrio is famous for its 'no women allowed' cooking clubs and the fabulous tapas bars (always packed). There's the fish restaurants that huddle together along the quayside and you have the grandeaur of the beach area with its promenades and wide avenues...plus over the river the newer town is different again.
It has an atmoshpere like no where else....and the little fishing villages on the coast are sort of 'time stood still' type places.

A fabulous area of Spain.

Mouse (who's realised how much she misses it and is off to look for accommodation there for her next holiday! )