Saw "Escape to the country - home or away" this evening, & saw how much house & land you get for your money in SW France. I now completely understand why Chris & his flocks have gone to the trouble of uprooting & moving!!
The appeal of life in France
- Thread starter Icemaiden
- Start date
chrismahon
Well-known member
There are swings and roundabouts to it all Icemaiden. Living here is much cheaper than England, unless you want a load of electrical goods. Fridges are the same price but energy saving lightbulbs are twice the price as the UK. Electricity supplies are three phase to each house and the quantity is severely limited. The more you want the bigger the standing charge, so we have the second lowest tarrif of 9KW total, limited by a sealed trip to 3 KW per phase. So if your kettle is on at the same time as the cooker it trips -a real pain. Electric showers don't exist here as they can't be supplied.
Houses are generally in a terrible state and cost a load to heat because out here there is no town gas. Many houses are just Summer occupation only as they are too cold and damp in Winter -people buy them for holidays only and there are loads on the market. Houses with land are difficult to find. Tap water is twice the price as UK so you must have a well or spring which doesn't run dry in Summer. Houses are cheaper simply because they are rubbish. A house of UK standards would be only marginally cheaper, but would have a garden 6 times the size admittedly.
The Chasse is a seasonal event where big dogs are driven through the countryside killing everything in their path and frightening the rest towards the waiting guns. They stop it in the tourist season. But last year two woodland mushroom pickers in the Limosin were killed by these dogs. You need an incredibly sturdy enclosure to stop a 20 strong pack forcing their way through it. Alternatively you get up before daylight and stay in with your chickens, suitably armed with a garden fork on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Biggest problem is the language. Buying anything is hard enough but if it is faulty! Car failed the Control Technique (MOT) and trying to establish what the problem is, well - a steering ball joint translates from the French as a 'knee-joint directional'!!!
Houses are generally in a terrible state and cost a load to heat because out here there is no town gas. Many houses are just Summer occupation only as they are too cold and damp in Winter -people buy them for holidays only and there are loads on the market. Houses with land are difficult to find. Tap water is twice the price as UK so you must have a well or spring which doesn't run dry in Summer. Houses are cheaper simply because they are rubbish. A house of UK standards would be only marginally cheaper, but would have a garden 6 times the size admittedly.
The Chasse is a seasonal event where big dogs are driven through the countryside killing everything in their path and frightening the rest towards the waiting guns. They stop it in the tourist season. But last year two woodland mushroom pickers in the Limosin were killed by these dogs. You need an incredibly sturdy enclosure to stop a 20 strong pack forcing their way through it. Alternatively you get up before daylight and stay in with your chickens, suitably armed with a garden fork on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Biggest problem is the language. Buying anything is hard enough but if it is faulty! Car failed the Control Technique (MOT) and trying to establish what the problem is, well - a steering ball joint translates from the French as a 'knee-joint directional'!!!
