Can you recommend a small village in the south?

[FrenchMamma]

My husband and I are searching for a small, charming village in the south to move to - maybe around 45 minute drive to the Mediterranean. If not near the Mediterranean, then it would be great if it was near a river or lake.  It would be perfect if it still had that old medieval charm and country feel. We work out of the home, so the atmosphere is important - we like to take walking breaks. We have two dogs and I love going for long walks in the countryside with fresh air. There should be a hospital and major grocery store within the village. We would rent a house in the

outskirts, but not too far to be able to walk/ride a bike to a cafe or

commerce. We both hate to drive and prefer the exercise. I miss living

in Bordeaux where I could walk to a cafe or bakery to get out of the

house - but the air is too polluted and hardly any nature.

He is from Caen and we lived in Marseille for a couple months, Bordeaux for a year and are now a little north of Caen. We fell in love with Bayeux (population of about 13,000), but it is just too cold up here to settle. I am from Florida and cannot take the gray skies and cold weather. I agreed to live around Caen to be near his family for a year - we are expecting our first baby in a month so we wanted to be around family.

We will be moving right before the summer, but we cannot figure out where we should start looking for places. Do you know of a village that remotely fits what we are looking for?

Thanks so much!!

[NormanH]

There are plenty that fit the bill in most respects, but your requirement that "There should be a hospital and major grocery store within the village." cuts the ones that I know out.

At 45 mins from the sea there are places like Olargues http://www.decouvertes-herault.fr/US/villages/olargues.htm

and Roquebrun http://www.languedoc-roussillon.eu.com/roquebrun.htm

but neither has the Hospital and shops you want

Somewhere larger but with the facilities you seek is Pézenas

http://www.ville-pezenas.fr/secteur_sauvegarde.html

Further inland there is St Geniez d'Olt

http://www.villagesdefrance.free.fr/dept/page12_aubracpaysdolt.htm

which has a small Hospital and a large INtermarché

[pachapapa]

Hospital in village wont be easy!

Toss up between  PACA  & Languedoc-Rousillon.

Personally I would choose L&R, similar size but half the population and cheaper.

Proximity to the Med will mean Hérault, Aude or Pyrenees-Orientales.The flatter coastal areas can be quite hot in summer and a village at a moderate height can be cooler. Something towards the Montagne Noire or the Corbières Massif suggests itself. But dont go too high, last thursday whilst dining on the terrace of restaurant overlooking the River Brian at Minerve there was a twinge of coolness in the air already, lower down on the banks of the Canal du Midi it was still balmy.

If you are not keen on driving, the local bus services can be economical and efficient; for example from the surrounding villages like Bize Minervois a € 1 standard fare gets one to the centre of Narbonne and for a further €uro buses cover the beaches from St Pierre to Gruissan including the main beach at Narbonne Plage; all within 45 minutes.

[Gardengirl]

Yes, the need to have a hospital and grocery store in the village would seem to be almost unattainable; a small town might have the store but not the hospital. We live in a charming small town in the south, with many lovely villages nearby and all the concerts, countryside, stores etc we could wish for - but for hospital we have to go to Nimes, about 20 minutes away.

[NormanH]

Another small place but in easy reach of Montpellier with some fine Hospitals and all the shops you could need is Les Matelles

http://les.matelles.pagesperso-orange.fr/Som-Matelles.htm

[Gardian]

I suggest that you 'get on your bike' and do a tour of your own.

Any number of helpful suggestions on here won't fit the bill.  You have to do your own leg work.

It'll take time - at least a week just to get to an approximate area that you like.  Then more time to hone that down to something more specific.

[LEO]

[quote user="FrenchMamma"]My husband and I are searching for a small, charming village in the south to move to - maybe around 45 minute drive to the Mediterranean. If not near the Mediterranean, then it would be great if it was near a river or lake.  It would be perfect if it still had that old medieval charm and country feel. We work out of the home, so the atmosphere is important - we like to take walking breaks. We have two dogs and I love going for long walks in the countryside with fresh air. There should be a hospital and major grocery store within the village. We would rent a house in the

outskirts, but not too far to be able to walk/ride a bike to a cafe or

commerce. We both hate to drive and prefer the exercise. I miss living

in Bordeaux where I could walk to a cafe or bakery to get out of the

house - but the air is too polluted and hardly any nature.

He is from Caen and we lived in Marseille for a couple months, Bordeaux for a year and are now a little north of Caen. We fell in love with Bayeux (population of about 13,000), but it is just too cold up here to settle. I am from Florida and cannot take the gray skies and cold weather. I agreed to live around Caen to be near his family for a year - we are expecting our first baby in a month so we wanted to be around family.

We will be moving right before the summer, but we cannot figure out where we should start looking for places. Do you know of a village that remotely fits what we are looking for?

Thanks so much!!

[/quote]

There is not a village in the whole of France with a hospital and a major grocery store !

In fact some hospitals in France are bigger than your average village!

Should your forum name not be FrenchMammatobe

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="Gardian"]

I suggest that you 'get on your bike' and do a tour of your own.

Any number of helpful suggestions on here won't fit the bill.  You have to do your own leg work.

It'll take time - at least a week just to get to an approximate area that you like.  Then more time to hone that down to something more specific.

[/quote]

You're right, of course, Gardian - just to begin to get to know an area is going to take time - and there are so many lovely areas to explore in the south! It could be a long search.

Autumn onwards is a good time to start the search; if they like an area then, they'll love it in the better months. They'll discover places which might appeal, but are really only open in the summer months and practically deserted in winter, when the north wind blows - and the mistral is very important factor to many! I'm so glad we only get the edge, which is enough - if we lived any further east I'd hate ithe wind.

Near the Med, river or lake, medieval charm and country feel, on the outskirts of a village or small town with a good-sized supermarket could yield many suggestions. But if close to a hospital is an absolute, it's much more difficult, as they are generally in cities.

I could definitely see an extended trip coming on if it was me! And of course, demands change as the search gets under way. We had decided to buy a lock-up and leave place in the Drome, but head was overtaken by heart when we saw a wonderful house - totally unlike our wish-list! Luckily, we lost it to someone else, and found the ideal place for us in the Gard.

 

[FrenchMamma]

That would be ideal, but unfortunately we will not be able to get down there beforehand. The baby is due within the next 4 weeks and in November we are heading to Florida to introduce her to my family. Then next year it will just be too difficult to get down there. We are used to renting places site unseen - such as when we moved to Montreal, Marseille, Bordeaux and Lantheuil. We always had great luck and are hoping for the same again. We will rent somewhere for a year then after getting to know the area, we will search for somewhere to live more longterm (if we do not like the place we had found). After our big trip to Florida and having a new baby and two big dogs... just will be too hard and expensive to get down there before moving.

I am going to start Googling the places you guys have mentioned! I much prefer recommendations than just picking off places to research from Google maps.. you guys that live down there have a better idea of what we could find in these areas.

I understand that a hospital or grocery store is hard to find in a village...  my husband wants to have a hospital and major grocery store within 15 minutes drive. So if we find one of each a short drive away, then that would be okay. I would just want to have a doctor and corner grocery market within walking distance... so if we need something like milk or our future daughter has a cold, we do not have to drive far. It is frustrating now that if we run out of something or even want a cafe, it is a big ordeal.

As for my name FrenchMamma... I was thinking of mamma-to-be, but I will not be that for long! [:)] I have been on mandatory bed rest for 4 weeks and just got permission to get off of it on Friday... so technically she can come around any day now.  Also, I have a blog called French Mamma, so that was the first name I thought of as a username. :)

If you guys know of any other cute villages, I would love to hear about them!! I cannot wait to get out of Normandy! But I will miss having my husband's family around. [:)]

[Sprogster]

Presumably finding a place where you and your husband can find employment is also a factor. Generally speaking in France the unemployment situation is worse in southern France.

PACA is of course not cheap, with everything from day to day costs to housing being more expensive than virtually anywhere else in France except Paris. Also the winter weather is surprisingly cold!

[Russethouse]

 I think French Mamma is a writer, so possibly finding a job wont be a factor

[la-vie-en-rose]

Hello

and, first of all, best wishes for the next couple of months.

We live in a little hamlet which is nearly encircled by delicious market towns, and we are lucky in that our GP practise is excellent, and we benefit from superb medical facilities in Toulouse (teaching hospitals with many English-speaking staff).  We have fantastic views of the Pyrenees and can get there to ski, but without the drawbacks of the mountain weather we might get if we were closer.

If you Google

strangers village saint araille

you will get an idea of the place from the American couple who stayed for 8 months - a writer and an artist, plus their twins.  There are quite a few blog entries and some pictures too.

T won't mind if you contact her to get more information on the place, and the flat is currently available, too, or we may be able to offer you our new gite accommodation in the old chapel. 

Do get back to us if you like the sound of it!

[FrenchMamma]

Yes, working in France is not an issue for us. My husband has a successful translation company and runs it from our home with most of his clients being in the US and UK. I am a writer and write for several companies within the US, plus I have a few blogs that I am building up. We decided a long time ago that we wanted a life full of travel and adventure, so we found ways to work from home so that we could be flexible. I left the corporate world and never looked back! He is in the process of switching to entreprise-individuelle and I am an auto-entrepreneur. We are lucky to be able to move from place to place without worries about work - as long as we have a solid Internet connection! [:)]

[Sprogster]

Internet connection is an interesting point, as in many areas of France they still seem to be in the dark ages regarding available internet speed, so something defnitely worth checking.

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="Sprogster"]Internet connection is an interesting point, as in many areas of France they still seem to be in the dark ages regarding available internet speed, so something defnitely worth checking.[/quote]

A very good point! However, in our small town in the south of France we have better internet than in south of England in a large town!

[NormanH]

You didn't mention  an Internet connection in the first post...

[Judith]

There is a lot of work going on down here to ensure that the farthest reaches of LR do get internet access - I assume the same is happening in PACA also.

I am with NormanH about the winters down here - when that bl***y wind blows - it is freezing.

[pachapapa]

..equidistant from Carcassonne, Narbonne and Béziers..

Ah yes!  Aurillac will be cool tomorrow 7°C.[;-)]

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="Judith"]There is a lot of work going on down here to ensure that the farthest reaches of LR do get internet access - I assume the same is happening in PACA also.

I am with NormanH about the winters down here - when that bl***y wind blows - it is freezing.
[/quote]

We originally bought in the Gard for the winter months - especially Feb and Nov, which we used to hate in the Thames Valley. We only get small amount of the Mistral, and don't mind how cold it is - we think it's worth it for the sunshine and blue skies. In fact we spend much more of the winter there than we'd planned; partly because of the good weather, partly for the very pleasant activities on offer locally. Then there's the wine............ [:)]

[NormanH]

[quote user="gardengirl "]

[quote user="Judith"]There is a lot of work going on down here to ensure that the farthest reaches of LR do get internet access - I assume the same is happening in PACA also.

I am with NormanH about the winters down here - when that bl***y wind blows - it is freezing.

[/quote]

We originally bought in the Gard for the winter months - especially Feb and Nov, which we used to hate in the Thames Valley. We only get small amount of the Mistral, and don't mind how cold it is - we think it's worth it for the sunshine and blue skies. In fact we spend much more of the winter there than we'd planned; partly because of the good weather, partly for the very pleasant activities on offer locally. Then there's the wine............ [:)]

[/quote]

I went to the Gard once. It was closed.[6]

[Judith]

[quote user="pachapapa"]

..equidistant from Carcassonne, Narbonne and Béziers..

Ah yes!  Aurillac will be cool tomorrow 7°C.[;-)]

[/quote]

Interesting geography you have pp - ah well !!!

No we don't see much of the mistral, but the tramontane has its own peculiarities too, we reckon they are tough down here, in the vineyards in winter it can blow straight through you - a lazy wind my sister calls it - doesn't bother going round but through you!!!

[Sprogster]

In recent years the winters in PACA have been dissapointingly long, cold and wet. Apparently, this could be the trend for the next twenty or thirty years due to reduced sun spot activity!!

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="NormanH"][quote user="gardengirl "]

[quote user="Judith"]There is a lot of work going on down here to ensure that the farthest reaches of LR do get internet access - I assume the same is happening in PACA also.

I am with NormanH about the winters down here - when that bl***y wind blows - it is freezing.
[/quote]

We originally bought in the Gard for the winter months - especially Feb and Nov, which we used to hate in the Thames Valley. We only get small amount of the Mistral, and don't mind how cold it is - we think it's worth it for the sunshine and blue skies. In fact we spend much more of the winter there than we'd planned; partly because of the good weather, partly for the very pleasant activities on offer locally. Then there's the wine............ [:)]

[/quote]
I went to the Gard once. It was closed.[6]
[/quote]

[:D][:D][:D]

But seriously, you obviously didn't visit our bit! Come for the truffle fair!

[audevillage]

Hi FrenchMamma, if you're still looking, I can recommend Chalabre in the Aude - it definitely has the medieval charm and country feel! It's a really nice small town, population around 1200, which has all necessities- bank, PO, two doctors, (Hospital 20 mins away) dentist, excellent internet, a small library, two great bakeries, two small supermarkets (Vival + Huit-a-huit), hotel with good restaurant, two bars which serve food, two lakes with good swimming and watersports within 10 min drive, great walking and cycling area. There's a choice of large supermarkets 15 mins drive in several directions. 45 mins drive south of Carcassonne via Limoux or Mirepoix; 90mins from the coast; Cathar Castles, vineyards, etc, etc! More info on

http://www.tourismechalabrais.com/ or look up on Google Earth. I've been going there regularly for the past five years and am hoping to move to live soon!