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Does 'Brig O' Doon Exist?


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I am looking for the as near perfect French location as possible.

Here are my criteria: 

Clean

No dog poo

No grafitti

Not too hot in summer

Nice centre

Good range of shops

Good range of quality restaurants

Scenic environs

Preferably adjacent to water

Friendly locals

Property not too expensive

Minimum population size around 50,000

Please append your entries.

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Only been to the village where we are buying our house  a few times, but i didnt see any dog poo, didnt hear or see any dogs , In fact we comented on it. As the village where we have been staying is covered in it.[+o(]  lots of cats and lizards.

But no shops and only 1 resturant which we havnt tried yet so not a lot of good to the starter of this thred im afraid

but it fits the rest nestling beside a lovely lake and great views[:D]

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Hi Jon it does exist

"Brig O Doon" , is an historic bridge over the river Doon, in the village of Alloway,south Ayrshire, Scotland

perhaps you were thinking of ;

"Brigadoon" was the name of a play written in 1947 about an enchanted village, and later became a musical film ,starring Gene Kelly

Leo Martin,

St Sever,Calvados,14

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[quote user="Tresco"][quote user="pads"]http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j44/pads_01/housebylake.jpg

hope this works not very good at moving pictures, beutiful village beside lake.[/quote]

Pads that works fine. Is that where you live...or some other nice place?.  It looks lovely.

[/quote]

Its the village where we are just buying our house, Pradelles Cabardes, Its a loverly village and not spotted any dog poo yet!

4weeks and 1 day till we pick up the keys[:D]

 

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Have you considered somewhere in Quebec (or Switzerland)?  Much more likely to fulfill all the requirements than any place in France, I should think, and if you speak reasonable French you'll find people friendly.

If it has to be France, Alsace might be a good starting point for a search, as it's neater and cleaner than most of the rest of the country. 

  

Patrick

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Thanks for all the replies thus far.

I was hoping for a few more, but maybe the remit was too restrictive, or those that have found 'Brigadoon' (Leo) are not letting on!

OK I will ease up on the dog poo just a little.  Dog poo that is!

You are possibly correct about Switzerland, Patrick.  There were two concerns here.  One was the cost of property.  The other was a vague recollection of the liberalisation of drug laws leading to an influx of druggies from all over Europe.  We have a significant number of beggars with their dogs here.  It is a number of years since |I was last in Switzerland so maybe this is no longer a problem.  My sister lived there for a number of years and said that she preferred the German speaking part for cleanliness and order.

I had thought of Evian as a possibility although I have never been there.  I may take a look on my way back up country. Any info on Evian and nice hotels to stopover?

The heat this year and preceeding years, as well as my impression of the North of France being cleaner than the south, may encourage me to look north.

 

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This doesn't meet many of your criteria, but as Leo says, somewhere in Scotland might fit the bill. The most perfect place I've seen is in the heart of Glen Affric. The light is so soft and the colours all rosy-green. The only problem of course is the midgies in the summer. Pat.

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I will put Glen Affric on my list of places to see, as I will Capetown.

A very memorable scenic area in Scotland is Glen Coe.  I have seen it in sunlight and it is absolutely stunning.  My wife says it is just as dramatic seen through heavy rainfall, with the water glistening on the rocks.  There is something almost mystical about the place.

Re Capetown it is a place I hope to visit sometime.  One deterrent is the level of crime you read about, particularly gun crime.

Back to France: anyone care to add any further contributions?

Anyone care to elaborate on the delights of Evian?

 

 

 

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[quote user="Jon"]

Re Capetown it is a place I hope to visit sometime.  One deterrent is the level of crime you read about, particularly gun crime.

[/quote]

 

CapeTown is no worse that parts of London or  Paris... you just have to be a bit careful, and all the tourist places where you would normally go are quite safe.

the people are fantastic and really appreciate the help given by tourists to the economy...

...can't wait to be back in November!

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I was under the impression that Capetown was near the top of the list statistically for crime and gun crime in particular.  Nevertheless I would still like to visit sometime.

We have often thought of swopping our place here with someone in Capetown.  What would be the best reciprocal month(s) so we can have reasonably warm weather there, and likewise for those swopping to the s.of France?

Any advice on the cheapest flight deals?

Is there anything specific we should be aware of in respect of crime, moreso than say London or Paris?  Eg not stopping at traffic lights at night etc.

 

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I think you'll find Johannesburg and Pretoria are the worst areas for crime. We have a place in Cape Town, (Hout Bay) which we love so much that we're moving there to run our B&B full-time!  If you stay in such an area there are plenty of places to go out for dinner /drinks locally without going too far at night, as it feels very safe.

We have never had any problem there; we stayed for 3 months in 2003, 4 months in 2005/6 and will go back at the end of this summer for 4 months. There is a perception of crime being out of control which is so not true; crime is worse for the people who suffer most in the townships; those who can't afford to have their money/phones/goods stolen. If any crime is commited against us "rich" people it's most likely to be petty theft or burglary.

The kind of security measure you have to take are common sense; don't flash valuables around, don't go unguided into townships, don't leave car windows/doors open & unlocked at traffic lights and of course don't leave bags/mobile phones or laptops on the passenger or back seat or in the car on display, avoid staying out late at night especially in the city centre.  Most of these security measures are the same as what you would take in inner city UK or say, in the U.S.

SA hs 2 weather "zones", the eastern area has high summer rainfall and tropical temperatures with high humidity, so better to visit for comfortable conditions in our spring/summer or autumn. The western areas (the Cape anyway) have high winter rainfall, daytime temperatures hardly every go below 12C, and it doesn't seem to freeze at night. In summer it's most comfortable in November, December, April & May. January & February can be hot in the west but Cape Town rarely reaches more than 30C and there is always a breeze. The further inland you go the hotter it gets though!

For flights there's not too much competition, which means prices are not being driven down. We find flights from London are cheaper than from Paris and have flown with BA more than once.

regards, Tracy & Massimo Orione

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