Winter is coming...

[sue-J]

My house purchase near St Pol sur Ternoise completes soon, just in time for winter. I have a notion that we'll be lucky if the vendor doesn't take the wood-burning stove with him when he sells, so am prepared to deal with a chilly couple of months. How cold does it get round them parts in the winter? Everyone we spoke to says 'it's the same as the South of England' but what does that mean? Can we expect temperatures of minus 10c in the coming winter? Anyone care to tell how cold it was last winter? And finally, the search will be on for a log supplier, wood burning stove or not. Any help appreciated.

sue

[Alexis]

The temperature has dropped sharply this morning in Morbihan.  You could smell the woodsmoke so it wasn't just me.

Don't you just love the smell of oak burning?

It is a glorious morning though and the forcast for the week is excellent.

I have just had a look to see where your commune is and it is colder up there.  Does anyone live there on the forum?  I have the impression from watching the meteo it can get very cold.  Saying that, it can be 10° during the day here and -15° the night.  Fortunately not often.

[sue-J]

[quote]The temperature has dropped sharply this morning in Morbihan. You could smell the woodsmoke so it wasn't just me. Don't you just love the smell of oak burning? It is a glorious morning though and t...[/quote]

I was awoken to the possible chilliness of the area when I got a list of household goods the vendor wants to sell with the house, heaters, electric blankets, many pairs of woolly socks.... ( I lied about the socks). The house was built in the sixties and is of, um, modest construction. So I'm reconciled to a chilly first winter. I know from personal experience of motorbiking round the area in October that the frosts lie long on the ground there.

As to the smell of woodsmoke in the morning I love it too, but the Canadian authorities now say that woodsmoke is carcinogenic, and causes 'illness'. But hey, I'd rather be warm in front of the woodburner, than freezing to death in an unheated house... The cat seems to agree with that, too.

sue

[Val_2]

We live right on the gulf stream here on the north west coast of 29 and it never gets lower than 0 in winter here on the coast and that isn't very often. I havn't had need to wear a big winter coat for ten years,a K-way or thick pully usually does. There are lots of pockets of different weather here as going just 2km up the road and they get frost there where we don't.I went once to Carhaix in the centre of Brittany during the winter and the temperature dropped over 4°C. I never take any flowers in for the winter,they come back bigger and better the next year for that as well. The last deepish snow we had was in Feb 97 when we didn't use a vehicle for ten days,but nothing since except for a few sprinklings which last a couple of hours and then go.

[Loiseau]

I was awoken to the possible chilliness of the area when I got a list of household goods the vendor wants to sell with the house, heaters, electric blankets, many pairs of woolly socks....

 

If the vendor is wanting to sell those items, what makes you think he can be bothered to disconnect and remove the wood-burning stove?   And if he does, isn't it possible to buy one fairly easily?  I am sure I have seen them for sale new in places like Mr Bricolage, and second-hand in various "dépôt-vente" establishments.

I am sure you will need some form of heating.  Electric radiators are expensive to run.  There are always those gas-bottle heaters; they can warm up a room pretty well (I use them on EJP days), but they are not as pleasant to sit next to as a nice wood fire....

I suggest you buy woolly hats as well as bedsocks.

Angela

[Val_2]

I have now discovered where this village/town is and to be honest not what I would call North West France. I will tell you that when my brother lived in Arras his winters were always from freezing frost to -10 or more and lots of snow. People forget that there the winds don't always come from the UK but usually from North Eastern europe especially from Scandinavia and Russia and swing down towards the west bypassing the UK, look at all the mountain ranges in the centre of Europe so yes, you definately need heating and have the house as insulated as best as you can get it. I doubt as Loiseau says, the stove will be taken away and you should check this on the inventory of stuff to be left and if they do, then you will still have the chimney flue to connect to and to buy another is not a huge expense with loads of second hand ones in the papers currently and new ones all prices to suit all pockets. Don't try and live without any sort of heating, that is plain stupidity and you will end up with a property that gets damaged and pipes that will freeze and burst.

[sueyh]

We have a house at Ligny-sur-Canche about 10 km from St Pol.  It does get cold in the winter down to about -10 but not constantly that temperature.  We have known it to be 20 degrees in February sometimes!! and the same week -6.  We have also known frosts in May - so be careful what you put out in the garden.  It is a lovely area.  We are moving out permanently next September.  We get through quite a lot of logs, but have central heating as well. 

Good luck

Suey

 

 

[sueyh]

Where abouts near St Pol are you?  We are in the Canche valley and find that we are quite sheltered from some of the weather.  It tends to stop at the top of the hill at Nunq or at the top of Auxi hill.

Suey

[sue-J]

[quote]Where abouts near St Pol are you? We are in the Canche valley and find that we are quite sheltered from some of the weather. It tends to stop at the top of the hill at Nunq or at the top of Auxi hil...[/quote]

Where abouts near St Pol are you? We are in the Canche valley and find that we are quite sheltered from some of the weather. It tends to stop at the top of the hill at Nunq or at the top of Auxi hill.

Quite near Croisette, 90 metres above sea-level, apparently. The last time we were there we noticed it was rather windy!

sue