Moving to Saint-Gaudens

[Janine]

My family and i are seriously concidering making a permament move to France this summer and are really interested in moving to somewhere close to Saint-Gaudens. We like the look of this area and need to be able to comute into Toulose.

Firstly my partner and i are visting in March from 8th - 11th and are looking for resonably priced b&b type accomadation, hopefully run by Brithish people that can give us some advice while we are there. Does anyone know of anywhere?

Secondly any info (pros and cons) about living in the area would be great.

I have two children (9 and 12), i have posted on the education section and have received lots of useful info on schooling in general in France but does anyone have any specific info schools in or near Saint-Gaudens specifically?

[PaulT]

In St Gaudens there is a chemical factory - it is important that you do not buy anywhere where the smell may blow - it is vile.

You may also like to look along the motorway where it goes south before turning west and along to St Gaudens.

One way you could travel to St Gaudens would be to come off the motorway at Muret (where IKEA is) and take the D3 which will take you through some very nice countryside, in fact exceptionally nice countryside (we have a house just off it) - as you get to Ciadoux you will see signs to St Gaudens.

It is a different way of life - have been in the big hypermarket in St Gaudens with only a couple of checkouts open, long queues and not a moan - so you do need to lose any forms of impatience.

Whilst our house is only a holiday home - it is intended to be our permanent home which would have happened in 2009 if the law on healthcare and early retirees had not come about.

I think the pros are the beautiful countryside, easy access to the mountains and locals who seem very helpful. The slower pace of life.

Cons could be, depending where you buy, a journey to the shops.

Perhaps what might be useful is to seach for immobiliers (estate agents) in the area. If you go to www.pagesjaunes.fr (yellow pages) and seach, look on some of the websites as to the types and prices of property. Many indicate if they have someone who speaks English - email them and pop in and see them whilst you are there.

Can't recommend any B&Bs - on our searches we were normally based in hotels.

Best of luck

Paul

[Janine]

Thanks for the advice about the chemical factory, i have done a bit more research and found out about the explosion!

"As we leave Toulouse we see traces of the chemical factory explosion from a year ago. Windows are still boarded up in some apartments and a huge expanse of devastated land stretches away to the distance."

A quote from Day 7 of a cycling blog (http://earlybirds.users.btopenworld.com/2002Part1.htm)

I think we may have to look again about where we are going to be based.

Thanks for your advice :-)

 

[CBC]

I think you're confusing the chemical factory on the outskirsts of Toulouse with the one in St Gaudens.  Not the same, nowhere near each other!

Good luck.

CBC

[darnsarf]

I would echo the comments about the smell from the factory in Saint Gaudens. If there's little wind, the strong smell of boiled swede can stretch as far west as the junction 17, near Montejeau. It is indeed vile. As far as I know its a cellulose/paper factory. It's a shame, because I like Saint Gaudens, which is about 15 miles to the North of us. There was an application to build another incinderator but due to objections, the application was put on hold, I gather. So I'd be careful about the area you choose thereabouts. Of course, if you like the smell of boiled swede....!

 

More info http://vivreencomminges.abri.org/tembec.htm#presentation

 

 

[Renaud]

Good luck with your move to France. I would stay closer to Toulouse if I were you.

One of the downsides of buying in rural France is the feeling of isolation due to the cold in Winter.

Although we love our rural holiday home, were we to look to live in France full time, we would look to buy close to a large town, like Toulouse, which has a cultural life and prospects of entertainment when the holidaymakers have all gone.