Jump to content

living in castres


Recommended Posts

We are a family of 4 (Jack 2 yrs plus one unborn baby) looking to move to SW France in 2 yrs time. As we like the sea, the mountains, the countryside and good weather, plus need easy access to Spain, not to mention close proximity to a decent airport, we keep getting drawn to the area around Castres - but have never been there!! Does anyone have any knowledge of this part of France and would like to share it? Nor can we make up our minds whether to live in a village, a town or in the countryside as we don't know how easy it will be for our children to get into local schools. Decisions, decisions!! Are there any families out there like ours who have been there, done this and got the T shirt?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been to this area many times and have a dear friend who lives just outside.  In Briish terms, it will take an age to get to the sea although you are quite near the black mountains which I think has lakes and beaches.  I love the Tarn and it's villages.  You "know" you are in the South of France here. Pastis, sun flowers, red roofs on stone houses, that sort of thing.

Although I believe Castres has an airport, I am not aware of any budget airlines that fly there.  Ryannair goes to Carcassonne and Easyjet goes to Toulouse.

Castres has an old centre and like most larger towns, is surrounded with sprawl.  Albi is another alternative with a beautiful cathedral and is a student town.

If you prefer the villages, there are many lovely villages which surround.

There are many users of this forum who live in this area and will give you good advice because, like the UK, there are good and bad areas and you will probably need to be aware of this.

I feel a forum bun fight coming on [:D]

Oh and sorry Dibble, welcome to the forum [:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the forum dibble,

As a young family, if you need to find work when you move to France, then that should be the main factor on which you choose your location.

Unfortunately, many Brits move to France choosing their location based on property price and quietness, then discover the reason the area is no quiet is that there is little work to be had and end up returning home having run out of money.Not a problem for retirees that make up the majority of Brits moving to France, but a big factor for younger families.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for this sprogster - forgot to add that I will be semi-retired when we move to France - am older than I look(!?) - will just want to earn a few bob, maybe teaching English, maybe run a small gite - the plan is to trade down/buy a smaller property in france and live mortgage free - so really the move is for the kids as we really like the French way of life/values etc and would like the kids to grow up in a healthy environment and to have the advantage in later life of being bilingual

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just Katie raised a very important point about flights, as if the reporting in this Sunday's newspapers are to be believed, flights to France are going to suffer the brunt of cutbacks in services by the low cost carriers this winter. Therefore, if good communications are going to be important and ideally with a Gites business you should be within an hour of an airport with year round services to the UK, then that should also be a key item on your check list.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Sprogster"]Just Katie raised a very important point about flights, as if the reporting in this Sunday's newspapers are to be believed, flights to France are going to suffer the brunt of cutbacks in services by the low cost carriers this winter. .[/quote]

And that's another story.  We will be reverting back to the donkey soon [:'(]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi and welcome Dibble ..... I have a place in  them there hills other wise known as the Black Mountains ( Montage Noir) I dont live there yet but I really dont think hubbys arm can take much more bending ..... it has to break soon [:)] So if I can give you any info on the area just ask..... I know a loverly village called Villanerve about 20km ish from me and and 18km ish from carcassonne ...... if I was looking again Its where I would go . It has all the local shops , bar, good resturant and school... the people there are loverly as long as you make the effort to speak abit of french and be friendly... we always stop at the bar on our way up the hill to our place and although its not that often its nice that they remember us and always speak and ask how we are. there are at the moment one or 2 places for sale in the village for sensible prices .... if you want more land ect on the out side of the village there are bigger houses for a little more ..... hope you get out there soon and see the area for you self , its loverly , reminds me of cornwall 20 years ago when I was but a wee lass [;-)] but much warmer.... great for kids and the parents ......    
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Tarn is a lovely department with many attractive towns and villages; you would need to be in the south  -  Castres,Mazamet, or  Aussillon -  if you want relatively speedy access to the sea. (Winters can be very cold; minus ten is not unusual).

I can't be the only one wondering how you are going to live unless you have enormous equity in your house and/or a large pension. I think you are a bit naive if you imagine you can "make a few bob" teaching English, unless your French is reasonable,  and you have experience of teaching. I don't run a gîte but I think the market is very well catered for already, and there are charges to be considered. However, I'll put my damp cloth away and wish you luck if you continue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Thanks for this Pads - just looking at my map I can see a village called Villeneuve Minervois - I guess this is where you are referring to? It certainly sounds appealing and I will add it to my list of places to visit when we go out next spring. Do you know how the weather behaves in this area - summer/ winter - mozzies etc?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't speak for Villeneuve Minervois, which is south of us (we are near Albi) but generally winters are short but can be cold. Summers usually hot but the last few years have seen variations on this. When we arrived in January 2006 we had 30 cms of snow a day later. This May and June were awful, somebody told me that 400 litres of water fell for every square metre. A good job too as we then had about five weeks without any rain. It is now, mid-August, barely 18 degrees. However, the sun is always warm and on a still, sunny day in January you can sit outside in a tee-shirt once the sun is up.  The hottest temperature I have known here is 44C and the lowest -12C - quite a variation!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Dibble

As plod hs said the weather can range a great deal we have been there in January and sat in our garden in t-shirts and Aug when its been raining.... We live a lot higher than V.M ( that was the right village) so its a bit cooler and we some times get a bit of drizzel in the mornings .... but by the time we have Driven down to V.M the sun is out and its much hotter.. But in general its much warmer than here in sunny cornwall[8-)]

You will get mozzies in fact I got quite badley bitten in Carcassonne the night of the fire works because i forgot my mozzie spray. but up the top where we are we never see any ( I have been told because we are to high ????) VM is half way between the 2 and I have never been bitten there while sitting out side of the bar...

If you are interested in this village .... A good income would be to open a take away pizza chips ect... the reason I say this is .... you get a lot of walkers in this area and smaller end of the B&B market ... we talk to some of them in the bar who serves a small amount of food but its typical french stews ... or you have a posh resturant that does loverly food..... if your there for a week to expensive to eat at every night for this type of tourist . most days we are there we are asked if there is a take away in the area and there isnt .. because we have looked for one ourselves. In july Aug Sept we have a van that comes to our village and the queue goes on for ever for the pizza's, tourist and locals..

In VM you have a higher group of younger people who would also be interested in pizzas.

You would need to look into this your selves but I think it would be a good Idea

Good luck with your search      

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live about 30 minutes south of Castres and life's great here. Med' just over an hour, likewise the Pyrenees, Black Mountains a walk away, likewise lakes. Carcassone a 40 minute drive, Toulouse an hour away (will be quicker when the new autoroute opens).

Castres airport is reportedly about to start flights to international destinations: such holiday hotspots as Marrakech, Porto and errr Manchester are currently being mooted.  This will (well it usually does) boost property prices nearby.  While a fortnight in Manchester is not my idea of a holiday (and I LIKE Coronation Street), many locals expect the "Cheshire-Set" to boost the real estate market here.

The local countryside has been described as The Cotswolds meets Tuscany ... which perhaps makes it sound a little more manicured than it actually is. However it is undoubtedly beautiful.

The local towns and villages are charming (like the famously friendly locals) and there is a good chance that whatever you seek (vibrant life and hi-tech jobs or tranquility and back to nature escapism) you could find it within striking distance of Castres.

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

uh oh, I guess I might rock the boat a little here.....

Im halfway between Albi and Castres, and find the area to be very dull. It was not a good decision to move to this area and I regret it now, and am looking to relocate at some point.

Around me is farming country, farms and some more farms. Not quaint wee places were jolly farmers toil with an old tractor and will happily sell you some eggs and milk, but BIG industrial farms where cereal crops and beef are grown in massive quantities. The local town...well, there is a bar, where you can drink pastis and talk about farming, the weather, tractors, farming, rugby or petanque. Or farming. Any other topics are frowned upon. If you cant follow a conversation about crop rotation, calf birth defects or John Deere clutch drag, then you are left out. Well, thats what the men talk about, the women talk about health problems and depression. There is a nightclub. It opens 4 evenings a year from what I gather. And thats not a joke. It actually opens 4 nights a year!

Basically, there is a complete lack of culture here. Music, arts, anything fun or interesting is just not catered for. Its easier to buy a new transformer for your electric fence than a cinema ticket here. If I want to have an evening out, visit an attraction or exposition of some kind or just go to a decent resteraunt, it involves a minimum of 40 minutes each-way by car to get there.

The surrounding towns, with one exception, are dull, ugly little places with no charm. At the entrance to my village, both sides of the road are lined with scrap cars overflowing from the local garage. A great sight to welcome new arrivals to the town.

 

The Tarn DOES have nice areas, the Tarn valley from Albi along towards Ambialet and Requista to Millau is beautifull, with lovely places to visit, and the towns are much more vibrant. The same goes for further south of Castres, towards Mazamet, then on through Revel, Castlenaudary and to Carcasonne. I dont live in any of thes places - sadly - so cant coment on life there, but the impression I get from visiting is they are more cultured, with more activities, more to do and generally a better standard of entertainment and leisure.

In my opinion, go north or go south. Avoid the middle. Choose wisely.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks both - Ian and Dave - for some very helpful advice (am still chuckling about some of the points made about local culture) - as I too prefer a warmer drier climate and a more eclectic social life I am already narrowing down my search area! Will let you know how I get on...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...