Welsh Winters...

[Vesalius]

Tiens! Bonjour

Tout Le Monde,

I have decided I do not want to experience another Welsh

Winter...

largely because I'm not sure I could survive it.

So, I'm going to move to France...if they will let me in.

My "shopping List" is:-

i) Must be warm - I want to re-experience a lovely still,

warm, fragrant, evening.

I would prefer Not to ever again, see Hydrogen Oxide

crystals on roads...or even a blade of grass.

But...I'm willing to negotiate.

ii) I would like to be able to walk, to see the Sea - any

Sea.

In my advanced state of age, and rigour mortis, that means a

matter if inches rather than kilometres.

Since I have never managed to learn to drive appropriately,

and safely

on The Left, I find it inconceivable that I will ever be

able to learn to drive on The Right.

It would be dangerous to other road-users.

iii) I would like a garden. Being an old Radnorshire guy

(S'Ok, nobody's ever heard of it), I would ideally like a small field. But only

one.

iv) Internet Access is essential.

Without Spam, how will I know I'm not on my own in the

Universe?

 

That's it really.

Quand j'etais

etudiant, on m'est oblige de travailler une vaccance a C.E.R.N., a Grenoble.

I liked it very much there, but I didn't like being so close

to high energy neutrons...

So I gave up Nuclear Physics and chose something more likely

to give me a decent life-span.

I chose Music. ( Yes! That was one of many serious blunders

to follow later...hmm...)

I've cashed in my life and realised a sum of...erm...cash!

I do not need benefits or work permit etc.

I speak French tolerably well, but effrayant.

I'm confident it will get better with "exposure"

...but Not to anymore radiation - if that's Ok with you?

I think it wise, at first, to rent a home and see how I get

on.

(Why are you laughing?).

Probably a good idea to "be there" and look around

from there.

Do they have Morriston's in France - or something vaguely,

remotely similar?

Should anyone feel fool-hardy, or kindly, enough to share

your thoughts with me...and reply, I would be very grateful to hear from you.

Avec mes

sentiments, les plus sinceres,

Vesalius.

[Sprogster]

Vesalius, you need to familiarise yourself with the French climate, as French winters are generally much colder than much of central and southern UK, not having the benefit of the Gulf stream.

Even down on the Med, night time temps below freezing in Winter are the norm and it can be much wet and windier than you might imagine.

If as appears to be the case a warm climate is one of your primary motivators, I am not sure France fits your criteria.

[cooperlola]

Grenoble is just as cold in the winter as Wales - winter olympics anybody? OK, I know they were held up in the mountains but still I have been there and in Wales in the winter and I wouldn't like to bet on which is the colder.

How about Malta?

Not that we wouldn't enjoy your company around here, of course![:)]

 

Radnor?  There used to be a picture of me on a dobbin in the Harp in Old Radnor.  It may well still be there..... (I wasn't in the pub on the horse, you understand!)

[mint]

Vesalius, I cannot make head or tail of your requirements because they are contradictory and no place like the one you envisage exists on the planet (nowhere I know anyway) never mind in France!

No blade of grass.....you mean you want to live in a desert?  AFAIK, there are no deserts in France.

Warm fragrant evenings are definitely possible but NOT in conjunction with winters that are less cold than those in Wales.  Actually, Welsh winters (depending on which part of Wales you are talking about) can be dizzly, miserable, grey, unremittingly dreary but I wouldn't call them "cold" as such.

As for regreting your choice of music for a career:  that is the one statement in your post that I find utterly incomprehensible because I cannot imagine that anyone would or could regret that!

[zarathustra]

I'm afraid as the others have stated, if you're looking to escape harsh winters, your choices are extremely limited in France, and if you head towards somewhere that might vaguely fit your agenda, you'll find prices there will rocket sky high. Add a garden and sea views and you'd probably need to be a millionaire!

If you can cope with some compromise there's no doubt you can find a better life in France, but if climate is your main reason for wanting to move, you may wish to consider other countries!

[La Guerriere]

If you are trying to avoid Welsh weather I would not recommend Lower Normandy. This area can do a very good impression of Welsh weather. You only have to observe the way the grass grows in the Spring ... it can get a little warmer in the summer but only just.

[mint]

The Welsh winter is nothing like as cold as the winter in Orne.  I know because I have spent winters in both areas!

Not only winter, I think spring is a lot later in Orne than in many parts of southern Wales. 

Still, if I had to choose between the two, I'd opt for Lower Normandy:  there is a lot more Romanesque architecture and the apple turnovers are more delicious.[:D] 

 

[La Guerriere]

Depends how near the coast you are: it's the old Gulf Stream thing again. I agree though on all apple (and cow) based products though.

[pachapapa]

[quote user="Sprogster"]Vesalius, you need to familiarise yourself with the French climate, as French winters are generally much colder than much of central and southern UK, not having the benfit of the Gulf stream. Even down on the Med, night time temps below freezing in Winter are the norm and it can be much wet and windier than you might imagine. If as appears to be the case a warm climate is one of your primary motivators, I am not sure France fits your criteria.[/quote]

The gulf stream influences the climate on the atlantic french coast and the north coast of spain from galicia to the basque provinces.

[IMG]http://www.meteo71.com/cartefrance/gulfstream.jpg[/IMG]

[oldgit72]

[quote user="pachapapa"]

[quote user="Sprogster"]Vesalius, you need to familiarise yourself with the French climate, as French winters are generally much colder than much of central and southern UK, not having the benfit of the Gulf stream. Even down on the Med, night time temps below freezing in Winter are the norm and it can be much wet and windier than you might imagine. If as appears to be the case a warm climate is one of your primary motivators, I am not sure France fits your criteria.[/quote]

The gulf stream influences the climate on the atlantic french coast and the north coast of spain from galicia to the basque provinces.

[IMG]http://www.meteo71.com/cartefrance/gulfstream.jpg[/IMG]

[/quote]

But for how much longer? The past 2 winters has seen the almost complete shut down of the gulf stream and as a result the UK has had 2 of it's coldest winters on record. As man continues to ignore the effrect he has on the climate, he also must ignore the former predictable weather patterns he could previously rely on.

[pachapapa]

[quote user="oldgit72"][quote user="pachapapa"]

[quote user="Sprogster"]Vesalius, you need to familiarise yourself with the French climate, as French winters are generally much colder than much of central and southern UK, not having the benfit of the Gulf stream. Even down on the Med, night time temps below freezing in Winter are the norm and it can be much wet and windier than you might imagine. If as appears to be the case a warm climate is one of your primary motivators, I am not sure France fits your criteria.[/quote]

The gulf stream influences the climate on the atlantic french coast and the north coast of spain from galicia to the basque provinces.

[IMG]http://www.meteo71.com/cartefrance/gulfstream.jpg[/IMG]

[/quote] But for how much longer? The past 2 winters has seen the almost complete shut down of the gulf stream and as a result the UK has had 2 of it's coldest winters on record. As man continues to ignore the effrect he has on the climate, he also must ignore the former predictable weather patterns he could previously rely on.[/quote]

The effect of mans activities on the climate are rather tenuous; unless you believe in the veracity of "cooked" data from the University of East Anglia.

[mint]

I do believe that much of climate change needs to be seen in the context of millennia.  Unfortunately, therefore, it's too soon to tell if human activities are responsible for the perceived changes.

This is a subject that interests me a great deal but I can't say that I have read anything that persuades me to one or other view.[:(]

BTW, where is the OP and is s/he still interested in the answers to their post?

[pachapapa]

Dont know if you have come across " Whats up with that?".....one of my favourites and strong on climate.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/

[dragonrouge]

You have not experienced a Welsh winter unless one has been to Maerdy in the Rhondda called little Moscow. I was born and brought up in the Rhondda Valley then travelled extensively with my profession and then Normandie and now the Vendee. On balance and lots will think me mad but Normandie and despite its winters has it for me. However what it does not have going for it was the fact that we lived on the second highest point with overhead power lines and the like and got hit and I mean hit three times by lightning. Thus someone was telling us something. Hence the Vendee but again on the move.

[andyh4]

I think the OPs only solution would be somewhere like French Guyana or Martinique.

If he has (as he says) studied in Grenoble, I am amazed that he did not notice the winter - or maybe it was just a summer job.

 

Wales? Cold?  Try the Ardeche.  This winter has been the mildest so far - the only one where we haven't recorded a daytime high below minus 12!  Mind you we did have snow for 8 weeks more than usual.

[minnie]

I suggest that if you want to avoid Welsh Winters that Florida is probably the place for you. Sorry, I'm not usually scarcastic but you really need to research climates to find what you want. There's always the Southern Hemisphere for the winter and the Northern for the summer. We always take winter hols to the daughter in NZ - that works well.

[GCCR]

Coincidence indeed!

This is exactly the same reason we are looking to emigrate to Europe. Too many damp, dreary, miserable, soaking, raining, drizzling, foggy, and cold days here in Caerphilly.

We've looked very carefully at Spain for the nice climate but got put off during our last visit. We'd settled on a nice Villa in Catral near Alacante but got eaten my mozzies, some of which have left blotches till marking Susan's (wife) legs 2 months later. The visit to a lawyer to understand better the issues surrounding property ownership and legalisations in Spain (The knocking down homes issues) was the last straw as the situation is far from settled.

So it's Bordeaux for us now as the next area to research ! Mainly because the weather comparison sites indicate a far drier climate than Wales, contrary to some of the comments posted in response to this post. I do realise though that there's nothing like local knowledge, so I stand to be corrected (Damned statistics again eh!)

[mint]

Croeso, GCCR!

I know Caerphilly well and I can assure you we have much better castles here in the Charente!  (For those who do not know Caerphilly, it's well known for its castle and then its cheese in that order!)

Can't reassure you about mozzies, however!  We have clouds of the things plus hordes of other insects that bite and sting and generally try to eat you alive.

That's before I mention the ticks that attach themselves to your body and, even after removal, the marks they leave can stay on for over a year.

Apologies but you did ask for "local knowledge", didn't you?[:P]

[GCCR]

You wouldn't be trying to put me off bach now would you ??

[connolls]

I notice theres no reply from versalius............is this a wind up !!!

[GCCR]

Who's versalius ?

[mint]

[quote user="GCCR"]You wouldn't be trying to put me off bach now would you ??[/quote]

Now, would I do that?[;-)]

Versalius is the person who started this thread off.  If you go to the very first post on this thread, you'd see his/her post.

[dragonrouge]

Of course Caerphilly then Llanbradach but no cheese is made there. Come on Sweet 17 with your knowledge of Wales you should know better.

[Pommier]

Mmmmmmmmm - Caerphilly cheese. That's something I miss. Lancashire is almost (but not quite!) as nice, but I can't get that either.

[GCCR]

Ok then guys, what about the original topic ...are Bordeaux winters / Summers REALLY as bad as those in Wales.

Just for the record by the way, we're really from Pendine / Laugharne in West Wales although work with BT dragged my home East to the similarly castled town of Caerphilly. The weather was just as bad, if not worse there mind.