Lozeres/Cevennes advice

[LesleyD<P> <P><P>a bientot<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>LesleyD<BR><P>]

We're coming to the South of France in April/May on a house hunting trip for a place to take early retirement to,and we are trying to get a feel for the area by searching on the net before we arrive.

It would be really helpful to have tips from people who are already here.

We were thinking perhaps of the Lozere/Cevennes area ----Are there any especially nice villages/towns that we should look at? (or any to avoid)

Any matters to take into consideration re the area that may not be obvious before actually living there?

Does anyone have any experience of the year round climate in these areas? Does it get "proper" seasons?

In the South we have been to Provence and as much as we loved it -it is out of our price range.

We realise that everyone sees things differently but it is good to listen to other peoples points of view.

 

 

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

This is meant to help,but why would you want to buy a house in an area you do not know much about,and then ask for second hand opinions?yeah house,s are cheaper and you do not need to find work which is a big advantage down here with the unemployment rate  around 15%.The weather is on the whole warmer,but without the gulf stream and the place your looking at being higher up the winters can be colder than UK,but then again the summers are longer.Good luck.

[LesleyD<P> <P><P>a bientot<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>LesleyD<BR><P>]

"This is meant to help,but why would you want to buy a house in an area you do not know much about,and then ask for second hand opinions?"

 

---- perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough --- we are coming on a visit to look at an area that appeals to us from what we have seen/read in books and on the net and we are asking for advice from locals who,having experienced life on a long term basis there, are in the best position to answer these questions.

We would not dream of actually buying something until we had done a long term rental in the area first,but you have to narrow it down somehow and we believe that it is better to do it this way than to only base your ideas on somewhere you have been on holiday to.

When we come down in the spring we shall be travelling around looking at different areas for at least a month before deciding where to rent something.

Thanks for your  tips re the climate .

 

[arawire]

[quote]We're coming to the South of France in April/May on a house hunting trip for a place to take early retirement to,and we are trying to get a feel for the area by searching on the net before we arrive. ...[/quote]

Hi  I just saw your post.  I live in the Cevennes and think its absolutely great.  Areas of it are really unspoilt.  If you love nature... then this is the place to be.  In regards to climate - this can vary dramatically throughout the region - parts have a med climate - others a more harsher climate. (There's a lot of info on the web on the Cevennes - well worth reading).  Plant life sustained is from tropical to polar - so a bit of a difference there! So well worth checking out the seasonal temperature in your specific area.

I would warn you that people (esp. English) can be a bit "down" on this area.  This is generally because they don't' know it. (and maybe because you get a house twice the size for half the cost!)    My parents have a large house in the heart of Provence, and to be honest - I'd rather be in the Cevennes.  You don't get the worst of the  Mistral that they get down there (which makes a huge difference).  The summers can be slightly milder (but only slightly) - which to be honest can be a relief.  An when they had snow recently, we didn't.

The diversity of wildlife here is magnificent (one of the worlds biospheres), and you can walk for hours without meeting anyone (which is quite difficult to do in Provence).

anyway... feel free to email for more info and check this out: http://causses-cevennes.com/

 

 

 

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

House twice the size for half the money,what would be the money and what would be the size and why?So one could walk for hours without meeting anyone else(thats why the houses are very cheap)

That goes for a lot of france as well,could it be because you live there it is the best place in france?

 

[LesleyD<P> <P><P>a bientot<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>LesleyD<BR><P>]

Thank you Arawire for your response.I think it sounds very promising - I don't want to be in a British enclave,and walking for miles without seeing a soul sounds like bliss to me!

I will follow up offer of further info.

[Mpprh]

Hi

I live on the edge of the Cevennes.

The advantages are the remoteness, and the nature. Equally, it is within easy reach of the coast and ski resorts.

Weather is variable, but often rainfall is very heavy for a couple of days (often overnight) rather than the ongoing drizzle in other parts. Snow was still on the roadsides last week near Florac, whereas the coastal plain had 20C.

There are scattered foreigners, but no ghettos. Many are either retired, or work from home since it is too remote to commute to Montpellier or Nimes.

Think of it as Lake District with better weather and food !

Peter

[LesleyD<P> <P><P>a bientot<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>LesleyD<BR><P>]

How perfect is that - the Lakes with better weather and food !!!!  ( to me anyway ).Thanks Peter.

Both the nature and the wildness are drawing us to this area but we have to find out also about the realities of life such as proximity to doctors,shops and the like.Can't wait to visit- not long now!

 Could anyone tell me about general public access on land in the area? Is there anything like the 'right to roam' or is it all private land with no access? I have 4 labradors and also I'll have to do a lot of walking to burn off all that lovely food!

 

 

 

 

 

[arawire]

[quote]How perfect is that - the Lakes with better weather and food !!!! ( to me anyway ).Thanks Peter. Both the nature and the wildness are drawing us to this area but we have to find out also about the r...[/quote]

Hi,  I'm not 100% sure about land access.  We have about 8ha of land with a GR walk going through the top.  Very very occasionally people cut throught (but according to our French neighbours) - they are not allowed to - so I guess its private except for allowing access to the GR walk.

The other issues to watch out for is the hunters - they can be a pain (and they're mostly all over France).  They hunt from end Aug to end Feb (approx) - we have told them not to come on the land, and as one of our neighbours is the head of the hunting party - he has had a word - and they generally do keep a distance.  So I would find out about this - as when you have animals you don't want stray bullets flying about!

Another thing to think about is the direction and position of the house.  We were very lucky (by chance) to find a S. Facing Mas in a curve between 2 hills - this means it has a small micro climate and differs in temperature from our neighbour 100m away, and if there is any wind - it never seems to hit the house.  Consequently we can grow crops that are not usually grown in this area. (We don't get frost when they do either and the temperature at night can differ between us by about 7 degrees plus).  So if you find a place - make sure you pop back at different times as this can make a great difference to the quality of life.

If you're coming down this area - feel free to come in for a cup of tea and have a look around.