Author Topic: Hello again! (Read 1721 times)

mwncigirl · « **on:** November 15, 2016, 09:27:28 am »

hi, we've not been on here for ages....... we've a family of four, been off travelling and rented out our smallholding in North Wales. We seem to have stopped for a while in the south of France and have caved in and bought a handful of chickens.

Anyone else in FRance? Anyway! HELLO!!!!!

chrismahon · « **Reply #1 on:** November 15, 2016, 09:52:07 am »

We're in the deep South of France Mwncigirl, but that's still an awfully large area. Takes 12 hours Autoroute driving from West to East, which is the same time as us to Calais. So if you get your map out and look at the Southwest, you will find the Department of Gers and we're 20 minutes away from its main town of Auch.

There's a surprising number of English, Belgian, Dutch and Americans living down here. But just about the only tourists that get this far South are French. It's very rural and came as a shock to us, having spent a year in Dordogneshire.

What sort of chickens?

mwncigirl · « **Reply #2 on:** November 15, 2016, 09:58:21 am »

Hi Chris, ah, a lovely place, we travelled around that area a little last year on our way back from Portugal. We're in Aude, near Soulatgé, it's very remote and we're living on someone else's land, my husband looks after their sheep, chooks etc. Strange after having our own place!

I have just 5 hybrids, 2 white stars (white leghorn X) 2 bluebells and a black rock. We have free reign 'our' field and I'm hankering after getting some donkeys........

??

chrismahon · « **Reply #3 on:** November 15, 2016, 10:40:22 am »

Finally found you Mwncigirl. My AA France map doesn't list all the tiny villages but after a Google search I found it midway between Perpignan and Limoux- nearly in the mountains. I was in Carcassonne twice last month as it is my favourite airport to fly from and it is a nice town, although very windy.

White Stars in England are actually pure bred white Leghorn, just that they have been selected for egg laying and not breed standard.

Yes, we live in a really lovely area. A bit of a gem really as this small area (about 50Km across) gets good weather and generally avoids the thunderstorms all around us. Unfortunately by rural pricing standards it is rather expensive and there are few stone houses on the tiny market worth buying. We have managed to find one though and are moving in May, the delay caused by the purchasing system, the bad tracks which turn to impassable slush in Winter and the current owner waiting for a rental property to be refurbished. But we should be in by end August.

Presumably you are just going to drift around enjoying France until you get the urge to return to North Wales? Or are you looking to buy eventually?

mwncigirl · « **Reply #4 on:** November 15, 2016, 11:22:05 am »

Oh, sounds lovely. I'd heard about the microclimate round there. We'all be looking to buy some land with or without house at some point. Not returning to our windy and wet mountainside in Wales. Exchange rate not looking in our favour though, so will wait. No rush! It's stunning where we are, but very remote. Nearest big shop and hour or so away which is tough for the kids, and school to far to send them really. Still I'm not complaining.
Missing keeping animals though. Getting any now seems like putting down roots..... but we'll see!

chrismahon · « **Reply #5 on:** November 15, 2016, 12:05:24 pm »

You will need to check the building regulations Mwncigirl. The maximum plot size for a new build is 2500m2, so just over half an acre. They are trying to reduce that even further to 1500m2 because 3% of agricultural land in France has been lost in the previous 10 years due to people buying large areas just for residential. There may be an agricultural business over-ride though? I was told there was, but that is 4 years ago and lots of things have changed.

You may be best buying a derelict and knocking it down. But there is another factor in play now and that is the local farming society called SAFER. They have legal first option on any agreed purchase, their objective is to buy the property and strip the land away from the house, then sell the house on its own. This happens an awful lot here, so it is near impossible to buy a cheap house with good land over 2Ha. But the degree to which SAFER pursue land varies from area to area so you would need to ask and make sure the wording of the Compromis de Vent doesn't leave you liable for the Immobillier fees anyway.

Looks like you are close enough to the mountains to get snow! We've had one fall in 3 years here and everything ground to a halt because there is no road gritting. The only time we see it is when the clouds lift to reveal the Pyrenees, 80Km to the South of us. Do still miss it though- we have snow chains we bought in the Dordogne, but have not yet used them here.