House somewhere nice!

londoncommuter

pppp

Thick Mike

Asturias?

ugo.santalucia

I would move to Cagliari in Sardinia and forget about the rest of the world

meanredspider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I would move to Cagliari in Sardinia and forget about the rest of the world

Just mind they don't kidnap your dog

mamba80

my dream is to move to Figeac in s/w france, within a year or so, i ll have the means to buy out right and still keep a nice house here, depends what brexit brings... i'm relying on you TM....

cooldad

I ride mountain bikes, and live at the foot of the Surrey Hills. My office is a couple of minutes ride away. So I'm kind of happy where I am.

If I move it'll be to somewhere hot and sunny 365 day a year.

meanredspider

I don't particularly like the heat so I found the Black Isle perfect for my cycling needs: fabulous variety of routes and surfaces just outside my front door. Unfortunately there's no longer any good work opportunities for me there. And I got bored of racing at Knockhill.

joncomelately

Wouldn't do warm, maniac driver or pothole free, but I'd move to the Lakes in a heart beat if I could find somewhere that would educate the kids well, and provide the wife and I employment with a similar salary to current...

On a separate note, does anywhere in Europe not have homicidal drivers?

meanredspider

Joncomelately wrote:

if I could find somewhere that would educate the kids well, and provide the wife and I employment with a similar salary to current...

The education bit is what has been so fabulous about the Highlands. The kids have got amazing results (much better than me or Mrs MRS achieved) at the local state school. Mrs MRS, a teacher, has a strong belief that private schools should be banned - not because she thinks it's unfair but because she believes that if all the local parents are invested in the school, it will drag the standards up. Based upon what I've seen from the Highlands (where there are effectively no private schools) this would seem to hold true.

Loads of jobs in the public sector up here just not that many in the private sector. At one time, 1/3 of my road worked at the hospital and another 1/3 worked away in Aberdeen. 4 more people were either teachers or police.

joncomelately

Very nice to hear MRS; I had a very dim view of state schools until I went to Uni and discovered the quality of the education many people receive there so now the primary focus is 'best education possible' at whatever facility. The little uns are only 1.5, so it's not a huge concern at the moment. The main problem is the employment - I have a fairly niche interests within my role, and there is only 1 job in Scotland and a handful of jobs in the UK that covers them. Even the wife, who's skillset is universally desirable, wouldn't be able to get a job in the Highlands or Islands as it stands.

I was going to have bicycle repair as a fall back option, attached to a nice coffee shop, but having read some of the other threads I'm not sure that would be feasible...

meanredspider

Joncomelately wrote:

Very nice to hear MRS; I had a very dim view of state schools until I went to Uni and discovered the quality of the education many people receive there so now the primary focus is 'best education possible' at whatever facility. The little uns are only 1.5, so it's not a huge concern at the moment. The main problem is the employment - I have a fairly niche interests within my role, and there is only 1 job in Scotland and a handful of jobs in the UK that covers them. Even the wife, who's skillset is universally desirable, wouldn't be able to get a job in the Highlands or Islands as it stands.

I was going to have bicycle repair as a fall back option, attached to a nice coffee shop, but having read some of the other threads I'm not sure that would be feasible...

It's been interesting because all of my kids' cousins have been privately educated and my kids have trounced their results without having to spend over £100k that each of those families have spent.

What I do find strange is that the Highlands struggles to attract public sector workers. I'd stay there in a heartbeat if I could. I'm going to need to spend 50% more on a house for something 2/3rds the size, I'm going to spend more of my life in traffic - bizarrely, where I currently rent in England has worse broadband too. Mrs MRS didn't want to go there originally and, now we are leaving, she doesn't want to move away.

joncomelately

And to make it worse, the Katie Morag depiction is idyllic!

shortfall

meanredspider wrote:

I don't particularly like the heat so I found the Black Isle perfect for my cycling needs: fabulous variety of routes and surfaces just outside my front door. Unfortunately there's no longer any good work opportunities for me there. And I got bored of racing at Knockhill.

My folks live on the Black Isle on the Beauly Firth. Beautiful spot and great cycling. I live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales which is equally beautiful and with some outstanding cycling. Unfortunately the weather's sh1te for 6 months of the year so half the time I love where I live and half the time I want to move somewhere warmer. Mate lives in Yarra Valley which is right up there if I wasn't too old to move there.

meanredspider

Yeah - I've "learned" to embrace the weather. I find the ice frustrating early in the days in the winter months but even that can be solved with the right tyres. I was late to discovering the pleasure of riding the fire roads on a gravel bike - just you, the bike and the forest: amazingly relaxing. You can keep your Mallorca. And there are some great climbs up to some wind farms that are as close in effort and duration as anything comes to an Alpine climb in the UK.

shortfall

meanredspider wrote:

Yeah - I've "learned" to embrace the weather. I find the ice frustrating early in the days in the winter months but even that can be solved with the right tyres. I was late to discovering the pleasure of riding the fire roads on a gravel bike - just you, the bike and the forest: amazingly relaxing. You can keep your Mallorca. And there are some great climbs up to some wind farms that are as close in effort and duration as anything comes to an Alpine climb in the UK.

One of the best things about the Black Isle used to be the Glen Ord whisky (just down the road from my Mum's). Now they've been taken over and only seem to make that bloody awful Singleton sh1te. Shame. Still, the Glenmorangie is just up the road and is still a great Malt.

meanredspider

Some parts of the Highlands are wasted on me - most notably whisky and golf!

navrig2

I had 3 years in Moray and 12 years in Inverness. I'd recommend the north of Scotland as a fantastic place to live. Great for all outdoor activities, scenery, quality of living, house prices, kids education etc. I still have a yearning to retire to Moray.......

Meantime back to the original question.

One of the Spanish or French med islands or perhaps inland Spain, near some of the national parks and mountain ranges.

birdie23

Joncomelately wrote:

Wouldn't do warm, maniac driver or pothole free, but I'd move to the Lakes in a heart beat if I could find somewhere that would educate the kids well, and provide the wife and I employment with a similar salary to current...

On a separate note, does anywhere in Europe not have homicidal drivers?

I moved to the edge of the Lakes about a year ago and it is cracking for cycling though the roads are very busy in the summer months, also great for my line of work which means I may be able to keep enjoying the good cycling for a good while yet.

ugo.santalucia

I think to keep taking about Scotland is off topic, personally

davesnothere

mamba80 wrote:

my dream is to move to Figeac in s/w france, within a year or so, i ll have the means to buy out right and still keep a nice house here, depends what brexit brings... i'm relying on you TM....

That sounds perfect to me. I concur. I would go a whisker South East of there. Bédarieux or Mons/Vieussan just to be a little closer to the coast.

Beautiful part of the world but in easy striking distance of the UK

shortfall

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I think to keep taking about Scotland is off topic, personally

Weren't you musing about relocating there last week? Open and tolerant nation etc

meanredspider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I think to keep taking about Scotland is off topic, personally

Don't see why. The OP only suggested a temp range with a question mark.

Cheap housing. Less (homicidal) drivers. Easy access to airport. Not too hot. Not much rain (on the East Coast). Stunning scenery. Low crime. Clean air. Good schools. Most importantly fantastic all-year cycling of all sorts.

vinnymarsden

Me, personally..somewhere on the more western side of the USA..long been a fan of the place, and despite a lot wrong with it, there is a lot right too, doesn't need to be red hot all the time..I have camped in Yellowstone at -9 and it was fabulous, the tranquility.Jackson in Wyoming...incredible cycling infrastructure, at the base of the Grand Teton range, so either road or mountain bike..and if you ski..which I don't/can't!!
Its nice to dream, and if i get the BIG Euromillions tomorrow...i'm off!
It's not that I don't like England/UK...there are just nicer places if money were no object.

dabber

mamba80 wrote:

my dream is to move to Figeac in s/w france, within a year or so, i ll have the means to buy out right and still keep a nice house here, depends what brexit brings... i'm relying on you TM....

A lovely area but not so warm during the winter... can get really cold there. We close the house down around the end of October/early November and don't return until around March. Figeac will probably be a little more lively during the winter but the surrounding villages in the Lot become like ghost villages, shutters closed and very few people on the street.
When we were there in March we went into Cajarc and so many shops, restaurants we still closed.
Don't get me wrong... we love the area but I wouldn't want to live there full time. Still, back there in a couple of weeks for a month or so.

sloppyschleckonds

meanredspider wrote:

Yeah - I've "learned" to embrace the weather. I find the ice frustrating early in the days in the winter months but even that can be solved with the right tyres. I was late to discovering the pleasure of riding the fire roads on a gravel bike - just you, the bike and the forest: amazingly relaxing. You can keep your Mallorca. And there are some great climbs up to some wind farms that are as close in effort and duration as anything comes to an Alpine climb in the UK.

Have you actually ever ridden in Majorca?

daniel_b

Personally, for me, I would be looking at somewhere in the region of Lucca in Tuscany, or the Limousin or Provence regions of France.

Both places have good weather, in the main, amazing roads, not a lot of traffic if you pick wisely (And the traffic mostly respects\is used to cyclists), and phenomenal food and wine.

I did have a dream of moving out there with my girlfriend and daughter, but post referendum I now sadly can't see that being a likely possibility.

My parents used to live in Calasparra in southern Spain - not very touristy, and inland, and there was some beautiful riding to be had there, and properties are cheap.
I did have a big plan to leave two bikes there, and then just get a cheap flight over for a weeks riding when it took my fancy - could also have worked remotely if I didn't want to take holiday, but they have now moved to Mauritius.
Shipped a couple of old bikes out there last year, and am flying out there next month, so will report back as to what the cycling is like - the driving can be entertaining, so not sure what it will be like..........

imafatman

+1 for Provence. Great roads, good food, lovely weather. You need to get out very early to cycle in mid-summer but that only lasts a couple of months.

My parents live in the Var region and it's about 45 minutes down to the coast, along with a ton of big mountains and climbs on your door step.

mrb123

Some lovely villages on the North coast of Mallorca. Deia, Banyalbufar etc. Bit of an obvious suggestion but it ticks so many boxes. Loads of regular cheap flights available, great climate, superb cycling.

sloppyschleckonds

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I think to keep taking about Scotland is off topic, personally

Agreed, another thread derailed

ugo.santalucia

Shortfall wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I think to keep taking about Scotland is off topic, personally

Weren't you musing about relocating there last week? Open and tolerant nation etc

I also said elsewhere that I will never go on holiday to Scotland again... if I didn't have to work and I could afford it, I would get a house somewhere facing the Med... Sardinia would be my first choice, but there are lovely locations in Cataluna, Cote d'Azur, Liguria, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus...

Unfortunately we still in the middle ages, where most of what we do is in front of a computer but we have to di it in a set location

daniel_b

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Unfortunately we still in the middle ages, where most of what we do is in front of a computer but we have to do it in a set location

I think it's getting a bit better slowly, although the referendum is unlikely to help (And may send it completely backwards) those of us who want to work from other countries - plus there are tax complications.

I myself have managed to work from France for a week or two with no issues, and I know a very lucky soul who works for a UK company, who worked from Australia for 12 months, and has now been working from France for 15 months, and no end in sight - he flies over if and when he is required for a meeting, though this is pretty rare.

I also know another chap (with partner and young children) who lives in Madrid, works from there for 3 days a week, and flies over for a couple of days each week.
He maintains he has a better quality of life than if he lived in the UK, and I for one believe him.