A home in Morlaix

Welcome on board,

from London to Paris, you can use the eurostar http://www.eurostar.com/

or compare flight prices on liligo: http://www.liligo.co.uk/homepage/air.jsp

All the best,

Julien

Thanks Julian,

Any suggestions on how one gets from London or Paris to Morlaix, Brittany?

franceintime

You can take the train: http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ (the website is in French)

Hello!

We are currently renting in the Franche-Comté region and planning to move out here permanently in 2009.

I don't know much about living in Brittany but I know that there are a lot of tourists there in the summer! (I have been one myself.)  It is a very lovely part of France but it will be a bit colder and wetter than the Languedoc. 

We have plumped for Franche-Comté because although we like to holiday in warm climes we do not think we could stand to live in the kind of temperatures you get on the Mediterranean coast etc. in the summer. Also, we do not want to live in a British expat community such as you find in some parts of Normandy or southern France (no offense meant to other expats!).

How much of France have you visited so far in person?  It is quite a brave move to relocate abroad, especially if you haven't been to that place before. 

Do you speak any French?  If not, I would strongly recommend that you start learning because although you can survive without it, life will be quite difficult for you.

If you don't know the area I would certainly recommend renting a property first before you buy.  It is not so easy to sell properties in France and with the coming economic downturn I do not think it will get any easier.  So if you decide you have picked the wrong place but have already bought it will be harder to unwind the situation.

Some things you may wish to consider when choosing your area:

I'm writing this from our rental house where we have been spending Xmas. We have had some lovely sunny days and today it has been frosty. It can get hot in summer, but rarely very hot.  It is very green.  We can drive to the mountains in 1 or 2 hours but we are in open country rather than on the side of a hill which is permanently dark in winter.

We are about 20 mins drive from a big town but right in the middle of the countryside.  Are you city people or country people?  The places you like to holiday in are not always those you would like to live in.

Some areas in France are better served with public transport than others.  The trains are very good here, if you are near a station. Also the city bus services are excellent but do not always travel too far into the country areas.  They are building a new TGV (rail) line near us, which will offer 100mph+ travel to many destinations in Europe. Petrol (gasoline) is much more expensive in Europe than in the USA and these considerations could become even more important in the years to come.

Good luck with your researches,and Happy New Year.

Thank you poster,
.... for all the sound advice.  Yes we have been to Europe many times, including: Germany, Austria, Hertzof-Govinia( sorry spelling is not my forte),Turkey, France, Italy, England and Ireland.  I speak only travelers French.  My second language is Tagalog, sadly not very useful in most of the world.  We've been to northern France and Eastern along the German border and most parts inbetween.  We currently live in a small city in the USA but with all the traveling in Europe, Asia, South America and the Pacific we are very comfortable in any large city. My husband and I grew up in a midwest state where winter temperatures often dropped as low as -25F, with hot humid summers.  We have lived in the high desert of the western US for the past 16 years so we're used to any kind of weather you can imagine...well... except typoons. HA! We are looking for a small town or village so we will have the opportunity to actually meet our French neighbors and be able to hopefully make some French and expat UK friends if we're lucky enough.  We're not actually as brave as this sounds as the home will be only a vacation home for several years until we retire.  My only concern about the property is flooding and I have not been able to find any reports from the village in regards to this issue.  Thanks again.

frenchintime

http://www.prim.net/cgi_bin/citoyen/mac … nsee=29151

The above link is to a site which provides information on the risk of natural disasters in France.  You can look up your commune.  For Morlaix it lists 2 areas: Jarlot-Queffleut and CETE lot n°61 but it recommends that you contact the Prefecture of your area for more precise information.
 
For Morlaix the sub-prefecture website is here:
http://www.finistere.pref.gouv.fr/A-Ser … orlaix.htm
but you would need to find a fluent French speaker to help you with your inquiries.

http://www.vigicrues.ecologie.gouv.fr/n … hp?idspc=8
The above link is to a site which shows you a hazard map for the risk of river flooding. It is updated as the weather changes.

I hope this helps.

Thanks again so much Chapelgirl.  This will be very helpful especially with my trusty online translator. Mayroon Manigong bagong taon  (have a Prosperous New Year)

frenchintime :^)

I should be very pleased to help you with your interest in Morlaix which we know quite well. I keep my boat in Morlaix basin (Port de Plaisance) and live aboard for extended spells.

However Morlaix is hardly a village!  It is a small? provincial town but of great charactar due to its history and old buildings.  However if you are looking for a chaming little house in a Brittany countryside or village then that is not Morlaix.

We love Moraix as much because it is not a flamboyant tourist centre as it is a town with all you need for living:  weekly market, good shops and super markets, good local buses and of course on the main rail line EW Paris-Brest and north to Roscoff and the ferry to UK.  I should be interested to know whereabouts in town you are looking to live - there are many areas I would choose - probably not actually right in the centre but within walking distance.  Worth mentioning that Morlaix is in a valley surrounded by hills so that although flat in the centre anywhere else requires you walk up/down hills!  But driving in and out is easy too!

Incidentally as you ask the recent flooding is I guesss a rar event but only affecting the town centre near the basin.  My boat did not suffer I am glad to report!

I might add that Morlaix is central to a beautiful area of Brittany, coast, river and countryside - presuming you will have a car or maybe bicycles?!

Please let me know if I can help further or if you do come to Morlaix.

with best wishes

Paul

PS!
You asked about getting to Morlaix - mayI comend the following web links for Flights and French rail (SNCF):

bonjourlafrance.com/france-trains/trains-in-france.htm#schedules
flightmapping.com/maps/Europe/

The local airport is Rennes but of course Paris for full international flights.
We have found French main line rail to be excellent.

good luck

yrs

Hi Paul Newgass,

Please note that this is a very old thread (2008)

However, i warmly thank you for your help and for your contribution. 

Have a nice day,


Priscilla
Expat.com team

Hello Paul.We are moving from Aquitaine area to Morlaix,do you have any idea how many English speaking expats live in and around Morlaix regards fawlks