| Winter lets France |
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Long winter lets, FranceThe idea of taking a long sabbatical in France, was probably first popularised by Peter Mayall and his book "A Year in Provence". But before Mayall, there were others such as the cookery writer Elizabeth David ("French Provincial Cooking") and the Treasure Island author, Robert Louis Stephenson ("Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes"). All were seeking to discover the secret of the rural French way of life.
In our experience, there are many reasons why people are still coming to the South of France in search of long winter lets. France has retained its appeal for second holiday home buyers. More foreigners buy second homes in France than any other European country, eclipsing even Spain. Property remains cheaper in the South of France than other parts of Northern Europe. There is also a plentiful supply of character properties, as well as do-me-ups. The climate and gastronomy of the region also continues to offer something unique. There is no better way to find the perfect property than to live in the area and experience the climate and culture. Living in the area can also help you find out those areas and properties which may be perfect for a holiday vacations, but may not be suitable for long stays throughout the winter.
Winter lets, France, for a year outEscaping from the rat-race and taking a 'year out' with your family is also a popular reason why a number of our customers are looking for winter lets in France. This was certainly our initial reason for moving to France. Encouraged by watching television programmes such as 'French Leave' starring the chef John Burton-Rice and his family and other similar programmes (there was one about a wine-maker in the Pyrenees and an Actor living in the Ardeche), we decided to give it all up and come out for a year. It was certainly an enriching experience and you do grow closer as a family and you find out a lot about yourself. There is also the 'enjoyable miscomfort' of immersing yourself in a different culture and way of life. Life in the South of France is slower and based around the outdoors (or rather a table outdoors under a pergola). However, it is not always easy to earn a good living locally and your the first priority we tell all of our customers is to spend time and money on improving your 'street French'.
Winter lets, France - the climateAlso the idea of taking a property for winter lets in France in order to escape the miserable weather of Northern Europe or North America, also has some appeal. The climate in the South of France remains pleasant from April through to October (although we do usually get some storms in October). During November and December it does begin to turn cold (5-13oC during the day) and the nights can sometimes dip below freezing, especially up in the mountains. The silver lining however is that during the day, you get lovely clear blue skies and sunshine. January and February can be wetter than December, but the days do start to become longer. One word of warning though, is the wind. If you are located in the Tramontane region (Perpignan up to Narbonne and across to Carcassonne) or in the Mistral region (Provence), then the strong winter winds can make life uncomfortable. Villages literally batten down the hatches when the wind starts to blow and everybody stays indoors. So if you are on the search for properties for long winter lets in France, then just keep an eye out for the number of windmills dotted about the surrounding hills as this is usually a good indication of the strength of the winter winds. Areas such as around Pezenas, and up towards Montpellier usually escape quite lightly.
We have listed below some examples of the types of long winter lets, France, available on Go Languedoc. The full range of winter lets in France can be found here: long winter lets, France.
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More and more people are choosing the South of France for winter lets. At Go Languedoc we have established a reputation as the leading provider of long winter lets in South France. One reason for this is that we visit all of our long winter lets personally to capture more information about the layout of the house, the facilities and the locality. Another reason is that we live permanently in the South of France and we have amassed a great deal of local knowledge about the different regions and areas. We have also rented long term in France ourselves, so we are also able to provide first-hand advice.
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