Downsizing to a caravan?

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Downsizing to a caravan?
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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45420
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 3:15 pm Post subject:

michael wrote:

Lots of people from work rave about Southern Portugal as well

Northern is where you want to go, not so hot in the summer not cold in the winter, quite green and a lot cheaper than the south too.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28110
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: Downsizing to a caravan?

michael wrote:

My partner and I are planning to move to Spain in a few years, when we can both speak Spanish reasonably well.

Blimey

I thought that was against some sort of unspoken rule for Brit ex-pats

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 5:13 pm Post subject:

Hi Michael- we're practically neighbours, I work in Cardiff too, though I live just up the valleys a bit. (waves frantically) Its nothing to do with caravans but its still disgustingly cheap to buy property in my valley (Cynon valley), we still occasionally see houses go for £10k round here- though £35k is more common for something immediatley habitable. Might be an alternative option if you just need to go cheaper than Cardiff for a few years, and if you buy cheap and do it up quietly it could turn you a small profit for the move. (and we like it when more people like us move into the area)

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 5:48 pm Post subject:
A lot of sites operate with this type of planning. Could you not "go on holiday" or visit friends, or stay in B&B for the closed months.

michael

Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 11
Location: Cardiff

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 6:42 pm Post subject:

Hi Sally,
That sounds like a good idea - nice lump sum plus much reduced mortgage payments, if any. One potential problem is that my partner is not a white anglo-saxon female, so he's a little bit concerned...

Cardiff is a nice cosmopolitan city and we both feel very safe here.

Just out of interest, how do you get to work? I've had a quick look at the map from Arriva Trains Wales that shows the stations around Cardiff and noticed Abercynon, Cwmbach, etc., but looking around these towns I can't find much property for sale that costs less than £60K, so I guess other people have the same idea of commuting by train.

michael

Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 11
Location: Cardiff

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 6:46 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

Could you not "go on holiday" or visit friends, or stay in B&B for the closed months.

That's something we haven't investigated yet.

It would be nice to spend the winter in Spain, long-term holidays of several months do work out very cheap, the problem would be work commitments.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 8:13 pm Post subject:

michael wrote:

Hi Sally,
One potential problem is that my partner is not a white anglo-saxon female, so he's a little bit concerned...

Cardiff is a nice cosmopolitan city and we both feel very safe here.

Just out of interest, how do you get to work?

You'd probably need to pick your area, but it is getting more diverse up here all the time- we were considered very strange here for a while but the locals are used to us now- if it helps give an example, my chap tends to wander around in a utilikilt which the locals consider a skirt, and that took them a while to adjust to but nothing to worry about, and there are a few of us up here that lift share, with the train and bus as back up (about £5 per day if buying one off tickets though) Would be very happy for you to come up and have a look at our place and the area if you thought it might be worth exploring- pm me if you like (we're in Mountain Ash)

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 8:22 am Post subject:

I did used to know someone whose main home was a static caravan in Wales and I think there are a fair few such places, but I don't have any names for you...I would say he hated it though...it was cold/hard/expensive to heat...miserably lonely...and dropping in value every month.

If you have a few years before your move I should think Sally's idea is a good one, and if you don't feel happy/practicaly with somewhere further out, what about a house and garden further in where you could perhaps have lodgers to pay some of the bills and get a bit more growing practice in before your big leap?

Tahir, are you on commission from the Portuguese government or something

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45420
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 9:34 am Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

Tahir, are you on commission from the Portuguese government or something

Nah, just think it's a lot nicer (and cheaper) than Spain

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 9:35 am Post subject:
It does start to sound rather appealing...bit of a leap in terms of thinking though...

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 10:02 am Post subject:

You could get an ordinary caravan and move around! I have a frerind who stays on odd driveways in his caravan, while his houses is having work done. Also my mum has justs bought a house with a field and is staying on it in her caravan whilst doing up the house. I knw there are planning issues, but for a temporary arrangement, if you bought a field and lived in it (probably fairly cheap over your way!) by the time they sorted it out you'd be off to sunnier climes.

The spanish are very nice, and friendly to ex-pats, are flights to porttugal as cheap as they are to spain (assuming you want visitors?!)

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45420
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 10:12 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

are flights to porttugal as cheap as they are to spain (assuming you want visitors?!)

flights to Oporto used to be v expensive but easyJet have just started flying there so should be more reasonable now.

Andrea

Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 2260
Location: Portugal

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 12:57 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

flights to Oporto used to be v expensive but easyJet have just started flying there so should be more reasonable now.

RyanAir out of Stanstead is ridiculously cheap. I've done it for 99p + tax before. Mind you, Stanstead from here's only OK if you can get a lift as it's a bugger by public tranport.

Other airlines are getting in on the act too. Last time I flew back I booked with BA because of the convenience of coming into Gatwick (direct train home) & two of us flew for less than £70.

Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 2:48 pm Post subject:

Some very good friends of mine lived a static caravan of the type you describe, for the same reasons as you, for 3 years!
They make their final move to thier holding later this year.

They had to be out for a whole month in the winter - and used to cat sit for us when we went away.

it is possible, and is a cheap way to live. You must have friends who need their house watching while they are away ??????
You need to find out exactly when you site would be closed.

But my main advice is as ever, get some practice in - get an allotment and grow stuff, keep a few chooks in the back garden, make all your own bread, baked goods, food from scratch and see if you can survive on no money ! All of these things are very hard to do, and you need to know that you really want to do them.

Sorry if you are already on the path, but too many people still think it will be fun, and have no idea of the hard work involved !

Blue Peter

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 05 3:20 pm Post subject: Re: Downsizing to a caravan?

michael wrote:

Does anyone know how feasible it will be for us to downsize to a static caravan or small "holiday home"? Does anyone know of sites that allow permanent occupants, where the site does not close down, or should we consider buying/leasing/renting a plot of land, with services available, to install a static caravan?

I think that such sites do exist. My sister lived on one for a while (Denham, Buckinghamshire), and apparently my partner lived on one when she was first born (somewhere near Addlestone, Surrey, but this was a looooong time ago). They are not holiday caravan sites (which do close down), but places for living. I don't know how you find them, but contacting local councils might be a first good step,

Peter.

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