Downsizing to a caravan?

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Downsizing to a caravan?
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michael

Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 11
Location: Cardiff

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 12:26 pm Post subject: Downsizing to a caravan?

Hi All, I'm a newbie to this group, found you after searching on Google.

My partner and I are planning to move to Spain in a few years, when we can both speak Spanish reasonably well. I like the idea of a rural finca with fruit trees (olives and oranges seem popular in the South), but having been to Andalucia in May it will probably be too hot, so we are also considering the Costa Verde in northern Spain. At the moment we live and work in Cardiff.

In the meantime, we are considering downsizing options, and recently found holiday homes for sale at Lavernock Point . Whilst these look big enough to live in, the site does make a point of saying that they are not suitable for permanent residence, partly because the site closes for a few months during the winter, but mainly because of the planning permission originally granted for the site.

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? We are looking to do this in the UK (ideally near enough to Cardiff to continue working here) to reduce outgoing costs and start saving up, prior to emigrating.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45665
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 12:29 pm Post subject:
Can't help with the caravan side of things but have you looked at Northern Portugal? Not too hot in the summer, cheap, lovely people etc. Not too hard to get by in portuguese either if you've got basic spanish.

michael

Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 11
Location: Cardiff

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 05 2:00 pm Post subject:
Hi Tahir, Lots of people from work rave about Southern Portugal as well, but we have never been yet. I'll put it on the list of places to visit...

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45665
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: 28232
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: 45665
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: 45665
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.

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