Holiday homes

[Thephoenix]

Just to open a different topic...... a bit fed up with all the doom and gloom.

No doubt some of you may already have one or more holiday homes, whether it be a caravan in North Wales or a luxury beach apartment in Bali.

I've considered acquiring one, but decided against because I've always enjoyed travelling to new places so much.

Now that I'm in the Autumn of my years ( and fast approaching Winter) the joy and novelty of travel has waned, and as I'm bored I was thinking about if money was no object, what 4 places would I choose to to purchase a holiday home and why.

Of course, you may completely ignore these ramblings of an ol'codger, or turn it into another thread on COVID -19, politics, barebacking, being gay or whatever, or you lighten up the debates by listing your four and why.

I've been very lucky and travelled extensively, but my 4 places don't include and exotic places.... just places I've enjoyed and have fond memories of. Some are quite nearby... others further away.

No.1.  A boat on the Lancaster canal.
Why.... I love boating, particularly on the canals. The Lancaster canal has no locks for nearly 50 miles and is wide enough for cabin cruisers if you don't like narrow boats. Views of Morecambe Bay and The Lake District which is just a short journey away.

No. 2. An apartment in Deganwy overlooking The River Conwy.
Why....Not too far by car or train. Great views and an ideal base for exploring my beloved North Wales.

No.3...A beach front apartment in Albir, Costa Blanca.
Why... I love Spain, short flight away. Lovely climate, quiet and relaxed but not too far from other tourist centres if that's your thing.

No.4. ...Mandurah, Western Australia....... A little bungalow on the coast overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Why... I've lived and travelled all around Australia, mainly in the West, with friends still living around that area.
West Australian beaches are arguably the best in the world for chilling or surfing, and Mandurah is perfect for exploring the beautiful South West, yet still being reasonably near to Perth.
I hate the 24 hours flight, so would always opt to stay over in one of the South East Asian cities en route for a break and a bit of rumpy pumpy.

What are your choices?

[bhudda]

 If i replied in detail then most people who know me would guess who i was but spookily i would also choose one in england, one in wales, one in the med area and one in australasia

[King Nuts]

Never really thought of it before. Am inherently not keen on the idea of owning any property abroad, and if I go somewhere, I always prefer the hassle-free option of renting.

Nonetheless my choices would be:

1. Gulf coast of Florida. Longboat Key or Sanibel.

2. Beaulieue/St Jean Cap Ferrat/Roquebrune in France

3. Broadstairs, Kent

4. Pretty much anywhere in the Cinque Terre area of Italy

[threechilliman]

Never really thought of it before. Am inherently not keen on the idea of owning any property abroad, and if I go somewhere, I always prefer the hassle-free option of renting.

Nonetheless my choices would be:

1. Gulf coast of Florida. Longboat Key or Sanibel.

2. Beaulieue/St Jean Cap Ferrat/Roquebrune in France

3. Broadstairs, Kent

4. Pretty much anywhere in the Cinque Terre area of Italy

Agreed on the idea of buying. Talking to folk who've done it, it always seems like a load of hassle and you're tied to one place. Much prefer to pick and choose where I holiday and mainly go out of season when it isn't nearly as expensive.

[willie loman]

Have known people who bought abroad , and its a lot of hassle for no real gain, with Airbnb you can get long term rental quite cheaply, my choice would be Siena, Italy, or Nice , France, I speak both languages having lived in both countries, cant see the point of being abroad and not understanding the locals. In Scotland plenty of places in the highlands or the west of the highlands, keen on wild swimming. Or maybe I will just go to Thailand.

[Thephoenix]

OK...... I get the picture.

No one wants to play, so I'm taking my ball home, and going for a wank!

[Beamer]

OK...... I get the picture.

No one wants to play, so I'm taking my ball home, and going for a wank!

Give it time!!

My Top 4.
1. My Villa on The Algarve.
...and then other favoured places....
2. Paris
3. Devon
4. Nice

[Jonestown]

A holiday home in Wales, you must either be joking or you have not heard the old NCB / Welsh Separatist gag …… "Come home to a real fire, buy a cottage in Wales"

[petermisc]

A holiday home in Wales, you must either be joking or you have not heard the old NCB / Welsh Separatist gag …… "Come home to a real fire, buy a cottage in Wales"

You would probably be OK in Deganwy (as per the OP), as it is pretty much Wirral on sea, population-wise.  Never, ever heard anyone speaking Welsh there.

For those that don't know it, Deganwy is effectively a suburb of Llandudno.  Llandudno should really been included in Clywyd, along with its neighbours Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, rather than Gwynedd.  Some say that it was done that way so that Gwynedd wouldn't have a Welsh-speaking majority.  Others because the residents of Llandudno felt themselves to be superior to those of the other North Wales coast resorts.

[Kev40ish]

A holiday home in Wales, you must either be joking or you have not heard the old NCB / Welsh Separatist gag …… "Come home to a real fire, buy a cottage in Wales"

Most of Wales is lovely. I used to have a summer getaway in Corris, but got rid of it as the locals were ignorant inbred cunts, who would switch to Welsh as soon as you went into the local pub.

No disrespect intended!!!!

[petermisc]

I too once considered buying a canal boat on retirement, but fairly quickly decided it would not be worth it.  Apart from the huge on-going costs involved in maintenance and mooring/berthing charges, etc, you would effectively be stuck travelling the same bit of canal each time.  Far easier and cheaper just to rent a boat in a different location each year.

Having owned a second home in North Wales, I know from firsthand experience that pretty much the same thing applies.  I know someone in a similar situation who spends almost all the time he gets in his second home carrying out maintenance tasks - I wouldn't call that a holiday home!  Not unless you particularly enjoy DIY.

It might be worth having say a summer home and a winter home.  But you would still need someone you could trust at each home to caretaker it while you were at the other, and good relationships with local tradesmen you could trust to carry out emergency repairs in your absence.  I know someone who bought a second-home which had obviously been rewired in the owner's absence - only the readily accessible wires had been replaced,  leaving a lot of old wire in conduit, with the earth connections made by just taping the earth wire to the conduit.  Very dangerous.

Having owned a second home, the idea of owning more than two homes frankly horrifies me.  Unless you are mega rich, and have a secretary to deal with all the hassle that will inevitably result.

[snaitram99]

You would probably be OK in Deganwy (as per the OP), as it is pretty much Wirral on sea, population-wise.  Never, ever heard anyone speaking Welsh there.

For those that don't know it, Deganwy is effectively a suburb of Llandudno.  Llandudno should really been included in Clywyd, along with its neighbours Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, rather than Gwynedd.  Some say that it was done that way so that Gwynedd wouldn't have a Welsh-speaking majority.  Others because the residents of Llandudno felt themselves to be superior to those of the other North Wales coast resorts.

Isn't Llandudno now in Conwy County Borough, neither Clwyd nor Gwynedd?

[winkywanky]

Most of Wales is lovely. I used to have a summer getaway in Corris, but got rid of it as the locals were ignorant inbred cunts, who would switch to Welsh as soon as you went into the local pub.

No disrespect intended!!!!

Did you ever come home to a real fire?

In other words, had the local reactionaries set fire to your place?

There were a spate of these in the 80s IIRC.

[snaitram99]

Most of Wales is lovely. I used to have a summer getaway in Corris, but got rid of it as the locals were ignorant inbred cunts, who would switch to Welsh as soon as you went into the local pub.

No disrespect intended!!!!

So you heard them speaking English before you went in did you? 

Does the same thing happen in Spain - the moment you walk in the locals start speaking their first language?

[winkywanky]

I too once considered buying a canal boat on retirement, but fairly quickly decided it would not be worth it.  Apart from the huge on-going costs involved in maintenance and mooring/berthing charges, etc, you would effectively be stuck travelling the same bit of canal each time.  Far easier and cheaper just to rent a boat in a different location each year.

Having owned a second home in North Wales, I know from firsthand experience that pretty much the same thing applies.  I know someone in a similar situation who spends almost all the time he gets in his second home carrying out maintenance tasks - I wouldn't call that a holiday home!  Not unless you particularly enjoy DIY.

It might be worth having say a summer home and a winter home.  But you would still need someone you could trust at each home to caretaker it while you were at the other, and good relationships with local tradesmen you could trust to carry out emergency repairs in your absence.  I know someone who bought a second-home which had obviously been rewired in the owner's absence - only the readily accessible wires had been replaced,  leaving a lot of old wire in conduit, with the earth connections made by just taping the earth wire to the conduit.  Very dangerous.

Having owned a second home, the idea of owning more than two homes frankly horrifies me.  Unless you are mega rich, and have a secretary to deal with all the hassle that will inevitably result.

I'm not a boaty person, but is in not the case that the Grand Union Canal pretty much still exists, and you can actually travel to lots of parts of England (and even beyond)?

[winkywanky]

Nice thread Phoenix.

I know Albir well, it would be a nice location to have a place in Spain (although the Russian Mafia own many local clubs and bars).

Italy...somewhere near Lucca, a nice part of Tuscany.

France...Brittany, largely unspoilt and wild(ish).

[Kev40ish]

So you heard them speaking English before you went in did you? 

Does the same thing happen in Spain - the moment you walk in the locals start speaking their first language?

Yes they were speaking English when I went in to start... so it was their choice to switch to Welsh that’s what  annoyed me.
I wouldn’t have minded otherwise..

[Thephoenix]

I too once considered buying a canal boat on retirement, but fairly quickly decided it would not be worth it.  Apart from the huge on-going costs involved in maintenance and mooring/berthing charges, etc, you would effectively be stuck travelling the same bit of canal each time.  Far easier and cheaper just to rent a boat in a different location each year.

Having owned a second home in North Wales, I know from firsthand experience that pretty much the same thing applies.  I know someone in a similar situation who spends almost all the time he gets in his second home carrying out maintenance tasks - I wouldn't call that a holiday home!  Not unless you particularly enjoy DIY.

It might be worth having say a summer home and a winter home.  But you would still need someone you could trust at each home to caretaker it while you were at the other, and good relationships with local tradesmen you could trust to carry out emergency repairs in your absence.  I know someone who bought a second-home which had obviously been rewired in the owner's absence - only the readily accessible wires had been replaced,  leaving a lot of old wire in conduit, with the earth connections made by just taping the earth wire to the conduit.  Very dangerous.

Having owned a second home, the idea of owning more than two homes frankly horrifies me.  Unless you are mega rich, and have a secretary to deal with all the hassle that will inevitably result.

Agreed..... The dream isn't quite the reality.
I'd talked of buying a boat for so long, and when asked when, I would just say.....'One Day'
In the end that's what I said I would name the boat.
But it never happened.

Hiring was much the better option, for the reasons you gave.
However I used to get slightly irritated by the attitude of some owners, who used to look down to hirers, imagining them all to be beginners.
I'd hired boats on most canals and rivers in UK, and probably covered more miles over the years than many of them.

[petermisc]

I'm not a boaty person, but is in not the case that the Grand Union Canal pretty much still exists, and you can actually travel to lots of parts of England (and even beyond)?

Indeed, it does still exist, but it is no longer a method of transport.  It is now used for purely recreational purposes.

[petermisc]

Yes they were speaking English when I went in to start... so it was their choice to switch to Welsh that’s what  annoyed me.
I wouldn’t have minded otherwise..

I can't speak for Corris, but having lived in a very Welsh-speaking part of Wales for many years, I have never ever had this happen to me.  The locals speak Welsh as their first language, talk to one another in Welsh, and will start talking to you in Welsh unless they know you are English.  However, the Welsh they speak can include a lot of English words (this annoys the hell out of the purists).  If they are repeating something said or written in English, for example, they will usually repeat it in English, and not translate it. Try watching something like Pobol y Cwm to see what I mean.  I think what can happen is that a stranger coming in, picks up on the English words and thinks they were speaking English.

[Thephoenix]

The only English words the Welsh don't seem in a rush to change are Bed &Breakfast.

As Welsh is an ancient language, new English words often just seemed to be incorporated into their speech.

There are some exceptions, where new Welsh words are devised,  one of them being 'popty ping' for microwave, but I think purists are now saying that's not accurate,  which is a shame as it seems appropriate.

[winkywanky]

Indeed, it does still exist, but it is no longer a method of transport.  It is now used for purely recreational purposes.

Can you not still go long distances on it? I thought you could?

[Thephoenix]

Yes.... You can travel from London via The Grand Union through The Midlands and on to Lancashire, North Wales and Yorkshire along a variety of canals.

The Lancaster canal was only recently connected to the rest of the system,  and now boats can reach past Lancaster and Carnforth, with plans to extend it to Kendal, along a disused section.

[bhudda]

Can you not still go long distances on it? I thought you could?

sounds idyllic till you see how many locks you have to go thru, i imagine you average about 20 miles a day (though I'm not experienced so can't be sure). 

[crfc]

The only English words the Welsh don't seem in a rush to change are Bed &Breakfast.

As Welsh is an ancient language, new English words often just seemed to be incorporated into their speech.

There are some exceptions, where new Welsh words are devised,  one of them being 'popty ping' for microwave, but I think purists are now saying that's not accurate,  which is a shame as it seems appropriate.

The word for microwave in Welsh is popty microdon (or just microdon) with popty meaning oven and microdon meaning microwave
The ping is a joke, not an accepted word, all Welsh speakers I know say microwave anyway to distinguish from a convential oven!
But what would I know!!!

[Thephoenix]

sounds idyllic till you see how many locks you have to go thru, i imagine you average about 20 miles a day (though I'm not experienced so can't be sure).

Agreed..... Locks can be a nightmare if you're not used to them, but great fun with a family.
That's why as a couple I always preferred the Lancaster canal which on the main stretch is lock free for almost 50 miles, the Thames where locks are operated by the lock keepers, or of course The Norfolk Broads out of season

Yes, it can be idyllic in good weather, particularly out of season when it's quiet.
But it can get a bit hairy in severe gales. We almost got ship wrecked one Easter on The Llangollen canal, during a week of storms.

It takes some adjustment to get used to travelling at about 3mph, but you get used to it and it's a great way to wind down and watch the scenery drift by.

When it's time to get back in your car at the end of the week, 30mph feels like 80mph, plus of course you have to get used to driving on the left again

[winkywanky]

sounds idyllic till you see how many locks you have to go thru, i imagine you average about 20 miles a day (though I'm not experienced so can't be sure).

All part of the fun, surely?

[winkywanky]

Yes.... You can travel from London via The Grand Union through The Midlands and on to Lancashire, North Wales and Yorkshire along a variety of canals.

The Lancaster canal was only recently connected to the rest of the system,  and now boats can reach past Lancaster and Carnforth, with plans to extend it to Kendal, along a disused section.

Thanks Phoenix, I suspected that was the case.

[Strawberry]

The Kendal extension has been talked about for decades perhaps it'll happen, after all the Bay Gateway at J34 only took 25 years to materialise.

[King Nuts]

Agreed..... The dream isn't quite the reality.
I'd talked of buying a boat for so long, and when asked when, I would just say.....'One Day'
In the end that's what I said I would name the boat.
But it never happened.

Hiring was much the better option, for the reasons you gave.
However I used to get slightly irritated by the attitude of some owners, who used to look down to hirers, imagining them all to be beginners.
I'd hired boats on most canals and rivers in UK, and probably covered more miles over the years than many of them.

Some years ago, I got talked into buying a boat by the second Mrs Nuts. It was a racing yacht, 36 ft as I recall. Seemed like a good idea at the time, sitting around in the marina, 'another G and T, darling?' as the sun streamed down, with the occasional trip along the coast to the next town. But fuck me, the reality is somewhat different.

Firstly, there's the expense. It never ends. Mooring fees, club membership, fixing broken down bits of the boat (worse than owning a 1970s British Leyland car), and fuel. Then you have to learn all this weird terminology. And when it's a pleasantly warm 23 deg C in the marina or in your back garden, get out into open sea and the temperature has this way of dropping 10 degrees or more.

Worst thing of all, I found I am susceptible to seasickness. That aside, the old saying is true. Sailing is like standing in a cold shower with all your clothes on, tearing up twenty-pound notes.

[snaitram99]

Some years ago, I got talked into buying a boat by the second Mrs Nuts. It was a racing yacht, 36 ft as I recall. Seemed like a good idea at the time, sitting around in the marina, 'another G and T, darling?' as the sun streamed down, with the occasional trip along the coast to the next town. But fuck me, the reality is somewhat different.

Firstly, there's the expense. It never ends. Mooring fees, club membership, fixing broken down bits of the boat (worse than owning a 1970s British Leyland car), and fuel. Then you have to learn all this weird terminology. And when it's a pleasantly warm 23 deg C in the marina or in your back garden, get out into open sea and the temperature has this way of dropping 10 degrees or more.

Worst thing of all, I found I am susceptible to seasickness. That aside, the old saying is true. Sailing is like standing in a cold shower with all your clothes on, tearing up twenty-pound notes.

Most boats in marinas never seem to go anywhere. More of a vanity project than anything else, as you seem to have discovered.

[Beamer]

Most boats in marinas never seem to go anywhere. More of a vanity project than anything else, as you seem to have discovered.

Unfortunately that's true. In a past life I had a 50% share in a beautiful boat. Because of work we used it about 25% of the time and the marina fees were exorbitant.  After 2 years we sold it. At a thumping loss if you include the marina and maintenance fees.

[snaitram99]

I can't speak for Corris, but having lived in a very Welsh-speaking part of Wales for many years, I have never ever had this happen to me.  The locals speak Welsh as their first language, talk to one another in Welsh, and will start talking to you in Welsh unless they know you are English.  However, the Welsh they speak can include a lot of English words (this annoys the hell out of the purists).  If they are repeating something said or written in English, for example, they will usually repeat it in English, and not translate it. Try watching something like Pobol y Cwm to see what I mean.  I think what can happen is that a stranger coming in, picks up on the English words and thinks they were speaking English.

Thanks Petermisc, I was about to say much the same (apart from living in a Welsh speaking area, although I am familiar with a couple). Until you "tune in" it can be difficult to tell whether speaking Welsh or English, especially with a North Walian accent (to me at least). If the only words you pick out are English because they are familiar, you will assume they are speaking English. If you know Welsh you start picking out those too and realise they are actually speaking colloquial Welsh with a lot of English words thrown in, according to the subject and context.

I can never understand the logic of thinking that people were not speaking their first language until someone  who doesn't speak it walks in. 

[King Nuts]

Most boats in marinas never seem to go anywhere. More of a vanity project than anything else, as you seem to have discovered.

Yep. One of the happiest days of my life was selling the fucker.

[Doc Holliday]

Yep. One of the happiest days of my life was selling the fucker.

The yacht or the second Mrs Nuts? 

[winkywanky]

 

[King Nuts]

The yacht or the second Mrs Nuts? 

Arf.

Both are long gone.

[Thephoenix]

Some years ago, I got talked into buying a boat by the second Mrs Nuts. It was a racing yacht, 36 ft as I recall. Seemed like a good idea at the time, sitting around in the marina, 'another G and T, darling?' as the sun streamed down, with the occasional trip along the coast to the next town. But fuck me, the reality is somewhat different.

Firstly, there's the expense. It never ends. Mooring fees, club membership, fixing broken down bits of the boat (worse than owning a 1970s British Leyland car), and fuel. Then you have to learn all this weird terminology. And when it's a pleasantly warm 23 deg C in the marina or in your back garden, get out into open sea and the temperature has this way of dropping 10 degrees or more.

Worst thing of all, I found I am susceptible to seasickness. That aside, the old saying is true. Sailing is like standing in a cold shower with all your clothes on, tearing up twenty-pound notes.

Yes.....at least you don't get sea sick on canal boats,  and a decent one is likely to have all mod cons like fully fitted galleys, central heating, comfortable beds, showers etc..... All quite civilised.
Plus you don't need a compass (not much chance of getting lost), and on average they're only about 3-4 ft deep.

[petermisc]

Yes.....at least you don't get sea sick on canal boats

Oh yes you can.  Have known people get sea sick, or probably more accurately motion sick, through spending too much time below deck.

[scutty brown]

Yes.... You can travel from London via The Grand Union through The Midlands and on to Lancashire, North Wales and Yorkshire along a variety of canals.

The Lancaster canal was only recently connected to the rest of the system,  and now boats can reach past Lancaster and Carnforth, with plans to extend it to Kendal, along a disused section.

There's more to it than just being connected to the rest of the system
You have to be bloody brave and sure of your boating skills to take a canal boat up the Ribble between the River Douglas and the Savick Brook. The current in the Ribble is strong enough to roll a canal boat if you get it wrong trying to turn into the Savick (which is the link to the Lancaster Canal). And its easy to get wrong - the river current is often fast enough to carry the boat backwards

[Thephoenix]

There's more to it than just being connected to the rest of the system
You have to be bloody brave and sure of your boating skills to take a canal boat up the Ribble between the River Douglas and the Savick Brook. The current in the Ribble is strong enough to roll a canal boat if you get it wrong trying to turn into the Savick (which is the link to the Lancaster Canal). And its easy to get wrong - the river current is often fast enough to carry the boat backwards

Yes I know. Not for the faint hearted.
As I've only hired boats, it's not something I could attempt anyway.
Don't think the boat companies would be too pleased to learn one of their narrow boats had to be rescued from the Irish Sea.

The other difficult route is the one from Ellesmere Port Boat Museum to Liverpool docks, via The Manchester Ship Canal and The Mersey.
I know someone who did it as part of a convoy, and it takes a lot of planning, and of course timing, when the weather is calm and the tide is right.