Best English village for 2 Americans for 1 Year
Jun 15th, 2010, 11:11 AM
#41
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Stroud in Gloucestershire (south Cotswolds) is 90minutes from London by train.
It is a market town and has just been nominated as one of the 3 greatest towns...
<<STROUD has been named as one of the three greatest towns in the country.
Described as 'one of the more authentically gritty and industrial of the Cotswold towns', Stroud has been nominated in the Great Towns category for an Academy of Urbanism award.>>
http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.u..._towns/?ref=mr
While Stroud is not particularly attractive or fit the bill of a traditional Cotswold town, you can rent a one-bed flat here for around 500 GBP a month, though that's unfurnished. There are several letting agents in Stroud, and there are loads of rental cottages to be found in nearby villages. You would need a car then, unless you don't mind sitting on buses.
Actually finding furnished accommodation is not that easy, though there are some around.
There's plenty to see and do from the Stroud area, using it as a base. Look at a map and you'll see that the main touristy part of the Cotswolds are within 30 miles, as is Bath and Oxford is only a little further out. You are close to the Welsh borders as well.
Anyway, it's just an idea for you. I could tell you a lot more, but as your request for information is so unspecific at this time, I will hold back as if you decide to go elsewhere then there's no point in my doing so.
It is a market town and has just been nominated as one of the 3 greatest towns...
<<STROUD has been named as one of the three greatest towns in the country.
Described as 'one of the more authentically gritty and industrial of the Cotswold towns', Stroud has been nominated in the Great Towns category for an Academy of Urbanism award.>>
http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.u..._towns/?ref=mr
While Stroud is not particularly attractive or fit the bill of a traditional Cotswold town, you can rent a one-bed flat here for around 500 GBP a month, though that's unfurnished. There are several letting agents in Stroud, and there are loads of rental cottages to be found in nearby villages. You would need a car then, unless you don't mind sitting on buses.
Actually finding furnished accommodation is not that easy, though there are some around.
There's plenty to see and do from the Stroud area, using it as a base. Look at a map and you'll see that the main touristy part of the Cotswolds are within 30 miles, as is Bath and Oxford is only a little further out. You are close to the Welsh borders as well.
Anyway, it's just an idea for you. I could tell you a lot more, but as your request for information is so unspecific at this time, I will hold back as if you decide to go elsewhere then there's no point in my doing so.
Jun 15th, 2010, 12:15 PM
#44
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Sorry for the short digression, but I don't quite understand 'Shengen'. I know about the agreement but friends of ours moved to France a couple of years ago and I don't see that they had any problem doing that. He's Canadian, she's Dutch (although she may have Canadian citizenship) and they have two kids, both born in Canada. They've lived in France for a few years and may stay there or move elsewhere in Europe/UK. Neither parent is employed at this time and both kids are in school.
They'll be coming to visit in a couple of weeks and I'll ask them how they managed it, but they've certainly stayed well past the 90-day limit.
What do you think?
And thanks, Nonconformist, for that link. It's very helpful. Now I know I don't need a visa to go to the UK, I can easily stay for 4 months, and I can travel in and out with my Canadian passport. It also provides a great list of documentation I should take just in case I'm asked for it.
They'll be coming to visit in a couple of weeks and I'll ask them how they managed it, but they've certainly stayed well past the 90-day limit.
What do you think?
And thanks, Nonconformist, for that link. It's very helpful. Now I know I don't need a visa to go to the UK, I can easily stay for 4 months, and I can travel in and out with my Canadian passport. It also provides a great list of documentation I should take just in case I'm asked for it.
Jun 15th, 2010, 12:22 PM
#45
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<<< but I don't quite understand 'Shengen'. >>>
It's Schengen. Basically you treat all the countries within Schengen as a single "country" for tourism purposes and you get a single visa free allowance of spending 90 days in the next 180 days within the "country". It's to stop visa runs where people leave a country for a day then return getting a new visa allowance.
This however only applies to people who don't hold an EU / Schengen country (the two aren't the same) passport. If they do hold such a passport then EU laws on unrestricted travel within the EU
In this case the Canadian is allowed into the EU because they are married to a citizen of an EU country and thus can live and work anywhere within the EU without the need for a visa - EXCEPT for the Netherlands in this case where country law trumps EU law because of the Dutch citizenship of the wife
The giste is - neither are tourists and so the 90 days in 180 days doesn't apply
It's Schengen. Basically you treat all the countries within Schengen as a single "country" for tourism purposes and you get a single visa free allowance of spending 90 days in the next 180 days within the "country". It's to stop visa runs where people leave a country for a day then return getting a new visa allowance.
This however only applies to people who don't hold an EU / Schengen country (the two aren't the same) passport. If they do hold such a passport then EU laws on unrestricted travel within the EU
In this case the Canadian is allowed into the EU because they are married to a citizen of an EU country and thus can live and work anywhere within the EU without the need for a visa - EXCEPT for the Netherlands in this case where country law trumps EU law because of the Dutch citizenship of the wife
The giste is - neither are tourists and so the 90 days in 180 days doesn't apply
Jun 15th, 2010, 12:26 PM
#46
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I have to agree with MissPrism, mnapoli. I thought Flanner's post was really specific, and there are quite a few other posts with suggestions and descriptions of places for you to consider.
On the other hand I, for one, have learned a lot of things I did not know from several of the responses to your initial question. Since others reading this may have a similar plan for their future, perhaps the information about residency and visa restrictions may prove helpful to someone else, if not to you.
Good luck with your plan!
On the other hand I, for one, have learned a lot of things I did not know from several of the responses to your initial question. Since others reading this may have a similar plan for their future, perhaps the information about residency and visa restrictions may prove helpful to someone else, if not to you.
Good luck with your plan!
Jun 15th, 2010, 09:59 PM
#48
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"EXCEPT for the Netherlands in this case where country law trumps EU law because of the Dutch citizenship of the wife"
This is the same in France. The non-EU spouse of a French citizen has to meet stricter requirements to live and work here (in France) than the spouse of a citizen from another EU country who decides to live and work in France with his/her spouse.
This is the same in France. The non-EU spouse of a French citizen has to meet stricter requirements to live and work here (in France) than the spouse of a citizen from another EU country who decides to live and work in France with his/her spouse.
Jun 16th, 2010, 02:27 AM
#51
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Yes, EU citizens can exercise their community rights (including the right to be accompanied by their dependent family) in all EU countries EXCEPT their own. There the usually more restrictive national legislation applies, which may include language test for their non-EU spouse, financial requirement and a host of others. This is one way in which countries retain control over their own immigration from outside EU.
But there is a way out. It's called Surinder Singh ruling, and it states that if an EU citizen has lived with their non-EU family members and worked for 6 months in another EU country, they are entitled to live in their own country with their family with EEA Family Permit (i.e. exercising their community rights). Some countries, like UK, have incorporated this into their immigration rules, while other countries seem to deal on a case-by-case basis.
See http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/si...df?view=Binary Section 1.3
But there is a way out. It's called Surinder Singh ruling, and it states that if an EU citizen has lived with their non-EU family members and worked for 6 months in another EU country, they are entitled to live in their own country with their family with EEA Family Permit (i.e. exercising their community rights). Some countries, like UK, have incorporated this into their immigration rules, while other countries seem to deal on a case-by-case basis.
See http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/si...df?view=Binary Section 1.3
Jun 16th, 2010, 01:09 PM
#52
While I was born near Brockenhurst I now understand what you are looking for. I think you need to get a bit further away from London to meet the more naturally friendly types. This sort of breaks your distance to London criteria but for shear friendliness I'd look at villages in Yorkshire (lets see which Brit argue with me). As a southerner I never felt so embraced by strangers as when I moved up here.
I suspect similar might be true of say North Wales or Cornwall
I suspect similar might be true of say North Wales or Cornwall
Jun 18th, 2010, 03:59 AM
#53
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After the OPs last post, I'll second Peter's suggestion of Slough.
OP - I was trying to be helpful and you DID initially ask for a specific village suggestion, you also didn't mention this was just vague dreaming about some possible future 5 or more years away, which makes it understandable to be less interested in specifics.
But sorry if my spending time trying to understand more about what you would like, and in suggesting looking for an overall area you would enjoy (with suggestions of the sort of range that is within your area) is so offensive to you. Next time I'll just recommend some random place to people, and if its a coastal village and they wanted to be in a forest, well tough.
Also, if you wanted a restaurant suggestion I might also want to know something more than 'something within a 400mile radius circle' (which is all you gave us) to help you find a good spot, yes.
OP, find your own bleedin' village and stop wasting our time if you can't appreciate people trying to help you.
OP - I was trying to be helpful and you DID initially ask for a specific village suggestion, you also didn't mention this was just vague dreaming about some possible future 5 or more years away, which makes it understandable to be less interested in specifics.
But sorry if my spending time trying to understand more about what you would like, and in suggesting looking for an overall area you would enjoy (with suggestions of the sort of range that is within your area) is so offensive to you. Next time I'll just recommend some random place to people, and if its a coastal village and they wanted to be in a forest, well tough.
Also, if you wanted a restaurant suggestion I might also want to know something more than 'something within a 400mile radius circle' (which is all you gave us) to help you find a good spot, yes.
OP, find your own bleedin' village and stop wasting our time if you can't appreciate people trying to help you.
Jun 19th, 2010, 06:13 PM
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I will jump in here, hopefully avoiding shrapnel, and say that I agree that looking farther away from London would be better. There are vast parts of England that I have not explored yet, but there's plenty of really friendly people around, and plenty of lovely spots. But with the spread of bedroom communities around London, I'd go a little further away and sacrifice that closeness, with perhaps access to some mid-sized city or other, or some mid-sized towns at least. I could imagine having access to Oxford, for example. Or Chester, or Shrewsbury, or York.
Good to know that if I want to, I could go to the UK for 6 months--that's the longest I could be away from Canada anyways, without losing my access to health care.
Good to know that if I want to, I could go to the UK for 6 months--that's the longest I could be away from Canada anyways, without losing my access to health care.
