Meredydd

MmePerdu

My cousin, a college professor who teaches periodically in York so lives there part of the year, loves it. I've visited and found the pedestrian area of the old city very pleasant. Touristy, of course, but many of your requirements will land you in a place along with many other visitors. When you "live" there, you find ways & times around the crush. But the UK has any number of towns with pedestrian zones in the best parts of the city or town centers.

It seems to me that, considering the short duration of your residence, having London farther away could be gotten around by seeing what you want to see there at either end, given there are so many lovely places within a short train ride of any place you choose in the country for weekends. I think that particular restriction you'd find unnecessary.

janisj

That seems extremely strange to me. The centres of many many UK towns have either pedestrian-only, or pedestrian-friendly precincts . . .

walkinaround

It's not a problem finding short term, furnished lets in the UK. Loads of people need temporary housing for work, etc and loads of properties and related services cater to this market. No use recommending places when we have no idea where the OP (or others) will be. When I was between homes after working overseas, I rented a place by the week. £750 per week many years ago and that seems to be about what they go for today in a desirable area. That was a small two bedroom house. Great place, professionally managed. It had cookware and I believe sheets/bedding and I think towels but I'm not sure on the towels. Completely turn-key.

Rightmove.co.uk is a well used buying and letting site. Just go to the advanced filter options and select 'short-term' and 'furnished'. This will give you an idea of the options and costs.

Airbnb has many professionally serviced homes for rent. It's just a platform so I don't think it's right to draw conclusions that it's any different from finding a place on Rightmove, etc. Obviously Rightmove or any marketing platform does not inspect homes advertised either (and no reviews). But, yes, I've heard of bad experiences in the UK with airbnb. Not sure if people don't check for places with many good reviews or if the reviews are manipulated (bad ones deleted or whatever).

HomeAway is another one.

thursdaysd

There are also hotels intended for long term stay. Again, you need to decide on where you are going first.

StCirq

<<I really like that many French towns have pedestrian-only zones and old towns. I’m not finding that in England.>>

That set me to thinking, because I am so used to pedestrian-only zones in France and don't have a huge amount of experience in England. But looking back on our most recent trips to England I remember pedestrian or pedestrian-friendly zones everywhere we were: Bath, Cambridge, Bristol, Southampton, Isle of Wight, and all over Cornwall. and Devon.

I'm trying to think if there is a difference in these zones between France and England, but no, I think most of them are organized around the same areas that were mercantile venues in the Middle Ages, so why should they be? I don't think it's modern urban planning that has marked them for special purposes; I think it's the revival of hundreds of years of recognition that these were the places that people congregated and sold their wares and made their livings.

walkinaround

Pertaining to the UK option...

Just to set the expectation, I don't think the Greater London area has anything like places such as Carmel, Aspen and the other examples. Even if taken as very loose examples. These are artsy, offbeat, creative, laid back 'enclaves' - wealthy people who want to escape the rat race, vibrant and oriented toward some of the most inspiring outdoor recreation and landscapes in the country, etc. And affluent and active tourists who add to the energy. 'Market towns' within striking distance of London have a dramatically different feel in many ways. Most certainly have their charms but trying to make comparisons with places like Carmel and Aspen will boggle the mind.

Around the UK but far from London, places like Salcombe and St Ives can sometimes start to feel like that in some small ways but it's still a struggle to compare. Sometimes in parts of the Lake District you might feel a dash of that too. Maybe Brighton on the sunniest and warmest day of the summer will have a little sprinkle of that (along with many big city problems).

Regarding your marital compromise, I think you need to avoid ending up with worst of both worlds - a market town that is way off the creative energy and diversity of London that you want and nothing like the rural village that your husband craves. Let's face it, suburban market towns can be mostly chain shops and restaurants plus a mix of independent and chain pubs - usually lacking interesting bars or coffee shops. Sometimes with enough bad development to compromise the atmosphere. Stressed people juggling jobs in the City with a house full of kids and a pile of mammoth bills. Sometimes these places are as busy and bustling as parts of central London so may struggle to meet both your husband's requirements and your requirements for a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Sometimes it helps to take a contrarian view of things to test your direction. The point is not to be unfairly negative but rather to challenge your perspective to help you find the best option. I hope you take my comments in that spirit.

KayF

I've only skimmed this so not sure if the language in France could be a problem? You can get by, obviously, millions of tourists do, but would you have a better trip if you could converse easily with people and read/understand everything you need to - leases, potential medical issues, etc etc.

Also I would be concerned about immigration and possible problems with not having the appropriate (working) visa. Your idea of working/not working may not marry up with an immigration official's understanding of the same thing. Worth thinking about now, rather than later.

Kay

bilboburgler

Just for the interest I look at where I live, Otley in West Yorkshire

*Upmarket/somewhat affluent. Next town over is where the lawyers live, we tend to have only bankers and teachers so a bit poorer.
*Cafe or pub life. Roughly 26 pubs and another 20 restaurants and cafes
*A market town. Three markets a week plus an end of month Sunday market
*2 hours from an airport. 5 minutes from Leed Bradford Airport
*Train station close by. Station about 2 miles away

We have a few chain stores, Boots, a coffee shop, another chemist and a sandwich shop, all of which are buried under many local shops. 12,000 people, a small walking area but the traffic is so small or slow moving that old people wander into the street in complete safety. Two cities very close with one offering a Unesco site.

There are lots of these sort of places. Where to stay booking.com offer "homes". We have some B&Bs and a few pubs with rooms. AirBnB has some good deals.

janisj

>>There are lots of these sort of places<<

lots and lots and LOTS. But the OP seems set on France for some reason.

kerouac

Upmarket small town in France: Le Touquet, 267 km from Paris on the coast of the English Channel. QE2 keeps her horses there.

walkinaround

With respect, it could be a little gloomy and dowdy for someone looking for a Carmel or an Aspen! I'm sure it's a great place to live but is it the best choice for someone coming from overseas? And looking for a Carmel or an Aspen?

OK, we'll let charity shops, beauty/nail shops, vape shops, and curry houses count as 'local shops'. Your betting shops will need to go under 'chains', however.

bilboburgler

Never been to Carmel or Apsen

We have betting shops?

In Yorkshire curry houses are restaurants.

StCirq

It seems to me if you're looking for a Carmel or Aspen (and why, oh why?) in France, you might as well head to Monte Carlo (I know, it's not France) or St-Moritz or Megève. If it could be ratcheted down a bit, Deauville might do, or Biarritz, or even Antibes.

walkinaround

Oh OK, it's important to understand the kinds of places that she's using as a basis for comparison in order to provide appropriate ideas.

You have a Ladbrokes and a William Hill. Frankly, I think the OP would run away screaming...

TDudette

This doesn't fit proximity to Paris (a TGV is 3-hour trip) but DH and I enjoyed Montpellier, France very much.

I am looking forward to reading about your final choice!

MmePerdu

I think the difficulty with the suggestions is the OP seems not to really have any idea, practically speaking, of what they want, let alone able to convey it to us. Even if they come to a compromise I think it'll be they that find a place themselves by wandering, not anywhere we imagine is IT. I find treating certain trips as reconnaissance the only way, having a good look around for purposes of next time. So, as often happens, we're left to entertain ourselves with no hope of anything we say having an impact.

lrice

I've been looking at the wonderful places suggested here. Thank you so much for the many many thoughts. We've concluded that if we are to land in a village or small town, it needs to have easy access to some sights (a museum, manor house or chateau, cathedral). That's why I've been leaning toward staying close to Paris or London but yes, I can visit on either end of this 4-6-week stay.

I'm looking at some of the other suggestions now of bigger places that have more to offer in their own right: university towns like Cambridge, Aix, personify the architecture, sights, art, and lifestyle that I personally think of. I found this great little slide show on Cambridge: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathalegg...s-you-for-life

I think the larger cities like Toulouse are too large. Canterbury seems to have a lot of urban sprawl that is not so pretty (am I right about that?) We didn't love Oxford when we were there over the summer -- something about seemed too touristy and crowded, although I'm guessing there are darling neighborhoods outside of the city center. Bath seems like it is mobbed with tourists daily from what I read (like the Royal Mile in Edinburgh) And even though we like St. Remy, Uzes or Wells, I'm afraid we will feel too isolated without a train station for weekend adventures.

StCirq

<<We've concluded that if we are to land in a village or small town, it needs to have easy access to some sights (a museum, manor house or chateau, cathedral)>>

Which is why I initially suggested the Périgord, where you'd have access to hundreds of museums, manor houses, ch teaux, and churches (cathedrals, you must realize, are fairly few and far between, needing to be bishoprics for the most part). Not to mention scores of train stations with access to larger cities.

But Carmel or Aspen it ain't.

walkinaround

And Otley has great access to Bradford (the closest city).* Yikes!* Can you imagine?