NORTHERN SPAIN

OUR AREA in NORTHERN SPAIN

NORTHERN SPAIN Like UK with good weather If you want a different holiday, or are looking for a property in Spain,  you may find your dream home in Galicia, a beautiful part of Northern Spain. There are beaches, rivers, villages, mediaeval towns, trains, buses, 4 airports with Easyjet, Ryanair or BA, and 2 ferry ports, so it's easy to get to .  It has everything you want, but doesn't have many of the things you'd rather not have anyway. For example, it doesn't have the crime you get on the costas, heavy traffic, noise, pollution, high-rise apartment blocks, or rowdy Brits.   This, combined  with cheap daily living and beautiful scenery, means it's a great place to be! It's why we moved here from Alicante. The nasty land grab laws on the costas don't exist here, and the cost of living is less. Most of the land is used for dairy farming, so it's green.   There are good supermarkets, DIY, bars etc, but little tourism.   There's more rain than in the south, but not as much as UK!. Even in January it's often possible to enjoy morning coffee outside! The climate is good!

Cost of living The cost of living here remains low, though property prices are rising. It's sad, but there are lots of old houses of character which are being allowed to crumble. The Spanish are only interested in modern houses or flats. You will appreciate the excellent standard of living offered by this area without it being on the usual tourist trail. However having 4 airports within reach of public transport does mean that you can join the outside world whenever you wish. Communications are good here, unlike parts of the costas. It may sound silly, but you can also get a fixed telephone line - you can't in parts of the costas, though agents will swear there's no problem! Life is good in Galicia.

Fiestas, museums and sports

Some of the amenities available even in small towns:- medical centre, music college, sports centre, swimming pools, football ground, excellent restaurants, bars and street cafes. Most fiestas take place at weekends from May to September in the surrounding villages and other small towns. People come from miles around to join the parades and dance until dawn. Beaches are clean and uncrowded. You get a 3 course meal with wine for 8 euros.

There are excellent museums. Asturias used to be a mining area, and the museum at www.mumi.es is worth visiting. The caves at www.atraccionmilenaria.com are good for prehistoric cave paintings. And of course the area is steeped in dinosaur remains - www.geotimes.org/jan06/feature_dinotrails.html. Galicia is the home of Celtic lore, witches, and Romanesque churches. There are lots of sports on offer, and great beaches.

This area, which we are very happy to be living in, offers a good quality of life and lower cost of living for those who are serious about such matters!

You can find details of problems with living in Spain at www.contactenglish.eu