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Was that anywhere near Dittisham on the River Dart estuary...? I used to catch the train at Exeter to travel to Totnes for a night out and if it had come down from London the First Class carriages of an HST would draw level with the platform exit. As I made my way out I would observe a small horde of First Class passengers pile out and call loudly for their waiting taxis bound for the villages of Dittisham and Cornworthy. Once, two of these chaps were actually dressed in flannels and carried a huge Victorian picnic hamper.

Now each to their own, but these were the second home owners (usually men from the City as the the wife would drive down during the day with the supplies) and they have devastated the village communities which are like ghost towns in the winter months.
Nah, Bigbury. Not Bigbury-on-Sea - really couldn't afford a place there - but Bigbury itself.
 
Bigbury? I live near a cathedral city with the nickname "Smallsbury".
Not sure if it's because the welcome signs are back to back or if it's a bit pants!
 
Now each to their own, but these were the second home owners (usually men from the City as the the wife would drive down during the day with the supplies) and they have devastated the village communities which are like ghost towns in the winter months.
*nods* The Welsh had a way of dealing with holiday homes.
 
nods* The Welsh had a way of dealing with holiday homes.
And not holiday ones. My sibs and I are about three quarter Welsh through both parents and my dream is to live there (I have relatives there).

My sister moved a few years ago to Ceredigion but in the process of looking for houses online some stated no English buyers. I can absolutely understand that they didn’t want these houses sold as second homes and do know how quiet some of the seaside towns are in the winter, but surely for people moving entirely it‘s not the same. One of my uncles moved there about 30 years ago without any fuss, but with a name like his he fits right in.

Sis is happy though, and no problems except having to move bats that fly into her bedroom lol.
 
And not holiday ones. My sibs and I are about three quarter Welsh through both parents and my dream is to live there (I have relatives there).

My sister moved a few years ago to Ceredigion but in the process of looking for houses online some stated no English buyers. I can absolutely understand that they didn’t want these houses sold as second homes and do know how quiet some of the seaside towns are in the winter, but surely for people moving entirely it‘s not the same. One of my uncles moved there about 30 years ago without any fuss, but with a name like his he fits right in.

Sis is happy though, and no problems except having to move bats that fly into her bedroom lol.
One of the arguments that gets thrown back at Cornish and Devon residents who complain about second homes is "Well who sold them the homes in the first place, surely it was locals cashing in...?". So I can understand the Welsh attitude, and I know there are policies in place to ensure certain homes on Exmoor are sold to local working families.
 
One of the arguments that gets thrown back at Cornish and Devon residents who complain about second homes is "Well who sold them the homes in the first place, surely it was locals cashing in...?". So I can understand the Welsh attitude, and I know there are policies in place to ensure certain homes on Exmoor are sold to local working families.
If I won t'lotto I'd move to a seaside town and buy a row of houses to let out to locals at below market rent so they could save up for a mortgage.
 
If I won t'lotto I'd move to a seaside town and buy a row of houses to let out to locals at below market rent so they could save up for a mortgage.
Not a million miles from my 'happy place' fantasy which I indulge in on my daily walk. I build a load of sensible well designed houses with decent sized gardens and let them out for way below market value. A twin morale booster the satisfaction of helping people who need it and pissing of the smart arse property developers in the given area. (You know the arseholes that go to all the property auctions and nab the 'do-uppers' from the buyers who want it for themselves.)

I've been refining this fantasy for 60 or so years having been brought up in a substandard cottage that the landlord wouldn't repair, and watching Ken Loach's 'Cathy Come Home'.

I'm not able to do it by winning the lottery but by one day waking up to discover I'm a computer hacking genius and redistributing some of the excess cash in Panama.

Sollywos x
 
Not a million miles from my 'happy place' fantasy which I indulge in on my daily walk. I build a load of sensible well designed houses with decent sized gardens and let them out for way below market value. A twin morale booster the satisfaction of helping people who need it and pissing of the smart arse property developers in the given area. (You know the arseholes that go to all the property auctions and nab the 'do-uppers' from the buyers who want it for themselves.)

I've been refining this fantasy for 60 or so years having been brought up in a substandard cottage that the landlord wouldn't repair, and watching Ken Loach's 'Cathy Come Home'.

I'm not able to do it by winning the lottery but by one day waking up to discover I'm a computer hacking genius and redistributing some of the excess cash in Panama.

Sollywos x
My row of cosy cheap-rent cottages would of course be situated next to my personal cat rescue centre. :wink2:
 
My row of cosy cheap-rent cottages would of course be situated next to my personal cat rescue centre. :wink2:
Sounds like something out of Midsomer Murders! Just without the murders, one hopes!
 
I’ve always wanted to do that. There’s a lot of greedy,scummy landlords about. I’d love to piss them off by doing that.
There are also some mom and pop landlords who can't afford the property taxes and all the repair costs, and can't get the kind of small home improvement loan they'd need to make major repairs. Apparently more and more of them are selling to corporations, which are gobbling up a vast supply of housing and jacking up the rents. :( It doesn't take a lot of scummy landlords to own a huge supply of housing.
 
I live in Midsomer- my crumbling place has false walls, concealed well and probably a lost "cellar" so far I have not murdered anyone. I too would like to help th struggling local economy, but whilst my tatty heap is worth big bucks to developers, not enough for me to tis chuck it , retire and and build some nice cosy places to rent out to deserving midsomer types. TBH we tend to get overpaid Bath Overspill and those pursuing the rural dream here rather than Hipsters.

Maybe we need to pool resources and ideas and develop a community for forteans, where we can bask n the weirdness together. Then using the surplus for good works.

Sorry its been a long day at the vaccination centre and " Large Pinot" was the answer
 
I live in Midsomer- my crumbling place has false walls, concealed well and probably a lost "cellar" so far I have not murdered anyone. I too would like to help th struggling local economy, but whilst my tatty heap is worth big bucks to developers, not enough for me to tis chuck it , retire and and build some nice cosy places to rent out to deserving midsomer types. TBH we tend to get overpaid Bath Overspill and those pursuing the rural dream here rather than Hipsters.

Maybe we need to pool resources and ideas and develop a community for forteans, where we can bask n the weirdness together. Then using the surplus for good works.

Sorry its been a long day at the vaccination centre and " Large Pinot" was the answer
"Large Pinot" is often the only answer.
I see you've started without me...
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Not a million miles from my 'happy place' fantasy which I indulge in on my daily walk. I build a load of sensible well designed houses with decent sized gardens and let them out for way below market value. A twin morale booster the satisfaction of helping people who need it and pissing of the smart arse property developers in the given area. (You know the arseholes that go to all the property auctions and nab the 'do-uppers' from the buyers who want it for themselves.)

I've been refining this fantasy for 60 or so years having been brought up in a substandard cottage that the landlord wouldn't repair, and watching Ken Loach's 'Cathy Come Home'.

I'm not able to do it by winning the lottery but by one day waking up to discover I'm a computer hacking genius and redistributing some of the excess cash in Panama.

Sollywos x
Have you see my fantasy House Requirements list, to be handed over to estate agents when I have the Big Win?
It goes something like:
- Haunted
- Mysterious stained glass windows
- Turrets
- Hidden staircases
etc

Edit - found the full list -


Haunted
Seaside location
Gothic facade
Lots of rooms
Tall windows, randomly placed small stained glass windows
Gardens all round
Fruit trees
Cellar with tunnels leading off it
Big outbuildings, various
A turret room upstairs with a telescope balcony
French windows opening onto huge patio
Secret passages
Attic, preferably reached via a narrow semi-concealed stairway
A sweeping staircase with a curved banister to slide down
etc

I don't ask for much.
 
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Not a million miles from my 'happy place' fantasy which I indulge in on my daily walk. I build a load of sensible well designed houses with decent sized gardens and let them out for way below market value. A twin morale booster the satisfaction of helping people who need it and pissing of the smart arse property developers in the given area. (You know the arseholes that go to all the property auctions and nab the 'do-uppers' from the buyers who want it for themselves.)
My daughter and her partner are trying to buy in York at the moment. They've got an agreed mortgage of £210k and made an offer on a doer-upper house (which needed complete rewiring and central heating fitted) which was advertised at £180k. The house eventually sold (it went to final offers) for over £220k. Which, when the new buyer has had to spend at least £20k redoing it, will price it at more than £40k above every other house in the neighbourhood.

It's probably gone for HMO for students.

I know York isn't a village, but it shows what's happening to house prices for those trying to buy at the lower end of the market.
 
My daughter and her partner are trying to buy in York at the moment. They've got an agreed mortgage of £210k and made an offer on a doer-upper house (which needed complete rewiring and central heating fitted) which was advertised at £180k. The house eventually sold (it went to final offers) for over £220k. Which, when the new buyer has had to spend at least £20k redoing it, will price it at more than £40k above every other house in the neighbourhood.

It's probably gone for HMO for students.

I know York isn't a village, but it shows what's happening to house prices for those trying to buy at the lower end of the market.
Actually that price surprises me. I have always thought that house prices in York were way higher.
 
Have you see my fantasy House Requirements list, to be handed over to estate agents when I have the Big Win?
It goes something like:
- Haunted
- Mysterious stained glass windows
- Turrets
- Hidden staircases
etc

Edit - found the full list -


Haunted
Seaside location
Gothic facade
Lots of rooms
Tall windows, randomly placed small stained glass windows
Gardens all round
Fruit trees
Cellar with tunnels leading off it
Big outbuildings, various
A turret room upstairs with a telescope balcony
French windows opening onto huge patio
Secret passages
Attic, preferably reached via a narrow semi-concealed stairway
A sweeping staircase with a curved banister to slide down
etc

I don't ask for much.
I wish you'd become an architect.
 
Have you see my fantasy House Requirements list, to be handed over to estate agents when I have the Big Win?
It goes something like:
- Haunted
- Mysterious stained glass windows
- Turrets
- Hidden staircases
etc

Edit - found the full list -


Haunted
Seaside location
Gothic facade
Lots of rooms
Tall windows, randomly placed small stained glass windows
Gardens all round
Fruit trees
Cellar with tunnels leading off it
Big outbuildings, various
A turret room upstairs with a telescope balcony
French windows opening onto huge patio
Secret passages
Attic, preferably reached via a narrow semi-concealed stairway
A sweeping staircase with a curved banister to slide down
etc

I don't ask for much.
I wish you'd become an architect.
Here's one @escargot prepared earlier...
HP-Hogwarts-39PHOTOBU17074_PHUP_HP.jpg
 
I misread architect as anarchist, and thought, "But @escargot is a very genteel anarchist..."


That reminds me of the old salt (lived to 98) Des Brannigan, he was also a diver, trade union official and founder of the National Maritime Museum of Ireland. On a TV programme he said:

As for my politics I'd be an Anarchist, not one of those bomb throwing ones though, more of a conservative type of Anarchist.
 
Minor village creepiness.

I grew up in rural North Devon (UK) and spent much of my youth roaming the fields, lanes and woods. I had no fear of being alone or even being out in the dark only own. When I was 16 we moved 15 miles to a village called Chittlehampton, another small rural village not even on a main road and five miles from the nearest town. I set about getting to know the local walks. I'm ashamed to say that one reason for this was that my parents hating me smoking so I developed a short-sh circular walk to allow me to go out for a couple of illicit cigarettes (not much else to do in the 80s...!). My walk took me up a footpath along the church and then across a couple of fields before reaching a back road. Turning left I would follow this until a came to a green lane that doglegs between fields and provides a shortcut back towards this village. I always found this lane extremely creepy whenever I walked it, feeling as if I was being watched. Some big power lines go overhead the entrance that, along with the high hedges, added to the air of foreboding. I would hurry along and be glad to be back on the road. Once a Vulcan bomber* unexpectedly flew low overhead and even that magnificent machine felt menacing.

One summer afternoon in 1985 I set out on this walk and was in the open fields when something caught my eye. Over to my left I could see the hedges that bordered the green lane and there was a large figure in a white, almost silver, suit along with a white/silver head covering. The figure had the proportions of an adult male and was slightly bent over looking at something in the hedge. I'm no good at judging distances but Google maps suggests I was 400-450m away. I stopped and was mesmerised and not a little afraid: this was just eight years after the Welsh UFO wave that had included giant, silver-suited spacemen...! To this day I regret not carrying on towards the lane entrance, but instead a light a cigarette and walked to my left in an attempt to get a better view. This meant losing sight of the figure twice. After seeing it for the second time it had turned away from me and the third time it was no longer there (there is a gate nearby). I lost my nerve and headed home after watching and waiting for about 10 minutes.

It was certainly something I had not seen before, but it did look very human and I've often speculated that it was perhaps a beekeeper going about his business. However, it certainly creeped me out...!

*visiting RAF Chivenor airshow
 
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