David Glenn, now in his mid-70s, and his wife decided to move to France permanently from Devon after Brexit.
“I always had an inkling I wanted to move full-time to France after retirement, and it was Brexit that forced my hand,” said the former IT consultant.
“It was either then or never really, because it would have been far more difficult to do it later. We weren’t taking any risks, and we weren’t moving anywhere we didn’t know.”
The couple had previously bought an apartment in 2006 in Golfe-Juan, a seaside town on the Côte d’Azur.
They visited regularly as their daughter had an apartment there. In the intervening years, they had bought a bigger apartment more suited to live in full-time.
The seaside town of Golfe-Juan is in the commune of Vallauris in Alpes-Maritimes. It is where, in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte landed, having escaped exile on the island of Elba.
“It is a little resort on the coast between two very nice places – Cannes and Antibes.
It doesn’t empty in winter, it stays alive, people live here and commute,” said Mr Glenn.
“It is like a small market town in England but on the Côte d’Azur. This area is fantastic, and the weather is unbelievable. It has all the services you need – doctors, dentists, hairdressers, beauty salons.”
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The town has excellent transport links too, including a bus from Cannes to Nice that costs €1.50. It is an easy half-hour drive to the airport.
It is also handy for travelling to the Alps – the nearest ski resort is about 90 minutes away – or to Italy via the cross-border train to Ventimiglia. It is quite close to Monaco as well.
“When friends visit, there is too much to show them.”
Golfe-Juan in
Alpes-MaritimesDavid Glenn
Considering the town is nestled among some of the most popular destinations on the Côte d’Azur, overcrowding is not an issue: “You can still be on the beach, you can still park your car, you can still get in a restaurant, whereas other places are really full.”
Another bonus of living in Golfe-Juan is the “fantastic” town council, which has given residents grants to renovate their properties and organises events such as Christmas dinners for the elderly.
“You have to make sure you don’t overdo it and keep some time for yourself,” Mr Glenn said.
The couple live in a two/three-bedroom apartment in a complex near the beach.
David Glenn
“It is three minutes from the sea and three minutes from town and you can walk everywhere. The bus stops outside and there is a boulangerie opposite. Plus, the train station is only five minutes away,” Mr Glenn said.
He said property prices were not cheaper than the UK because of the town’s location on the sought-after south coast.
Indeed, properties with a sea view can be €100,000 more expensive than those a few streets back.
Another difference he has noticed is that property prices do not go up, unlike the UK.
“If you buy something, it won’t go up 10-15% in a year and will take a long time to sell, as the cost of buying and selling is more expensive than in the UK due to the taxes and estate agent fees.
"This means people tend to stay in the same place for quite a long while and it can take two or three years to sell a property.”
Differences between France and the UK
“It is more of an outside life,” said Mr Glenn. “We go to bars and restaurants and everyone is sitting outside. If it is raining, people just don’t go out.”
He has also noted a big difference when it comes to healthcare.
“The health system here is fantastic. You can see a doctor the same day – you can literally ring them up and have an appointment that afternoon.”
The main thing he misses about the UK? “The food,” he joked. He has failed to find a good Cornish pasty or pork pie.
