# Looking for country house to rent long term San Sebastian.



## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

Hello everybody ,
We are looking for a country house to rent long term near San Sebastian , or any where else nice but not too remote as I will be alone alot.
Myself and my Partner and dogs hope to move as soon as possible from a village near Garmisch Partenkirchen in the German Alps before the damn eternal winter returns!!!
Mainly because I just don't like Germany especially Bavaria but don't get me started on that one ! I am a Kundalini Yoga teacher and I would like to be able to teach( but I would be teaching in English ) and run my workshops and retreats . It would be great to find a nice place with plenty of room and a large space to do yoga in .
I have looked on line but can't find much to rent in Basque Country .
I would love to hear from anybody in The Basque country about their experience and what it would be like to live there etc . I have had a tough three months in Bavaria having moved from Ireland and know it just isn't for me .


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Yogacarrie said:


> Hello everybody ,
> We are looking for a country house to rent long term near San Sebastian , or any where else nice but not too remote as I will be alone alot.
> Myself and my Partner and dogs hope to move as soon as possible from a village near Garmisch Partenkirchen in the German Alps before the damn eternal winter returns!!!
> Mainly because I just don't like Germany especially Bavaria but don't get me started on that one ! I am a Kundalini Yoga teacher and I would like to be able to teach( but I would be teaching in English ) and run my workshops and retreats . It would be great to find a nice place with plenty of room and a large space to do yoga in .
> ...


:welcome:

not sure where you've looked, but take a look at the links in the rental section of http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-living-spain/2725-faqs-lots-useful-info.html

we do have a few members not so very far from you who might be able to recommend locally though

when you do find somewhere, make sure you have it written into the contract that you can run a business from the property


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Just a thought, if you do not like the Basque country, there is another San Sebastian, it is in fact the capital of the island of La Gomera, where Columbus left on his epic voyage of discovery to the new world.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

How do you feel about rain? 
There's a reason this coast is so green...


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

Thanks Xabia, I will check out the forum links etc. And thank you for reminding me I would need to check its ok to do yoga at property .


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

Sorry guys I'm new to all this forum stuff , Hepa ... Gomera is lovely I have been there so will keep that in mind as a plan B or G as the case may B! And Elenetxu .... The thorny issue of The Rain !! This scares me a little I must confess ! How bad is it ? bearing in mind that I grew up in Ireland which is why I am so scared . I dont mind rain so much if it is in the right place ie nowhere near Summer !!! Thank you for your replys .


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## Guest (May 16, 2013)

Yogacarrie said:


> The thorny issue of The Rain !! This scares me a little I must confess ! How bad is it ? bearing in mind that I grew up in Ireland which is why I am so scared . I dont mind rain so much if it is in the right place ie nowhere near Summer.


Here's a link to a web page containing historical weather data on San Sebastian:

San Sebastian, Spain Weather Averages | Monthly Average High and Low Temperature | Average Precipitation and Rainfall days | World Weather Online


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

Thanks Mysticmick I will take a look now !!


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Yogacarrie said:


> Sorry guys I'm new to all this forum stuff , Hepa ... Gomera is lovely I have been there so will keep that in mind as a plan B or G as the case may B! And Elenetxu .... The thorny issue of The Rain !! This scares me a little I must confess ! How bad is it ? bearing in mind that I grew up in Ireland which is why I am so scared . I dont mind rain so much if it is in the right place ie nowhere near Summer !!! Thank you for your replys .


It rains a lot up here. In fact, I just checked the forecast on aemet and it's going to rain through Tuesday. That doesn't mean it'll rain 24 hours during that time, it just means you'd be a fool to leave the house without an umbrella. 

If you don't like rain, the north isn't for you. Two summers ago was a complete washout. Last summer was ok. My first year here (2008), it rained at least for a bit every day for 60-something straight days in the winter. Keep an eye on the San Seb forecast to see if you'd enjoy it.


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## Guest (May 16, 2013)

fourhounds said:


> I am a Kundalini Yoga teacher and I would like to be able to teach( but I would be teaching in English ) and run my workshops and retreats . It would be great to find a nice place with plenty of room and a large space to do yoga in.


I began working with numerous body workers, therapists, meditation teachers, and Homeopaths in all parts of País Vasco in 2000. I set-up web sites, filmed & edited video, and consulted on publicity. Today virtually all have experienced vast reductions in their cliental, and just about all now have a second source of income or are using their newly found free time caused by this difficult economic period to do further studies in their field.

I suggest that you do a sober & down to earth assessment of your work possibilities before you arrive.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

mysticsmick said:


> Here's a link to a web page containing historical weather data on San Sebastian:
> 
> San Sebastian, Spain Weather Averages | Monthly Average High and Low Temperature | Average Precipitation and Rainfall days | World Weather Online


I think this site is a little muddled. Although at the top it states:

Spain > Pais Vasco > San Sebastian	
San Sebastian Weather, Spain Weather Averages

At the bottom it tells you:

Nearest Airport

La Gomera (0.9mi)

Sur Reina Sofia (32.4mi)

Nearest Golf Courses

Abama Golf (19.4mi)

Adeje Golf Course (21.2mi) etc...

The weather figures are clearly for the Canaries and anyone choosing Pais Vasco on the basis of this will have a big shock!


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## Guest (May 17, 2013)

Madliz said:


> I think this site is a little muddled. The weather figures are clearly for the Canaries and anyone choosing Pais Vasco on the basis of this will have a big shock!


Thanks for the heads up... that's a site not to keep! Here's one that's much more detailed and is about San Sebastian:

Average Weather For San Sebastián, Spain - WeatherSpark


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

mysticsmick said:


> Thanks for the heads up... that's a site not to keep! Here's one that's much more detailed and is about San Sebastian:
> 
> Average Weather For San Sebastián, Spain - WeatherSpark


Far better, thanks!

IF I can EVER manage to sell my house in Madrid, the northern coast is looking like the number one destination for me. When I read once that the climate was similar to southern England, though several degrees warmer and with a (pretty much) guaranteed summer, it appealed at once. Here in Madrid the climate is far too extreme for my liking. I've experienced -13ºC and 40ºC here in the foothills of the mountains. I've had the heating on for 8 months and any minute now I'll be sweating. Gardening is my passion and it's tough, not to mention the water bills. The thought that nature would take of that chore (and expense) sounds wonderful.

Any personal experience of the climate from 'northerners' would be most welcome!


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## Guest (May 18, 2013)

Madliz said:


> Far better, thanks!
> 
> IF I can EVER manage to sell my house in Madrid, the northern coast is looking like the number one destination for me. When I read once that the climate was similar to southern England, though several degrees warmer and with a (pretty much) guaranteed summer, it appealed at once. Here in Madrid the climate is far too extreme for my liking. I've experienced -13ºC and 40ºC here in the foothills of the mountains. I've had the heating on for 8 months and any minute now I'll be sweating. Gardening is my passion and it's tough, not to mention the water bills. The thought that nature would take of that chore (and expense) sounds wonderful. Any personal experience of the climate from 'northerners' would be most welcome!


I live on a small farm in the countryside, about 17 kilometers West of Gijón... about 5 kilometers from the coast. The farm has a large vegetable garden, a fruit tree orchard, an open meadow, and finally an area of forest (oak, pine, and chestnut trees). The farm sits on a North facing hillside at about 110 meters elevation. I am surrounded by other small and large farms.

There is a long ridge directly North of the farm that separates it from the ocean and incoming Northerly winds, yet it can get quite windy... I reckon a good place for an off-grid wind generator.

It has been a very cold, wet, and long Winter. In fact, it seems like Spring decided to take a vacation! This is not the norm here. Yes, it is rainy, and temperatures can drop to 4ºC during deep Winter (that happened numerous times for about 2 months, but the low was generally 8ºC and above), but this has been an extreme Winter by all accounts from locals who have lived here, many of whom are in their 80's and 90's. On a bus ride into Gijón yesterday, several of the women were talking about how wet this year has been... it even hailed just a week ago.

Last year's Summer temperatures had a high of 30ºC. Vegetable gardens and fruit trees are rarely watered during Summer because there is the light occasional rain even then. It is the greenhouses that take up large quantities of water.

Predictions are always dicey at best. I read an article from the Spanish government predicting that Asturias would have a climate similar to Catalunya within 25 years. What is clearer is that most of Spain is in a process of desertification, with just a few areas less affected. I would hazard a guess that between the Cordillera Cantábrica mountain range to the South and the Golfo de Vizcaya to the North: Galicia, Asturias, Cantábrica, and País Vasco will be affected by Climate Change, but the mountains and sea create a micro-climate less prone to desertification.


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

Hello, 
I thought I had replied but maybe it didnt send.Thank you to everybody for all your help and excuse this if it appears twice some how. So all things considered and some of it very soberly ! 
We spent the whole weekend searching fir a property near San Sebastian but in the countryside.
I dont want to be too isolated if I am alone a lot ! Mysticsmick your place sound very beautiful and Asturias looks amazing . It looks a lot like Ireland . If any body has any suggestions on places thatvwould be nice to live not too far from SS I would be very grateful .
Is there anybody living near SS ??


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Really stupid question, but have you ever been to northern Spain?

You complained about the long winter in Bavaria. It may not snow here where I am on the coast, but snow is falling today at 1,300M. Spring has not yet sprung. I'm not in SS, I'm two hours to the west. The other question is how do you feel about Basque nationalism? The PNV is governing and Bildu is pretty big in Guipuzkoa.


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

elenetxu said:


> Really stupid question, but have you ever been to northern Spain?
> 
> You complained about the long winter in Bavaria. It may not snow here where I am on the coast, but snow is falling today at 1,300M. Spring has not yet sprung. I'm not in SS, I'm two hours to the west. The other question is how do you feel about Basque nationalism? The PNV is governing and Bildu is pretty big in Guipuzkoa.


Thanks . Yes and I understand that the weather is bad there , but I have lived in Ireland for the last 30 years on the West coast and the Dingle penninsular and the Wicklow Mts so I know about weather !! But perhaps you are correct in your previous assumption that Northern Spain and The Basque Country are simply not for me ! 
The Winter here in The Alps is quite severe and quite a different story . Would you care to comment with the benefit of experience on your own feelings about Basque nationalism the PNV and Bildu ?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

fourhounds said:


> Thanks . Yes and I understand that the weather is bad there , but I have lived in Ireland for the last 30 years on the West coast and the Dingle penninsular and the Wicklow Mts so I know about weather !! But perhaps you are correct in your previous assumption that Northern Spain and The Basque Country are simply not for me !
> The Winter here in The Alps is quite severe and quite a different story . Would you care to comment with the benefit of experience on your own feelings about Basque nationalism the PNV and Bildu ?


My husband's family is from Bilbao (1hr 10 mins approx) and we go several times a year so I don't live there, but know it quite well.
I'd say that the weather in general is better than the UK and Ireland. It _does_ rain, it _can_ snow and it doesn't usually reach 40º, but it's usually better than the UK, somewhat warmer and drier and little snow. The weather isn't stable at the moment and this year has been pretty wet, but the summer is usually nice and there is a definite summer whereas it's pretty difficult top spot the British summer some years. At Christmas there's usually a south wind phenonomen and there have been a few Christmases when I haven't needed a coat!
Politically though, I wouldn't want to live there, especially in a smaller town/ village. The people I know are lovely, but ...


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

As far as climate goes, since I'm interested in the area too, I've found this site which has comprehensive climate data about Spain generally:

Montly Climate Maps for Spain and Canary Islands

Interestingly, for each month it shows the temperature for London as a point of reference. The temperatures shown are obviously an average of max and mins for the month.

I often turn to Weather Underground for my local area and elsewhere and find it useful for checking climate records for, in this example, Santander, where it shows that last December they had a very nice 23º on the 23rd  I think I could cope with that. If only there was the abundance of lovely, cheap properties that Malaga has!

Weather Station History | Weather Underground


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

There are plenty of cheap properties to be had right now if you start looking approx 20 minutes inland from the coast. In Cantabria, coastal properties are still around 200K but when you go inland prices get a lot better.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Regarding the PNV and Bildu... 
The PNV is the Basque Nationalist Party. They're a more conservative nationalist party, and came into power in the region after the last regional elections. The socialist party governed before. The PNV has surprised me, since I thought they were going to make more drastic changes. 

Bildu, on the other hand, is a radical Basque nationalist party. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding them and some of their leaders due to their alleged support of violence to defend "the Basque cause." 

Personally, I am cutting all ties (with the exception of my family) to the Basque country very soon. I am a young person with many years of work before me and I have no desire to be forced to learn Basque on top of Spanish. My husband was born in the Basque country, has 50% Basque blood, but cannot teach in the Basque school system because he isn't capable of passing the official, high-level Basque language exam.

It's a beautiful place with a fascinating culture but I don't know what direction it is going to go. I would be the first to sign up for Basque class if it weren't so politically charged.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

elenetxu said:


> There are plenty of cheap properties to be had right now if you start looking approx 20 minutes inland from the coast. In Cantabria, coastal properties are still around 200K but when you go inland prices get a lot better.


Yes, I have seen a lot of lovely, cheaper properties further inland, but the appeal of the coastal areas is the milder climate, which you don't get in the mountains! There's always something...


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## Guest (May 20, 2013)

Madliz said:


> Yes, I have seen a lot of lovely, cheaper properties further inland, but the appeal of the coastal areas is the milder climate, which you don't get in the mountains! There's always something...


When people say "on the coast" I get the impression they are speaking of a house situated right on the coast with an unobstructed view of the ocean. Yes, that would be costly... anywhere in Europe. 

Don't be put off by prices on real estate web sites. Go to the banks sites and you'll find many of the same properties at vastly reduced asking prices. And any asking price is only that... you can always make a lower offer. The real problem at the moment is that banks are not lending and so it is 100% cash or no sale... unless you can find a seller who will carry a mortgage.

We're about 5 kilometers from the coast and enjoy the milder "coastal" climate. The farm and farmhouse have significantly declined in value in just the last year, but it's been in the family for 30+ years, so who cares.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

5km from the coast with an enjoyably milder coastal climate sounds ideal, I don't need sea views, nor the price tag! Your farm with vegetable garden and fruit trees that hardly need watering sounds idyllic, as I often spend months on end watering daily, desperately trying to keep the garden alive, more important than ever now to secure a sale. The hot, dry summers here are quickly followed by cold weather again, and it is these extremes I am hoping to escape.

In trying to sell my house, the only viewers have been people who are also trying to sell their house. If only some mortgage money started to flow, we could all (millions of us!) move on, then imagine the taxes that would flow into government coffers, plus jobs for removal firms, electricians, plumbers, etc. It makes you appreciate how easy things used to be, when one would put a property on the market, fully expecting to move in the next few months.


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## Guest (May 20, 2013)

Madliz said:


> 5km from the coast with an enjoyably milder coastal climate sounds ideal, I don't need sea views, nor the price tag! Your farm with vegetable garden and fruit trees that hardly need watering sounds idyllic, as I often spend months on end watering daily, desperately trying to keep the garden alive, more important than ever now to secure a sale. The hot, dry summers here are quickly followed by cold weather again, and it is these extremes I am hoping to escape.
> 
> In trying to sell my house, the only viewers have been people who are also trying to sell their house. If only some mortgage money started to flow, we could all (millions of us!) move on, then imagine the taxes that would flow into government coffers, plus jobs for removal firms, electricians, plumbers, etc. It makes you appreciate how easy things used to be, when one would put a property on the market, fully expecting to move in the next few months.


The remarks below are pretty much applicable to País Vasco, Cantábrica, and Asturias... I don't know enough about Galicia to comment.

Look within the low lying hills adjacent to the coast. South facing hill sides will be warmer and a bit drier, North facing a bit cooler and wetter (you can also lose Winter sunlight). Avoid the valley floors because they can flood during torrential rains and are colder during Winter

As you move further South you will be heading into the mountains and there the weather is more extreme in the Winter and cooler in the Summer.

It is good to have a compass if you come exploring so as to have a better sense of the lay of the land.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

mysticsmick said:


> The remarks below are pretty much applicable to País Vasco, Cantábrica, and Asturias... I don't know enough about Galicia to comment.
> 
> Look within the low lying hills adjacent to the coast. South facing hill sides will be warmer and a bit drier, North facing a bit cooler and wetter (you can also lose Winter sunlight). Avoid the valley floors because they can flood during torrential rains and are colder during Winter
> 
> ...


Thanks for that, can't wait to have time to explore!


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> My husband's family is from Bilbao (1hr 10 mins approx) and we go several times a year so I don't live there, but know it quite well.
> I'd say that the weather in general is better than the UK and Ireland. It _does_ rain, it _can_ snow and it doesn't usually reach 40º, but it's usually better than the UK, somewhat warmer and drier and little snow. The weather isn't stable at the moment and this year has been pretty wet, but the summer is usually nice and there is a definite summer whereas it's pretty difficult top spot the British summer some years. At Christmas there's usually a south wind phenonomen and there have been a few Christmases when I haven't needed a coat!
> Politically though, I wouldn't want to live there, especially in a smaller town/ village. The people I know are lovely, but ...


Thank you for your helpful insights into both weather etc , could you say a little more about why you feel you would not like to live there politically especially the small villages or towns and people . Thanks


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## fourhounds (May 15, 2013)

elenetxu said:


> Regarding the PNV and Bildu...
> The PNV is the Basque Nationalist Party. They're a more conservative nationalist party, and came into power in the region after the last regional elections. The socialist party governed before. The PNV has surprised me, since I thought they were going to make more drastic changes.
> 
> Bildu, on the other hand, is a radical Basque nationalist party. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding them and some of their leaders due to their alleged support of violence to defend "the Basque cause."
> ...



Thank you for sharing your insigts and experiences it seems to have been difficult in many respects in The Basque Country .


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## Guest (May 20, 2013)

*My experience*



fourhounds said:


> Thank you for sharing your insigts and experiences it seems to have been difficult in many respects in The Basque Country .


This seems to me to be yet another post-traumatic stress syndrome experience, and sadly there are far too many in modern times.

We cannot dismiss that from 1937 to 1975 tens of thousands of Basques lost their lives to the fascist dictator Franco and his henchmen. Wherever you have systematic crimes against humanity for decades you are going to find it hard going to return to, what we who have not experienced this, would call normalcy. And, this explanation I give does not include the prior centuries of regular attempts to wipe out of existence a culture by occupying the territory.

ETA began in 1959 as a response to continued imprisonments and assassinations that began during and continued on after the end of the Spanish Civil War... some 20 years of having their culture, language, art, history, and music banned. The Basques won autonomy some 19 years later in 1979.

Sadly those almost 40 years of crimes against humanity imprinted some folk to such an extent that they became the new oppressors within and without their own community. It is not unlike some Irish who might have been once thought of as fighters for freedom, but now are seen as terrorists.

I know a lot of Basque people, but all live in the larger cities. All have lost any sympathy for ETA. Yet, they have little desire to lose their cultural heritage in order to adopt one that is foreign to them. As a result País Vasco is the most independent of all the autonomous provinces in Spain.

A question I had to ask myself when I lived there was: why does any people have to give up everything that denotes their identity in order to acquiesce to a violent aggressor?


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

fourhounds said:


> Thank you for sharing your insigts and experiences it seems to have been difficult in many respects in The Basque Country .


It wasn't difficult, I just got sick of some of the ways of thinking. Sometimes "open minded" can really be very closed minded.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

elenetxu said:


> It wasn't difficult, I just got sick of some of the ways of thinking. Sometimes "open minded" can really be very closed minded.


Will you be moving on then, or do you just mean that you'll be living and working in Cantabria?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

fourhounds said:


> Thank you for your helpful insights into both weather etc , could you say a little more about why you feel you would not like to live there politically especially the small villages or towns and people . Thanks


Well, remember I haven't actually lived in any of these places, I've just been visiting for more than 20 years...
I think small places are often more charming to look at but the social interaction is often more complicated than city living. You got family (so and so married so and so) issues, land issues (you can't do what you want to do because the land belongs to so and so who has been locked in feuds with so and so for many years) and then there is the history.
It is undeniable that ETA killed, threatened and blackmailed many people over the years. Where did the people who do this come from? ETA is not active now, but the seeds are still there, and I think it's difficult to live among people who have had this kind of background for so long.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Will you be moving on then, or do you just mean that you'll be living and working in Cantabria?


We had been living in PV but we just bought a home in Cantabria.


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