Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Review of houses for sale in northern ireland::Can I Take My Dog to Southern Ireland on Holiday







Review of houses for sale in northern ireland::Can I Take My Dog to Southern Ireland on Holiday








               After               a               December               that               was               the               coldest               in               Europe               for               100               years               --               many               of               us               dream               of               heading               south               to               the               warmth.
               Some               adventurous               Britons,               however,               have               moved               in               the               opposite               direction,               setting               up               home               in               Swedish               Lapland               in               a               string               of               remote               communities               straddling               the               Arctic               Circle.
               The               area               (Lapland               comprises               the               northernmost               parts               of               Sweden,               Norway,               Finland               and               part               of               Russia)               is               sometimes               described               as               Europe's               last               wilderness,               and               it               is               certainly               cold;               this               winter,               the               first               snow               fell               in               the               first               week               of               October.

Temperatures               can               plunge               to               minus               30C,               and               snow               covers               the               ground               until               at               least               April.
               Patricia               Cowern               traded               the               West               Midlands               for               the               village               of               Porjus               (population               400)               after               visiting               the               area               in               1995               with               her               son,               Toby,               who               was               on               an               outdoor               survival               course.
               "The               space,               quiet               and               proximity               to               nature               just               overwhelmed               me,"               says               Patricia,               a               photographer               who               runs               a               gallery               (pictures               of               the               Northern               Lights,               or               aurora               borealis,               are               her               speciality)               and               rents               out               four               self-catering               flats               in               the               village.
               Toby,               31,               also               decided               to               move               permanently               to               Porjus,               and               now               makes               a               living               as               a               tour               guide,               taking               visitors               on               snowmobile               and               dog-sledding               trips.

In               the               short               Lapland               summer,               he               offers               canoeing               and               hiking,               and               helps               out               as               a               part-time               fireman.

His               two               daughters,               aged               six               and               nine,               go               to               the               village               school               and               speak               perfect               Swedish.
               "Lapland               gives               the               girls               freedom               to               be               children,"               says               Patricia,               of               her               grandchildren.

"The               village               is               simple,               but               it's               safe.

Weather               permitting,               they               are               out               on               their               bikes               all               the               time,               and               only               come               home               when               they               are               hungry.

In               the               winter,               they               love               to               ski.

You               could               call               it               a               rather               old-fashioned               kind               of               life."
               But               Patricia               has               advice               about               putting               down               roots               in               Lapland:               "First,               you               can't               live               here               and               not               like               the               outdoors.

Secondly,               you               need               to               be               resourceful               and               make               your               own               job."               Meanwhile,               brown               bears,               lynx,               elk               and               the               ubiquitous               reindeer               roam               the               hills               and               forests.

In               the               warmer               months,               fields               are               full               of               flowers,               and               huge               mushrooms               and               tiny               wild               strawberries               abound.
               David               and               Kerstin               Carpenter,               both               from               Essex,               have               helped               a               number               of               British               expats               set               up               home               in               and               around               Jokkmokk.

With               3,000               people,               it               is               the               capital               of               a               municipality               of               less               than               6,000               permanent               residents               spread               over               an               area               larger               than               Northern               Ireland.
               Jokkmokk               is               well               known               for               its               Sami               (indigenous               Lapp)               crafts               fair,               which               has               taken               place               every               February               for               400               years.

The               fair               features               reindeer               racing               and               traditional               singing.

A               wide               selection               of               pelts               and               furs               are               on               sale.
               Homes               in               Lapland               are               traditionally               painted               red               with               white               trimmings               around               the               door               and               windows.

"The               vast               majority               of               houses               are               made               of               wood,"               says               David.

"They               are               not               just               timber-framed,               they               are               made               entirely               of               wood."
               Wooden               houses               can               last               for               decades               in               the               predominantly               dry               climate.

Homes               have               large               grounds,               often               with               saunas.
               Snow               on               the               roofs               might               be               picturesque,               but               it               can               be               a               problem               because               of               the               weight.

"In               the               early               spring,               snow               begins               to               melt               in               the               day,"               says               David.

"Then               it               freezes               overnight.

As               a               result,               it               turns               to               ice               and               of               course               becomes               heavier               and               heavier               if               not               removed."
               Transport               problems               experienced               in               Britain               after               a               light               coating               of               snow               are               unthinkable.

Ploughs               clear               main               roads               as               soon               as               snow               falls,               and               locals               use               tractors               to               clear               minor               roads               and               tracks.

And               what               about               airports               shut               down               because               of               wintry               weather?

"I've               never               heard               that               Lulea               airport               [115               miles               from               Jokkmokk               on               the               coast]               has               had               to               close               in               the               winter               for               any               reason               other               than               fog,"               says               Patricia.
               While               depopulation               is               a               problem               in               Sweden's               far               north,               communities               are               becoming               multicultural.

There               are               up               to               30               different               nationalities               in               Jokkmokk               town,               which               has               about               a               dozen               British               residents.

Patricia               estimates               that               there               are               now               14               different               nationalities               in               Porjus.

German,               British               and               Dutch               incomers               are               the               biggest               national               groups.
               "In               the               long               term,               these               communities               are               declining,"               says               David.

"For               every               200               people               who               move               in,               from               southern               Sweden               and               abroad,               we               lose               225               as               the               older               generation               dies,               and               young               people               move               out               to               a               University               or               job               in               the               south               of               Sweden".
               In               an               effort               to               reverse               the               trend,               the               local               council,               a               regional               bank               and               Vattenfall,               the               nationally               owned               power               company,               have               set               up               Emigrate2Jokkmokk               to               attract               new               residents,               particularly               young               families,               and               offer               help               when               they               arrive.
               David               administers               the               programme:               "We               have               a               lot               to               offer               here:               lakes               with               water               fresh               enough               to               drink,               wonderful               fishing               in               all               seasons,               and               peace               and               quiet.

Prices               for               many               things               are               similar               to               the               UK."
               But               some               things               you               can't               easily               buy               in               Britain,               cold               winter               or               not.

In               Swedish               Lapland,               for               as               little               as               '£500,               you               can               be               the               proud               owner               of               a               second-hand               snowmobile.






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houses for sale in northern ireland
houses for sale in northern ireland


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houses for sale in northern ireland
houses for sale in northern ireland


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houses for sale in northern ireland
houses for sale in northern ireland


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houses for sale in northern ireland
houses for sale in northern ireland


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houses for sale in northern ireland
houses for sale in northern ireland


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