Angus of the lovely blog "Sophie's French Adventure" recently posted this map of Europe showing how densely populated (or not) the various regions are.
One of the things I love about the part of France where we live is that it's so quiet - and yet it doesn't seem deserted. Looking at this map, our French house is in an area with the lowest density of population. This is very noticeable when driving around and means that you can drive for miles and barely see another vehicle. Journeys usually take exactly the amount of time you think they will take, every time, and there is hardly ever any litter anywhere.
In the UK we live in an area which is roughly ten times as busy, where there is the second highest density of population and we are very close to areas where it is the highest. This means that we don't have to go very far before we are surrounded by people. Even in the countryside, there are always other vehicles on the road and at weekends the traffic can be nose to tail through the pretty villages, all jockeying for position with walkers, horse riders and cyclists. Journeys have to be planned according to the time and day of travel, sometimes allowing a lot of extra time for hold-ups or taking a different route if you have an appointment to keep. Living near to a busy motorway, the area is frequently gridlocked when there is a major accident and traffic is diverted through the town. The amount of litter everywhere, even in the countryside, is depressing.
How busy is your part of the world?
Bon weekend!!
Busy when the tourists arrive but quiet generally. AND busy when the M6 is blocked which happens frequently... It is about time they introduced some Motorway driving as part of the driving test... Don't get me started on that one!!!
ReplyDeleteColin, I agree with you there. Bad driving, often people knowingly making risky manoeuvres, is the cause of so many crashes.
DeleteI seem to have 101 to 182 near neighbours according to your map, but looking out of the window on a Saturday I think you can add another 800 onto that.
ReplyDeleteDear Jean,
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed an interesting set of statistics. And yes, we would agree that there is a direct correlation between the quality of life in many aspects and the density of the population.
We have to say that when we are in the UK [increasingly less frequently] we are amazed at how busy and crowded it appears. So, although we do not have a car, traffic seems busy everywhere and services of all kinds demand long waiting times and queues.
We can absolutely see why you enjoy your less populated but not deserted French home. Increasingly, one feels the need for calmer days and less hustle and bustle.
Jane and Lance, I sometimes think it's my age (it probably is) but it's also the having experienced a level of peace and quiet that I had never known before, and loving it.
DeleteLiving in the Yorkshire countryside I still gawp when we head into our nearest market town ( population 16,000 - an increase of 50% since we settled in the area) and traffic (invariably gridlocked) in the metropolises of the country still amaze me. Twice in recent years we have had to drive out of London on a Friday afternoon, I swear I could have walked the journeys quicker.
ReplyDeleteAchingly quiet - and I love it... In summer the tourist beaches are busy but just a mile inland there could be tumbleweed in the streets.
ReplyDelete