We continue to be plagued with bad weather so much so that Mike and I were up at 4 a.m. this morning pulling in the sides of the motorhome as the rain and winds were so violent that we didn’t want anything to get damaged!

As the forecast was for much of the same all day, we headed to Tellico Village, an established, master-planned community located in Loudon, Tennessee.

Situated on the enormous and seriously picturesque Tellico Lake, with the Smoky Mountains as the backdrop, this 5,000-acre series of communities developed around three golf courses is home to some 3,000 residences spread across seven inter-linked neighbourhoods. The development began over 30 years ago so it is very mature, although there are still some lots available.

What appeals to us is that it is an established community and although not age restricted, most residents are like-minded, retired folks, who between them have set up over 200 clubs – everything from learning bridge to hiking in the Smoky Mountains National Park – plus there is access to great exercise facilities, the lake and within a 30-mile radius to a major town such as Knoxville where there is all the necessary shopping one needs.

The folks at the visitor centre kindly gave me access to a couple of photos to use. Above, an aerial photo of part of Tellico Village.

Tellico Lake – magnificent and man made! The area was dammed in 1979 and has over 350 miles of shoreline.