SCORES of his adopted countrymen have settled here, but a Great Yarmouth man has made a successful new life in Lithuania.While Yarmouth boasts a sizeable Lithuanian community, Nick Driver has called the Baltic state home for the last ten years.

SCORES of his adopted countrymen have settled here, but a Great Yarmouth man has made a successful new life in Lithuania.

While Yarmouth boasts a sizeable Lithuanian community, Nick Driver has called the Baltic state home for the last ten years.

Offshore worker Nick, 49, enjoys an idyllic lifestyle keeping bees, picking mushrooms and exploring the countryside. He has still not completely mastered the language, but his Lithuanian wife Dalia is fluent in English.

Parents Maureen and Alfred, two sisters, Debbie and Kim, and children Stuart, Stephen, Shaun and Charlene still live in Yarmouth, where Nick also has a home.

A grandfather of seven he is looking forward to meeting one-year-old Mikey and Mark, two, for the first time when they visit later this year.

“One sad factor about living away is I have not managed to meet two of my grandchildren yet,” said Nick.

“For three of my children it will be their first trip here and I know they are very excited about coming.

“The thing I like most about Lithuania is the countryside. I live in a regional park next to a forest with beautiful lakes and the beach is just a stone's throw from my home. It's so peaceful and the scenery is absolutely stunning.”

“Klaipeda is not unlike Yarmouth, but on a larger scale. The only thing I miss about living in England, apart from my family, is fish and chips.

He added: “Wages here are very low, but it's possible to have an excellent standard of living on a western European income.

“My main dislike is the way people drive; there are two speeds in Lithuania, fast and faster. Especially with the young boys, as most drive fast cars such as BMW and Audis. Cars are very inexpensive and insurance premiums a third of the UK.”

Nick grew up in Gorleston, joining the army when he was 17. He became an offshore worker five years later and works on gas rigs off the coast of Holland and Denmark.

He decided to move to Lithuania after marrying Dalia, his second wife, who he met through a mutual friend.

The couple converse in each other's language and Nick has hired a private tutor to improve his Lithuanian.

He has Lithuanian friends living in England, though not in Yarmouth. A few English people live close to his home including a friend from Lowestoft.