Where to retire in the UK
Discussion
mikeiow said:
Wife was born on RAF Leuchars.....we swung past on one recent touring holiday in Scotland for her to see the place for the first time since she was 2, & to show the kids.
What a dump! Mind you, that was a very specific location
To make up, we went to her fathers birthplace, Dundee. He couldn’t wait to leave the place, signing up to the RAF...but that was the late 40s, & he remained a lifelong Dark Blues fan.
The V&A was a great stop, & the city looked pretty interesting (as we drove on through!)
I can see that area could be interesting & well positioned for retirement....but I reckon a bit colder & greyer overall. Wife is resolutely not interested in living up there, but I can see us on more holiday trips around her native country in the future.
Dundee has had a lot off investment during the last 20 years, which has really helped turn it around. It still has its issues like any large town or city, but it’s far better than it was. What a dump! Mind you, that was a very specific location
To make up, we went to her fathers birthplace, Dundee. He couldn’t wait to leave the place, signing up to the RAF...but that was the late 40s, & he remained a lifelong Dark Blues fan.
The V&A was a great stop, & the city looked pretty interesting (as we drove on through!)
I can see that area could be interesting & well positioned for retirement....but I reckon a bit colder & greyer overall. Wife is resolutely not interested in living up there, but I can see us on more holiday trips around her native country in the future.
J6542 said:
Dundee has had a lot off investment during the last 20 years, which has really helped turn it around. It still has its issues like any large town or city, but it’s far better than it was.
Don't talk up Scotland as a destination...it is the LACK OF heaving population that makes it the best . St Andrews is ruined for me , I went there a couple of years ago for a few days scouting.....UGH, summer , the qty of people would drive you mad. Its not the place its was ( in my rose tinted memory ) The east of scotland is cold in winter, but as you say surprisingly dry on average . I love it. PH5121 said:
I have a friend who has moved to Ripon, and for a short while lived at Boroughbridge (whilst extending his house), both of which from my visits seem like nice places.
Ripon seems to have decent schools, a good range of shops, some nice pubs and is virtually in the Dales.
I have very fond memories of Ripon as a child Ripon seems to have decent schools, a good range of shops, some nice pubs and is virtually in the Dales.
irocfan said:
PH5121 said:
I have a friend who has moved to Ripon, and for a short while lived at Boroughbridge (whilst extending his house), both of which from my visits seem like nice places.
Ripon seems to have decent schools, a good range of shops, some nice pubs and is virtually in the Dales.
I have very fond memories of Ripon as a child Ripon seems to have decent schools, a good range of shops, some nice pubs and is virtually in the Dales.
PM3 said:
J6542 said:
Dundee has had a lot off investment during the last 20 years, which has really helped turn it around. It still has its issues like any large town or city, but it’s far better than it was.
Don't talk up Scotland as a destination...it is the LACK OF heaving population that makes it the best . St Andrews is ruined for me , I went there a couple of years ago for a few days scouting.....UGH, summer , the qty of people would drive you mad. Its not the place its was ( in my rose tinted memory ) The east of scotland is cold in winter, but as you say surprisingly dry on average . I love it. Id take warm and wet any time. Except that brings midges. Lots of midges.
monkfish1 said:
LetsTryAgain said:
monkfish1 said:
Aside from the SNP/independance issue, you forgot cold. Very cold.
It’s only ever really 5 degrees cooler up north than down south.Thats actually quite a lot.
Nobody has mentioned my area yet, so I'm going to, as it seems full of pensioners most of the time so must be doing something right.
Southwell and it's surrounding villages in East Notts.it's also home to nottinghamshire's only Minster.
Large enough to have a Co-op, boots, Doctor's, a couple of dentists, a Vet, an M&S Petrol Station.
it's half an hour drive from Nottingham, 15 minutes from Newark and the A1
Also at Newark are the East Coast Mainline trains which get you to London in an hour and a quarter.
Lots of great countryside, near Sherwood Forest, walks along the river Trent, If you do fancy a night out in normal times the last bus from Nottingham is 2:30am
It's pricer than the rest of the area - which is of course a good sign.
What makes it stand out though is apart from the Coop, the One Stop, and the two Pharmacists the high street is all independant shops.
Even the multitude of estate agents that go hand in hand with nice villages are local, not national chains.
Penty of variety of housing, from your victorian (or earlier) worker's cottage, through grander townhouses, a couple of 30's roads, a few small 60s-newbuild estates( none of them amounting to over 50 houses really) to grand, listed ex church manor house sized detached, all within walking distance of the town centre.
There's also villages all the way round, thise to the south tend to be more expensive, but some serious value to the north of the town to be had.
Horsey types catered for in abundance.
45 mins to East Midlands or Doncaster Airport, 2 hours to Manchester, 2.5 to Heathrow
Southwell and it's surrounding villages in East Notts.it's also home to nottinghamshire's only Minster.
Large enough to have a Co-op, boots, Doctor's, a couple of dentists, a Vet, an M&S Petrol Station.
it's half an hour drive from Nottingham, 15 minutes from Newark and the A1
Also at Newark are the East Coast Mainline trains which get you to London in an hour and a quarter.
Lots of great countryside, near Sherwood Forest, walks along the river Trent, If you do fancy a night out in normal times the last bus from Nottingham is 2:30am
It's pricer than the rest of the area - which is of course a good sign.
What makes it stand out though is apart from the Coop, the One Stop, and the two Pharmacists the high street is all independant shops.
Even the multitude of estate agents that go hand in hand with nice villages are local, not national chains.
Penty of variety of housing, from your victorian (or earlier) worker's cottage, through grander townhouses, a couple of 30's roads, a few small 60s-newbuild estates( none of them amounting to over 50 houses really) to grand, listed ex church manor house sized detached, all within walking distance of the town centre.
There's also villages all the way round, thise to the south tend to be more expensive, but some serious value to the north of the town to be had.
Horsey types catered for in abundance.
45 mins to East Midlands or Doncaster Airport, 2 hours to Manchester, 2.5 to Heathrow
Wiltshire Lad said:
rlw said:
Wiltshire Lad said:
Hospital not so important - ask yourself - can I walk to the shops / pub / restaurants / gyms etc...? We lived in a picture postcard cotswold village for 5 years and frankly it became a pain in the butt having to drive everywhere. Now live in a larger village - small co-op, leisure centre, 3 pubs...so much better. And socially far better - various clubs, societies from sport to music and gardening.
Plus the lager the community it’s often easier to become part of it.
But that's not the back of beyong then, is it?Plus the lager the community it’s often easier to become part of it.
I think retiring to a penthouse apartment in the centre of Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham might suit me to be honest.
AC43 said:
My mrs is, for reasons that I must admit I don't fully comprehend, determined that we'll move out of London when I retire.
My stipulation is that we'll have to go somewhere with plenty of life & plenty to do on foot.
I'd hate to be isolated somewhere which involves driving somewhere continuously.
The absolute minimum for me would be a market town with a decent choice of pubs within walking distance plus a decent restaurant or two.
Anything smaller and I'd be crawling the walls.
Uttoxeter. My stipulation is that we'll have to go somewhere with plenty of life & plenty to do on foot.
I'd hate to be isolated somewhere which involves driving somewhere continuously.
The absolute minimum for me would be a market town with a decent choice of pubs within walking distance plus a decent restaurant or two.
Anything smaller and I'd be crawling the walls.
Pit Pony said:
Wiltshire Lad said:
rlw said:
Wiltshire Lad said:
Hospital not so important - ask yourself - can I walk to the shops / pub / restaurants / gyms etc...? We lived in a picture postcard cotswold village for 5 years and frankly it became a pain in the butt having to drive everywhere. Now live in a larger village - small co-op, leisure centre, 3 pubs...so much better. And socially far better - various clubs, societies from sport to music and gardening.
Plus the lager the community it’s often easier to become part of it.
But that's not the back of beyong then, is it?Plus the lager the community it’s often easier to become part of it.
I think retiring to a penthouse apartment in the centre of Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham might suit me to be honest.
Weather keeps getting a mention, and for me this would be quite a significant factor in the choice of any location.
I'm in Essex, but our parents are from W. Yorks and Manchester. During the regular catch up phone calls where we discuss what we've been up to we've often been able to do things due to the weather, whereas they've had to sit inside. It does seem to be a source of some angst for them, so I'm not sure I'd want to return there.
I'm in Essex, but our parents are from W. Yorks and Manchester. During the regular catch up phone calls where we discuss what we've been up to we've often been able to do things due to the weather, whereas they've had to sit inside. It does seem to be a source of some angst for them, so I'm not sure I'd want to return there.
Vasco said:
Market Harborough.
Nope, left there 6 years ago having lived there for 20 years. (Well, Little Bowden but its a "suburb" of Harborough now)Was a lovely little Market Town but the massive amount of building (including the flood plains) has made it unreasonably congested.
The bypass had resolved most of the earlier congestion where the A6 went through the town but when we left it was back to square one and the building has continued apace.
Harborough sits in a bowl and has a microclimate and poor air quality. (Ask local GPs).
My wife developed asthma while living there. One of the reasons that we moved and she hasn't had any symptoms since we left.
Now in north Cardiff but can't wait to leave Wales when we retire in next couple of years.
As previously stated we shall probably end up in Lincs/Norfolk as things stand.
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