Locations to retire to and why?

[GT3Manthey]

My wife grew up in central London so always feels she needs to be close by to shops & amenities such a clubs whereas I could live very rural .

Therefore having sampled living by the sea and yet having everything on our doorstep Frinton works for us.

To some it’s an odd place but it’s in her comfort zone so it’s where we are hopefully heading .

Each to their own but hustle and bustle wouldn’t be for me in retirement so I think we’ve found a future half way house

Edited by GT3Manthey on Tuesday 15th March 08:54

[bennno]

GT3Manthey said:

My wife grew up in central London so always feels he needs to be close by to shops & amenities such a clubs whereas I could live very rural .

Therefore having sampled living by the sea and yet having everything on our doorstep Frinton works for us.

To some it’s an odd place but it’s in her comfort zone so it’s where we are hopefully heading .

Each to their own but hustle and bustle wouldn’t be for me in retirement so I think we’ve found a future half way house

Is your partner gender fluid?

[Siko]

We moved out to proper middle of nowhere a few years back and bought the house from a retired couple who were moving into the local town, as the wifey was fed up with driving everywhere, mud, cowst etc. They lasted a year in town before they moved to the next village over from us and back to the country again My folks have done the opposite in retirement and love it - tiny village to big town....they walk everywhere and love going out for coffees/meals etc without too much hassle.

[crusty]

I live in Shoreham, 200 metres from the sea, South Downs on my doorstep, and 15 mins into Brighton. So really covers both bases of City and countryside/seaside

We are retiring to Andulcia next year

[ARHarh]

Personally I can't even enter a town the size of Chester with out feeling claustrophobic. I really could not imagine living in a city like London or Manchester. Even a small town would get me down. I like waking up and seeing fields full of lambs, hoping on my bike and cycling 20 miles and only passing 3 or 4 moving cars on the way. I don't need shops over the road and pubs next door. No way could I live in a town.

Mind I still want to be within 5 miles of a supermarket and basic facilities. Its finding that balance, It would be lovely to live miles from anyone, but having to drive 10 miles to the nearest decent road every time you went out would soon become a pain.

[GT3Manthey]

bennno said:

Is your partner gender fluid?

Haha good spot have now amended tks .

Proves I’m getting old and need to retire .
I’ll fit in well in Frinton !

[Shnozz]

Siko said:

My folks have done the opposite in retirement and love it - tiny village to big town....they walk everywhere and love going out for coffees/meals etc without too much hassle.

My in-laws have done this, as have the parents of a good friend. Both downsized from a detached house with gardens to maintain, stairs etc. Bought apartments in cities and loving having cinemas, shops, cafes and restaurants on their doorstep. When I heard initially I thought a strange decision, but now its played out for a few years I can understand the attraction. Years of living rurally enjoying the house, garden and raising a family. Now an easy maintenance flat where they can be selfish with their time and also lock up and leave so they can travel.

Personally I love both the city and rural, albeit when I say "rural" my limit would be a small town. I couldn't live in the arse end of nowhere.

[paulguitar]

ARHarh said:

I like waking up and seeing fields full of lambs, hoping on my bike and cycling 20 miles and only passing 3 or 4 moving cars on the way.

Crikey, you must be fast!

[JeffreyD]

Shnozz said:

My in-laws have done this, as have the parents of a good friend. Both downsized from a detached house with gardens to maintain, stairs etc. Bought apartments in cities and loving having cinemas, shops, cafes and restaurants on their doorstep. When I heard initially I thought a strange decision, but now its played out for a few years I can understand the attraction. Years of living rurally enjoying the house, garden and raising a family. Now an easy maintenance flat where they can be selfish with their time and also lock up and leave so they can travel.

Personally I love both the city and rural, albeit when I say "rural" my limit would be a small town. I couldn't live in the arse end of nowhere.

It's exactly what we've just done.

We've kept some land where our old house was and moved to the town centre. Can walk to the mainline station in 5 mins and barely use the car at all now.

I walk and bike significantly more than I did and if we want to "be in the country" we are 5 mins ride from the canal and bridleway that open up miles of walks and rides.

It's only been a few months but I have really enjoyed it so far.

[Shnozz]

JeffreyD said:

I walk and bike significantly more than I did and if we want to "be in the country" we are 5 mins ride from the canal and bridleway that open up miles of walks and rides.

You raise a good point actually on that front. I grew up in the country and my parents still live rurally. They use their car for everything. Perhaps slightly lazy at times, but often born from necessity due to their location.

I live in the middle of a city. Not only is everything accessible on foot, using the car is harder work due to traffic and parking. The default is always therefore to walk or cycle. Every day my watch pings to tell me 10k steps have been achieved without fail.

During lockdown I stayed out in the sticks and used the car far more often. I noticed my waistline creeping up and attribute that to the lack of walking a few miles every day.

[okgo]

Shnozz said:

You raise a good point actually on that front. I grew up in the country and my parents still live rurally. They use their car for everything. Perhaps slightly lazy at times, but often born from necessity due to their location.

I live in the middle of a city. Not only is everything accessible on foot, using the car is harder work due to traffic and parking. The default is always therefore to walk or cycle. Every day my watch pings to tell me 10k steps have been achieved without fail.

During lockdown I stayed out in the sticks and used the car far more often. I noticed my waistline creeping up and attribute that to the lack of walking a few miles every day.

Depending how rural you were - you just cannot walk in some places. Where I grew up it was not that far from a village on the map but the only way to get there without walking 5 miles was along a 60mph SC a road. Not going to happen.

[Evoluzione]

paulguitar said:

ARHarh said:

I like waking up and seeing fields full of lambs, hoping on my bike and cycling 20 miles and only passing 3 or 4 moving cars on the way.

Crikey, you must be fast!

He was just hoping, not doing

[paulguitar]

Evoluzione said:

paulguitar said:

ARHarh said:

I like waking up and seeing fields full of lambs, hoping on my bike and cycling 20 miles and only passing 3 or 4 moving cars on the way.

Crikey, you must be fast!

He was just hoping, not doing

[RC1807]

I'm originally from Bournemouth but have lived and worked in Luxembourg for 24 years. It's obviously much quieter here, far less traffic, etc., but it is a pricey place to be a pensioner.

I've been working on my wife and I selling up when I reach retirement age (in 8 years) and getting a townhouse on the Algarve, close-ish to the beach. Looking more on the eastern side of the Algarve, maybe near Tavira. The beach is what we miss most from our previous lives in Bournemouth. At least on the Algarve the weather's generally nicer and the cost of living is less. Who knows what the future holds....

[Jaguar steve]

Sheets Tabuer said:

I was like that until I actually did it and it took a while to get used to it but I wouldn't move back for all the money in the world, the country grows on you, it gets in your bones.

Nothing would tempt me back into urban or town life now either.

Mrs JS and I both grew up in the countryside but lived in towns for decades for convenience. The moment the need for convenience went we sold up and were straight back to the rural countryside and on the very rare occasions we go back into town we both wonder what on earth we were thinking of by staying there for so long.

[ARHarh]

paulguitar said:

ARHarh said:

I like waking up and seeing fields full of lambs, hoping on my bike and cycling 20 miles and only passing 3 or 4 moving cars on the way.

Crikey, you must be fast!

Sadly they are going the other way, would have to be very careful drivers for me to overtake them.

[Mark Benson]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Lovely part of the world, and not too remote. I lived in Little Bedwyn for 10 years or so when I'd had enough of London, it's about the only place I've lived previously that I'd go back to in a heartbeat.

We're now on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales (close to where I grew up) but the point made above about being somewhere more lively is a good one. Both my wife and I have always said we'd stay in the countryside until we got to the stage where we needed more medical intervention, driving became more difficult or we found ourselves with too much time on our hands, then it was off to a town with amenities within walking distance.

[mikeiow]

Since this is about exploring new areas to retire to…..
Genuine question to those who have “upped sticks” and moved somewhere (the countryside, the Algarve, etc): do you not miss old friends?

I understand that people will visit, but that is a far more planned task than a WhatsApp “anyone fancy a curry/beers/film tonight, or bike ride tomorrow ‘cos the weather looks decent”.
I also get that some people are more solitary, & I can see that making relocation far easier if that is you.

Maybe in a few years we will tire of our pals….but the thought of heading to a totally new area perhaps a hundred or more miles away and building up a network from scratch would fill me with mild horror right now.

[Escort3500]

mikeiow said:

Since this is about exploring new areas to retire to…..
Genuine question to those who have “upped sticks” and moved somewhere (the countryside, the Algarve, etc): do you not miss old friends?

I understand that people will visit, but that is a far more planned task than a WhatsApp “anyone fancy a curry/beers/film tonight, or bike ride tomorrow ‘cos the weather looks decent”.
I also get that some people are more solitary, & I can see that making relocation far easier if that is you.

Maybe in a few years we will tire of our pals….but the thought of heading to a totally new area perhaps a hundred or more miles away and building up a network from scratch would fill me with mild horror right now.

Although we moved 260 miles north we found the transition easy, though we were much younger then. Initially we missed old friends, but the really close ones have remained close and we occasionally visit them or vice versa and Facebook, Skype, email etc help maintain contact. More importantly, we made lots of new friends through work and in the village and nearby town and through sports clubs, car groups etc.

[PositronicRay]

mikeiow said:

Since this is about exploring new areas to retire to…..
Genuine question to those who have “upped sticks” and moved somewhere (the countryside, the Algarve, etc): do you not miss old friends?

I understand that people will visit, but that is a far more planned task than a WhatsApp “anyone fancy a curry/beers/film tonight, or bike ride tomorrow ‘cos the weather looks decent”.
I also get that some people are more solitary, & I can see that making relocation far easier if that is you.

Maybe in a few years we will tire of our pals….but the thought of heading to a totally new area perhaps a hundred or more miles away and building up a network from scratch would fill me with mild horror right now.

Our old friends and family are spread about across the country anyway so hardly a consideration.

You'll stay in touch with the close ones and (with a little effort) establish a new network. It won't be the same, but life changes anyway.

Some pals of mine made the move, she has a huge network of friends, misses it and never really settled.