Locations to retire to and why?

[worsy]

pubrunner said:

Siko said:

. . . toying with downsizing I saw a lovely house in a lovely village for just under 500k come up, which unfortunately turned out to back onto a bloody huge pig farm, by back on I mean literally in the back garden

Ha Ha !

Almost certain, that we discounted the same place - for the same reason . . . I'll bet it was in West Felton.

That house is lovely but it's almost inside Ivy Farm West Felton though is a lovely village.

[Siko]

pubrunner said:

Ha Ha !

Almost certain, that we discounted the same place - for the same reason . . . I'll bet it was in West Felton.

Hahah spot on Lovely village though.....still the best county in the UK by a countrymile and I don't care what anyone says

[Bannock]

marine boy said:

Abroad, Slovenia, fell in love with the place, so much so I plan to spend a good chunk of my retirement there

As for the UK, Herefordshire, Powys or Shropshire would be my 1st choices

Oi, bguger off, I saw Slovenia first! It's mine I tell you!

[GT3Manthey]

I’ve always fancied the New Forest as a place to retire to.

Lovely villages and walks plus not too far for the odd beach day to Bournemouth .

Can’t get the wife to agree though

[Hol]

GT3Manthey said:

I’ve always fancied the New Forest as a place to retire to.

Lovely villages and walks plus not too far for the odd beach day to Bournemouth .

Can’t get the wife to agree though

I lived and worked down that way in the late 90’s and it is lovely, but the Forest itself can get very busy in the summer, just like any other national park. Prices are also at a premium the closer to are to Lyndhurst.

If you do consider it I would suggest looking somewhere around Verwood, as you money starts to go a bit further from that point North.

Outside of the rush hour traffic, pretty much everything you would want to visit is less than 40mins away.


I don’t think your original Frinton idea is a bad shout, to be honest.

Edited by Hol on Wednesday 30th March 09:58

[PositronicRay]

GT3Manthey said:

I’ve always fancied the New Forest as a place to retire to.

Lovely villages and walks plus not too far for the odd beach day to Bournemouth .

Can’t get the wife to agree though

My folks retired there after a life in London 35yrs ago, loved it.

Upsides
Dad was a keen walker but due to respiratory problems couldn't cope with hills. Flattish but interesting countryside.
Plenty of retirees from all over so easy to join in.
Decent sense of community.
Picturesque so plenty of visitors, and stuff to do with grandchildren.
Decent hospital in Southampton.
Easy access, road, rail, bus and air
Great for cyclists, yachties, equestrian, wildlife, enthusiast's.

Downsides.
Very busy during peak periods, nightmarish traffic.
Winters soggy heathland and flooding.
Expensive housing.


Overall a solid 8/10 for my perspective.

Edited by PositronicRay on Wednesday 30th March 10:04

[Hol]

Jaguar steve said:

El stovey said:

Jaguar steve said:

Vasco said:

Isn't this the issue with so many of the hot and sunny venues ?

So many that seem attractive initially are only 'sun and sand' venues, much like you can do for 2-3 weeks anytime. I'd want somewhere with more to do, good travel links to other towns/countries etc.

Absolutely.

Traveling around on a big road trip and seeing the sights then yes I'm up for that but just lying in the sun day after day because that's all there is to do then no thanks.

That’s like someone from Spain saying all there is to do in the U.K. is sit in the rain.

There’s all kinds of things you could get involved in if you spent longer in these countries from sports and exercise based activities to joining clubs and meeting new people, getting involved in local communities. Maybe charity work or something else fulfilling?

When you retire in the U.K. are you going to just sit in your garden?

It reminds me of when I lived in the Far East as an expat. Some people, loved it and got involved in all sorts of activities and things they enjoyed and others just ended up bored and having affairs and becoming alcoholics.

Spain yes you're right, you could be as involved as you want to be, but as far as the Canaries go which is what triggered my remark then there really isn't that much on offer to amuse apart from lying in the sun, some trail walking and fairly hardcore sports such as kitesurfing and cycling at the sweaty Lycra + level.

My in-laws have lived in southern Spain for the last 20years, and although they live in a remote area, they do seem to fill their days.
Having a dog helps, as that introduces a twice daily routine in itself.

[GT3Manthey]

Hol said:

I lived and worked down that way in the late 90’s and it is lovely, but the Forest itself can get very busy in the summer, just like any other national park. Prices are also at a premium the closer to are to Lyndhurst.

If you do consider it I would suggest looking somewhere around Verwood, as you money starts to go a bit further from that point North.

Outside of the rush hour traffic, pretty much everything you would want to visit is less than 40mins away.


I don’t think your original Frinton idea is a bad shout, to be honest.

Edited by Hol on Wednesday 30th March 09:58

Tks I’ve just taken a look on Rightmove and yes Verwood looks better value .

We always spent our time in Lyndhurst and around Brokenhurst which I guess is natural for most holiday makers.

Frinton - yup , I can see it’s where we’ll end up as the missus will argue the new forest is too far .

Only issue is finding the right place that still offers family accommodation for returning kids and yet doesn’t end up too big for when they have fully moved out .

Will need to get registered with the local agents end of this year for properties that are about to hit the market.

If they find us the right place then in return they can sell our flat there . Decent incentive