Where to retire in the UK

[Louis Balfour]

k99 said:

Louis Balfour said:

Stamford is very pleasant.

And v v expensive

It's circular isn't it. It's expensive because it is nice and it is nice because it is expensive.

[Tango13]

Tyre Tread said:

Well, we very much have Lincs in our sights to retire to in next 2-5 years and we went to visit friends last weekend in Market Deeping and Boston.

What it brought home to me (which I think SWMBO had already figured out) is how tedious it really is travelling the roads east of the A1 and thefore we are likely top go as near to Rutland/Northants border as we can.

Boston is not somewhere I'd choose to retire to, I rented there for 3 months before buying further north on the edge of the Wolds.

If you're looking at Lincolnshire then head for the Wolds, they're still a stfight to get to but it's far better than the Fens which can be bleak beyond words.

Take a look in the area from Lincoln to Gunby Hall on the A158 then up to Louth/Laceby across to Scawby and back down to Lincoln on the A15.

[GT3Manthey]

Much soul searching and a few moves in the last few years and we’ve discovered Frinton on Sea .

Much to do here with golf , tennis and cricket clubs plus a community and a beautiful beach

Edited by GT3Manthey on Sunday 6th June 06:21

[Tyre Tread]

Tango13 said:

Tyre Tread said:

Well, we very much have Lincs in our sights to retire to in next 2-5 years and we went to visit friends last weekend in Market Deeping and Boston.

What it brought home to me (which I think SWMBO had already figured out) is how tedious it really is travelling the roads east of the A1 and thefore we are likely top go as near to Rutland/Northants border as we can.

Boston is not somewhere I'd choose to retire to, I rented there for 3 months before buying further north on the edge of the Wolds.

If you're looking at Lincolnshire then head for the Wolds, they're still a stfight to get to but it's far better than the Fens which can be bleak beyond words.

Take a look in the area from Lincoln to Gunby Hall on the A158 then up to Louth/Laceby across to Scawby and back down to Lincoln on the A15.

Sadly that would put us too far North of where we want to be for access to friends (no family to speak of).

[CLX]

Redchaz said:

This issue is absolute top of my list at the moment ! I have sold my house in Hampshire, completion 9th July, no idea where to move to. I have grown up children (and grandchildren) in London but how long they stay there I don't know. I don't want to be in London commuter belt, I have taken the 6:01 from Hook to Waterloo for 30 odd years pre Covid and want to move away.
July I've rented a tiny cottage in Swaledale; August I've rented a tiny cottage in Newport Pembrokeshire. After that no idea but I think I'll rent something maybe in central England for 6 months.
Current possibilities are:
North East Norfolk around Mundesley/Sea Palling/Hickling/Ludham/Neatishead/Martham areas.
Northumberland, either Corbridge (as discussed in a previous thread), or rural.
Pembrokeshire, either St David's/Solva area or Newport.
Stay in Hampshire but further west so Micheldever and beyond.
Oxfordshire, Lechlade and east to within, say 12 miles of Oxford.
Dorset coast, say Burton Bradstock towards Lyme Regis.
One of the Devon villages, say Silverton, Thorverton, Talaton.
Cheshire villages: Lymm (where I come from), Knutsford, Mobberley or further south towards Tarporley etc.
I love the look of Kirkby Lonsdale and area but have never been there !
I'm going to see a couple of houses next week, one close to Appleby-in Westmorland (I'm aware of the Horse fair !); one nearer Penrith.
Parts of Somerset, Herefordshire, Shropshire look lovely but I don't know them.

I don't want Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey.
I don't know Sussex.

That's about it. How about that for being in a muddle !?
I'm 60, not in great health, married to a lovely lady who is in very good health.
2 dogs, a cat and had to retire early following a cycling accident.

I like the sound of this plan.

How will you deal with car insurance and anything which needs a correspondence address? Change it all each time you move, or have do you have somewhere for stuff to be directed to?

[Sticks.]

GT3Manthey said:

Much soul searching and a few moves in the last few years and we’ve discovered Frinton on Sea .

Much to do here with golf , tennis and cricket clubs plus a community and a beautiful beach

Edited by GT3Manthey on Sunday 6th June 06:21

After the round house post I had a mooch about vial Google Maps, and I can see why. Glad you found somewhere you like.

I quite like Bexhill. It's a bit 'unrestored' in places, expensive in others, but seems chilled and friendly and quite a good social infrastructure. What put me off is that I know there are better places if I get out and look.

[Vasco]

Are you likely to drive a car very often and over a reasonable distance ? - if so, you may need to take into account the local road network. Some of those you mention might prove to be a real pain.

[zygalski]

I live near Rye & tbh not fussed about going anywhere else.
A lot of people come here for country escape holidays etc.

[MattS5]

North Norfolk looking crowded today......a little off the beaten path, keeps it relatively quiet.

[bennno]

Thats actually quite crowded compared to us:

[timberman]

we were at horsey gap a couple of months ago and that was quite crowded, just not with people.



|https://thumbsnap.com/yvMJgbWa[/url]

[GT3Manthey]

Sticks. said:

After the round house post I had a mooch about vial Google Maps, and I can see why. Glad you found somewhere you like.

Tks.

I think for retirement it offers so much for so little plus getting to London ( if I ever needed to ) isn’t actually that bad.

COVID has put this on peoples radars though and house prices have taken off but then Frinton’s not alone on that one .

A house that sold for £365k in 2016 has just sold for £800k but the roundhouse still isn’t selling.

The views from that house would be stunning too

[Gary C]

paulguitar said:

Shropshire might be suitable.

NO

stay away, nothing to see here

Shropshire is a local county for local people, there's nothing for you here.

[red_slr]

GT3Manthey said:

A house that sold for £365k in 2016 has just sold for £800k but the roundhouse still isn’t selling.

This is the same problem I am having. Prices have doubled in only 3-4 years in the area I am looking.
Maybe they were too cheap to start with, but thats a heck of a change over a short period of time.

[aeropilot]

GT3Manthey said:

Sticks. said:

I love it, but I think I'd want some insulation too - metal windows on a cliff top on the E coast Probably listed and not permitted.

They’ve spent tons on it but it’s proving a hard sell.

Local council wouldn’t let them add a balcony as it was the old show home for the Art Deco estate that was built back in the day .

I’ts a lovely spot

They wrecked it, thats why its proving hard to sell.
I know of a few people that are really into deco stuff and were unlucky in not getting it when it was for sale and needing doing up, and they've viewed and said a lot of the original fittings and the original parquet flooring has been wrecked by trying to make it trendy looking.
The period and listed issue pointed out mean it's not attractive to people with no love of Deco, and the unsympathetic 'restoration' now means its not attractive to Deco fans.
Hence now a hard sell.

[GT3Manthey]

red_slr said:

This is the same problem I am having. Prices have doubled in only 3-4 years in the area I am looking.
Maybe they were too cheap to start with, but thats a heck of a change over a short period of time.

Spotted an earlier news wire stating house prices had dipped .7% Month on Month but I guess that won’t impact the recent gains very much in most areas.

Costal retreats are popular now.

[Hol]

Well, I am no closer to agreeing an 'area' with Lady Hol.

So far all we have is a short list.

Lincolnshire
North Norfolk
Kent weald
Somerset

The only thing we can agree is a downsize to a small house around £325k (at todays prices).
Bungalow is a preference for the long term, but the option is open to move again later if we like a particular house. Three beds is fine. I want a decent garage though and a manageable garden, as we intend to lock the place up and spend the winters in Florida where we own a property.

I want somewhere that has some nice walking and cycling options nearby (Hills are Ok, but mountains are a no-no) and ideally some woodland areas, but not to far away from a track day location as I intend to continue doing a few..

My wife seems to change her mind a lot, dependent on which relative she has spoken to last. I am sure it will change again, when our children have kids of their own.




I am visiting my mum in Suffolk soon for a few days, so will probably check out some of the Norfolk and Lincolnshire areas as part of that trip.

[GT3Manthey]

Hol said:

Well, I am no closer to agreeing an 'area' with Lady Hol.

So far all we have is a short list.

Lincolnshire
North Norfolk
Kent weald
Somerset

The only thing we can agree is a downsize to a small house around £325k (at todays prices).
Bungalow is a preference for the long term, but the option is open to move again later if we like a particular house. Three beds is fine. I want a decent garage though and a manageable garden, as we intend to lock the place up and spend the winters in Florida where we own a property.

I want somewhere that has some nice walking and cycling options nearby (Hills are Ok, but mountains are a no-no) and ideally some woodland areas, but not to far away from a track day location as I intend to continue doing a few..

My wife seems to change her mind a lot, dependent on which relative she has spoken to last. I am sure it will change again, when our children have kids of their own.




I am visiting my mum in Suffolk soon for a few days, so will probably check out some of the Norfolk and Lincolnshire areas as part of that trip.

I’m a fan of Suffolk but I don’t know much about Norfolk so need to head up that way myself.

Our goal in 2/3 years is to sell up house and flat in Frinton On Sea and buy a house in Frinton.

Prior to this year you could find a decent house for around 650k but that’s no longer the case so our budget will have to be increased.

I’m not fussed on a large garden as Frinton has all we need for recreation.

[C70R]

Hol said:

Well, I am no closer to agreeing an 'area' with Lady Hol.

So far all we have is a short list.

Lincolnshire
North Norfolk
Kent weald
Somerset

The only thing we can agree is a downsize to a small house around £325k (at todays prices).
Bungalow is a preference for the long term, but the option is open to move again later if we like a particular house. Three beds is fine. I want a decent garage though and a manageable garden, as we intend to lock the place up and spend the winters in Florida where we own a property.

I want somewhere that has some nice walking and cycling options nearby (Hills are Ok, but mountains are a no-no) and ideally some woodland areas, but not to far away from a track day location as I intend to continue doing a few..

My wife seems to change her mind a lot, dependent on which relative she has spoken to last. I am sure it will change again, when our children have kids of their own.




I am visiting my mum in Suffolk soon for a few days, so will probably check out some of the Norfolk and Lincolnshire areas as part of that trip.

The areas inland from the (beautiful) North Norfolk coast should be all you need and more. There are plenty of bungalows around that price bracket, although you're in 2.5-bed territory unless you want to live in a big town (you don't - most big towns in Norfolk are dire).

It's also very flat and attractive, meaning that plenty of coastal and country walks are accessible. Snetterton is within easy access, and places like Bedford, Cadwell and Mallory Park are all fairly straightforward.

Lots to like.

[Vasco]

Hol said:

Well, I am no closer to agreeing an 'area' with Lady Hol.

So far all we have is a short list.

Lincolnshire
North Norfolk
Kent weald
Somerset

The only thing we can agree is a downsize to a small house around £325k (at todays prices).
Bungalow is a preference for the long term, but the option is open to move again later if we like a particular house. Three beds is fine. I want a decent garage though and a manageable garden, as we intend to lock the place up and spend the winters in Florida where we own a property.

I want somewhere that has some nice walking and cycling options nearby (Hills are Ok, but mountains are a no-no) and ideally some woodland areas, but not to far away from a track day location as I intend to continue doing a few..

My wife seems to change her mind a lot, dependent on which relative she has spoken to last. I am sure it will change again, when our children have kids of their own.




I am visiting my mum in Suffolk soon for a few days, so will probably check out some of the Norfolk and Lincolnshire areas as part of that trip.

You won't get much for £325k in Kent and, personally, I can't think of many good parts of Lincs (it's cheap for a reason.......)