Perfect place to retire to?
Discussion
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Central London, Soho, or anywhere with a W1 postcode. Get rid of the cars, and walk, cycle and use public transport. The very best of everything you could want is on your doorstep.
Jesus. Sod that. I'd rather be dead.I'd have a small apartment in Valletta overlooking the Grand Harbour for the winters and a narrowboat on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for the summers.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Central London, Soho, or anywhere with a W1 postcode. Get rid of the cars, and walk, cycle and use public transport. The very best of everything you could want is on your doorstep.
It's a mistake to opt for the quiet life as you get older. You need noise, crowds, etc.
Agreed. As you retire and gain loads of free time, you want to spend that doing things - and not vegetating out in the sticks.It's a mistake to opt for the quiet life as you get older. You need noise, crowds, etc.
Not so difficult if you're loaded, tricky if not.
Plenty of UK pensioners trapped in the likes of Spain and Portugal with pensions hit by the exchange rate and unsaleable properties. Many of them seem to spend most of their time in little ex-pat communities moaning and drinking. I'm not sure what the score is with nursing homes in Spain and Portugal. Of course, it's an industry here.
Large parts of the UK are fine if you aren't bothered by the weather, but if you like it mild all year round it would have to be the south coast. Congestion won't bother you if you're not driving much and there's plenty to do as well as airports and cross-channel ports never far away.
Spain or Portugal would suit me because I'm not a drinker and I like isolation and warm weather all year round. I could easily cope with little more than the occasional trip back here if I was on my own. As I'm not, I'll stay put. I used to be keen on a foreign holiday home but I now think it's better to spend £10K a year on foreign holidays every year for the next twenty years than be restricted to the same place for the same period.
Plenty of UK pensioners trapped in the likes of Spain and Portugal with pensions hit by the exchange rate and unsaleable properties. Many of them seem to spend most of their time in little ex-pat communities moaning and drinking. I'm not sure what the score is with nursing homes in Spain and Portugal. Of course, it's an industry here.
Large parts of the UK are fine if you aren't bothered by the weather, but if you like it mild all year round it would have to be the south coast. Congestion won't bother you if you're not driving much and there's plenty to do as well as airports and cross-channel ports never far away.
Spain or Portugal would suit me because I'm not a drinker and I like isolation and warm weather all year round. I could easily cope with little more than the occasional trip back here if I was on my own. As I'm not, I'll stay put. I used to be keen on a foreign holiday home but I now think it's better to spend £10K a year on foreign holidays every year for the next twenty years than be restricted to the same place for the same period.
ZOLLAR said:
Andorra for me.
Went there last year and loved the place, plenty of skiing in the winter and beautiful summers with many mountains for hiking.
Easy to access France and Spain as well as not being far from Italy.
Only downside is no major airport.
I’ll spend my winters there - airports not too bad, Toulouse or Barcelona both 2-3 hours away - there’s lots of places in the UK further from a decent airport. I currently commute to the UK most weeks but that will clearly stop when I retire.Went there last year and loved the place, plenty of skiing in the winter and beautiful summers with many mountains for hiking.
Easy to access France and Spain as well as not being far from Italy.
Only downside is no major airport.
Bordeaux in the summer for me, but I guess I could be persuaded to stay in Andorrà if it had to be one place
Autumn and spring in the UK as I’m not ready to give up on the place just yet.
MrOrange said:
Agreed. As you retire and gain loads of free time, you want to spend that doing things - and not vegetating out in the sticks.
It's a mistake to assume all people respond in the same way to the various lifestyles. One person's hobby is another person's chore. Personally learning a second language is important when not working. Keeps the mind busy and active and sets up a feedback loop of reasons to get out and about. Catalan parts of Spain or France would tempt.
Saying that, if no money no object probably California and language lessons...
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 7th January 11:01
languagetimothy said:
I recently moved to Portugal. Ive had an apartment here for years so a home was already here.
I'm 56 but retired five years ago. With a couple of small pensions that are more than enough to cover all my outgoings (utilities, food etc.,) with quite a bit left over. Could survive on them alone easily.
My London house was sold giving me a good wedge to invest. Of course behing PH I bought new car, Ibiza FR Sport. Food is cheaper as is the vino (I for found a particularly good one that's Eur 6 for five litres!) some places with happy hour I'm paying 80c for a pint of Sagres.
It's a bit chilly here today but sunny. Around Christmas I could be found having a beer in the sun wearing a T-shirt.
Getting to the uk back if needed is easy as is elsewhere in Europe.
Most of December was spent at the GFs place which is only about 20mins drive away on some very good twisties..
Aaaah
Also looking at this. Mate threw the towel in last year on his IT job and moved out to Lagos way. Surfing, biking etc. Sounds like bliss. Going in a few weeks to look at some Quintas with a view to seeing if we can make a business work.... Absolutely love Lisbon, but expensive property wise. I'm 56 but retired five years ago. With a couple of small pensions that are more than enough to cover all my outgoings (utilities, food etc.,) with quite a bit left over. Could survive on them alone easily.
My London house was sold giving me a good wedge to invest. Of course behing PH I bought new car, Ibiza FR Sport. Food is cheaper as is the vino (I for found a particularly good one that's Eur 6 for five litres!) some places with happy hour I'm paying 80c for a pint of Sagres.
It's a bit chilly here today but sunny. Around Christmas I could be found having a beer in the sun wearing a T-shirt.
Getting to the uk back if needed is easy as is elsewhere in Europe.
Most of December was spent at the GFs place which is only about 20mins drive away on some very good twisties..
Aaaah
somewhere English speaking (possibly German too) would be the first requirement - being realistic I've got no desire to learn another language well enough to live somewhere.
As much as we all bh about the UK there seems to be just too much here that's great for a lifestyle that we (Mrs Iroc and I) would like to lead. With that in mind places such as Bakewell or the Cotswolds do hold a lot of attraction (apart from the fact they're stupidly busy at various points in the year
As much as we all bh about the UK there seems to be just too much here that's great for a lifestyle that we (Mrs Iroc and I) would like to lead. With that in mind places such as Bakewell or the Cotswolds do hold a lot of attraction (apart from the fact they're stupidly busy at various points in the year
Good luck to all of you who are determined to move away from home when you retire.
Big mistake - as I have seen when people retire and move down to live in this (censored ....) sea-side village in the UK. It is often too much of an upheaval, and you would be surprised how many of them either wither up and die quickly, or move back to the place which they had inhabited for many years.
My solution was to buy an excellent family home here nearly 40 years ago, and I'm still in it, surrounded by all the good things of my (long) life.
Highly recommended - but, caution, you have to make the right decisions in your forties !.
Big mistake - as I have seen when people retire and move down to live in this (censored ....) sea-side village in the UK. It is often too much of an upheaval, and you would be surprised how many of them either wither up and die quickly, or move back to the place which they had inhabited for many years.
My solution was to buy an excellent family home here nearly 40 years ago, and I'm still in it, surrounded by all the good things of my (long) life.
Highly recommended - but, caution, you have to make the right decisions in your forties !.
AAGR said:
My solution was to buy an excellent family home here nearly 40 years ago, and I'm still in it, surrounded by all the good things of my (long) life.
Highly recommended - but, caution, you have to make the right decisions in your forties !.
I made the right decision at 33 - the only detached place we could find in decent school catchment was a bungalow. Almost 9 years on, we may as well stay in it now! Highly recommended - but, caution, you have to make the right decisions in your forties !.
GP surgery is a 5 minute walk. There's a little Tesco and a Pharmacy there too. The Hospital is 10 minutes walk away. We can be on a beach within 30 mins. Less than an hour if we want it to be a decent one.
Sorted!
What you want to retire to when working and what you want when you actually retire may be different.
I bought my idyllic cottage off a just-over-retirement-age couple, who were actually moving to near where I sold.
They were unusually keen to know how good the local GP surgery was where I'd come from, whereas I was cooing over the lovely big garden they were selling me, which they seemed keen to be rid of.
I bought my idyllic cottage off a just-over-retirement-age couple, who were actually moving to near where I sold.
They were unusually keen to know how good the local GP surgery was where I'd come from, whereas I was cooing over the lovely big garden they were selling me, which they seemed keen to be rid of.
Bill said:
House with a sea view on the south coast and a rugged camper for touring.
I get this totally. I cant see the point in big gaff when the kids have gone. Lock up and leave all day for me.
Good sea view, nice restaurants and a nice beach to lay about on with lots of cycling and i'm done .
Have the plan in place already so its just a matter of time all being well of course !
Edited by FocusRS3 on Tuesday 7th January 12:54
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