To want to retire to Devon (from London suburbia)

Hi OP - did you end up moving to Devon?

I think people really should "try before they buy" as what suits one won't suit another e.g. from your list I feel really uncomfortable in Brixham and wouldn't live there if I was given a house, similar with Okehampton, been a few times and can't wait to get out. On the other hand I agree with Cockington and Shaldon particularly. It has to feel right doesn't it.

One of my best friends parents retired to Devon. They had a good few happy years there and the family loved visiting. Her mum has since died and her ageing stepdad is there alone and it is an absolute nightmare for anyone to help him or see him except in bursts. Which they do but it is very difficult and he is alone a lot of the time.

We used to always take the kids, then grandchildren, to Fermoys at Christmas, they did a lovely Grotto, fake snow falling and lovely elves (local teenagers) who interacted with the kids.

I'd think about what you want to do with your time once you've retired/got out of London.

Nothing builds misery faster than it being awkward, expensive or nigh on impossible to get to/go to the things you want to do. It also stops you meeting people you'll have common interests with, which is isolating.

Add in the small-town/rural phenomenon that is gossip and local networking and you can find yourself the talk of the county... and yet with nothing to do and no one to talk to...

If none of that will be an issue, you have stuff to do, various interests, access to all you need, then go for it - and wherever you can, I'd spend time there, build relationships with people, places etc before you start to look for property and actually move.

I live in Devon and some parts are better than others. You might still get issues here depending on where you pick but they won’t be as bad as London.

I do live in Torbay but it isn’t as touristy as you’d expect yes in the summer we get more people but not as many as you’d think. It doesn’t cause any issues. (Dawlish is worse as has plenty of caravan parks) There isn’t a lot to do here now it’s just full of coffee shops and charity shops but we are lucky to have beaches/moors and various walks.

I would suggest try the small villages or towns but you might find it boring moving from London.

Have a look at possibly Liverton & Bovey Tracey (both good for the moors) , Cockington ( lovely for walks and quiet village), Brixham (touristy but beautiful and lovely fish and chips a lot of people retire here), Okehampton, Ottery St Mary, (I personally love going over to Teignmouth with my family), Shaldon (beautiful back beach we practically live here in the summer it’s perfect for my little ones) There’s so many beautiful places it all depends what you’re looking for.

Do it, if you hate it move again

I can't comment on Devon, since I don't know it, but the issue of moving away from a big city (London) to somewhere more rural is certainly on our radar for retirement. I grew up on a farm in Northern Ireland, but since school I've always lived in cities/suburbs, but have always wanted to move back to the countryside. Working as a highly qualified / experience software engineer opportunities were always in the south east.

I'm back in my family home now for at least 12 months to help out when my father is going through some health issues. Living rurally again I've encountered the lack of places to eat, lack of things I'd normally do, not having my network of friends, and working remotely has been a challenge. Some positives too of course. But lack of access to certain health care, means we're driving to/from Belfast several times a week (it's near, but still time consuming).

Ideally, before choosing a place, I think I'd need to spend a few months there to "understand" the area. For example, I know I'd not like to move back to my home area, but I realize I don't know enough about other rural areas in England to make any informed decision!

Spot on.

Yes amazing Indian.

I didn't realise people were talking about fermoys lol.

Proper afternoon out 😄

Totally agree with you...

2 years ago my husband had been feeling quite unwell for a few days, but come the Friday he just wasn't right, I just knew something was really wrong....

took him up to the 'walk in centre' attached to the RD&E hospital in Exeter. Within 5 minutes of reporting to reception he was seen by a doctor, and within half an hour he as on a ward having been diagnosed with sepsis!

He was in hospital for 2 weeks, but his treatment was second to none. I can't fault this hospital with everything they've done for us over 25 years...

How will you feel if you children settle in London for jobs and you're a four hour drive away? This is what stopped us relocating - we want to be part of their lives (hasten to add they both live around 45mins-1 hour away) We love helping out with the grandchildren and being able to see them every couple of weeks.

Is there anything for them in Devon? Realistically how much of their lives will you be sharing if you are so far away? For me, it's people, not places. We have friends who moved down to Cornwall and they see their grandchildren four times a year; their relationship with their children has definitely suffered. The older you get, the less inclined they feel to keep driving back.

Perhaps look at somewhere that's 1-2 hours away? Sussex? Kent? Hampshire? Suffolk? Far enough to get away from the urban issues you dislike, but close enough to keep up connections?

I would NOT move to exeter! I have Lived here for nearly 20 years and it has got very built up which if that is what you don’t like about where you are would be a bad move ditto A lot of east Devon especially the area nearer exeter.
south Hams is very expensive, you won’t get that mulch for your Surrey pound!
Dartmoor itself can be quite insular and more difficult for incomers. Parts of Teignbridge are quite nice cheaper and prettier. Avoid Newton Abbot itself plus kingsteinton and teigngrace though to avoid quarrying and lots of proposed housing. North Devon and Torridge are nice ( avoid Biddeford though) and not so expensive but this is because they are further away from civilisation!

@Batcountry8 Kingsbridge? Does it have decent Indian food? My parents lived there 20 years + and never once took me for a curry. They lived just off Fore Street! (By the really stinky fish shop)

Also the M&S at the Willows? I've heard that said before. We used to live by a similar one in Surrey And I often get the two mixed up but to say its better than Westfield makes me laugh!

Many people who grew up in Brighton and Hove now live in Worthing.

And I'm sure I did get some tags mixed up and get carried away with references etc.

@hildaogden99 I've just had a thought, I'm sure I saw online that Phil & Kirsty are filming location location location next month you could put yourself forward? They're apparently in this area next month I'm very interested to see what they make of it!

My daughter has moved to Stratford London she much prefers Marks and Spencers at the Willows to Westfield

We moved to Somerset - just outside Bath - 17 years ago from just outside Croydon. We did a lot of research before we moved and would never go back. We made sure to live in a small town as we had a 14 year old daughter so living in a village would have been difficult for her to get around and would have meant that she would need lifts every where as the bus services are not particularly good from the villages. We live on a 70's estate and are very fortunate with our neighbours

We moved here because we wanted to get out of the London area. What we found is that the locals are happy to be friendly provided that you put effort into make friends. We were fortunate that as we are church goers we met a lot of people through church. We have also met people through scouting, Rotary and Inner Wheel but we had to join groups to meet people.

One thing we did find was that you have to be careful what you say about other people in the town as they all seem to be related and even know their 4th cousins!

@RobinHumphries because it’s fun.
If it’s bothering anyone, we can all decamp to a separate thread about the shop that used to have a light aircraft department?

My parents retired to Devon 25yrs ago. Coastal town with good train station and easy access to Exeter for music, theatre, museums etc. They have loved it there, joined lots of things to meet people- local choir, sailing, etc. it’s big enough to have a supermarket, butchers, bakers, etc. Main downside is it is very hilly in places and their knees now aren’t so great, thankfully there is a bus stop nearby they can still walk to. So look very carefully at how you will get around if you can no longer drive or walk far!

Just read the article, what an insufferable, ignorant woman. Can't imagine she was missed by many when she left. How can people not do masses of research on an area so completely different to where they currently live if they're uprooting their whole family?!

At people asking about aging and not being able to drive etc - we have towns and cities here! With public transport!
anywhere like exeter, Totnes, Dartmouth, exmouth etc has hospitals, yoga, literary groups, cycling clubs, sailing, shops and even supermarkets!
living in Devon doesn’t have to mean rural and isolated.

Eek that article is infuriating, she moved to a deprived area of Devon and would have had an equally miserable time moving to a deprived area of London. Give it a go OP, you sound like you're doing your research, Devon is varied, Exeter is a really lovely city and Plymouth has some good points (harbour, Barbican etc) and then there are the more obvious beautiful, wild rural and coastal places. In the towns peope want to move to there will be plenty of other people from 'up country' but not so much in the run down areas, thats obvious, as is not moving next door to a farm if you dont like the smell of manure. That DailyMail article was written by an idiot who sounds very proud of her superficial life and multiple 4x4s.

Why are people being cryptic about Fermoys and Trago Mills?

Would also second that the RD and E hospital in Exeter is very good