Good places to live for retired woman into tai chi, therapies etc

[retiringactively]

Name changed for this. Posting on behalf of a relative who is recently widowed, late sixties, has lived around the world and wants to live in a place back here that is less conventional/has lots of alternative therapy practitioners (that's what she does still and feels it means there would be likeminded people), has green space (not a big city) and independent shops and cafes.

Vaguely near an airport with flights to Europe although that's not an absolute essential.

Ideas please!

Gotta be Stroud !!

Retirement Village

I want to live here when I reach that age, loads of activities, green spaces and easy driving or public transport into the nearby town (Bedford) which has a direct 30 minute train to London, 30 mins from Luton airport by car and 30 and close to Milton Keynes for shopping / theatre!

Another vote for Totness

Stroud has plenty of people in the older demographic who are certainly into the hobbies you list! It’s a very active community with tons going on.

You've just described Forest Row in Sussex. Alternatively, East Grinstead.

Glastonbury would tick all those boxes

Stroud is ok but not very well linked up by public transport. Malvern gets my vote. Less than an hour (including by train) to Birmingham airport. Loads of yoga and tai chi and all sorts. Plus a swimming pool, an excellent theatre, parks, walks, lots of amenities but not too busy and not a city.

Hebden Bridge - 40 mins or so on the train to Manchester airport

York
Bath

@Songlines
Really it's like Narnia? But Narnia famously doesn't have many towns because such a large per cent of the population are animals, one of the many reasons I would like to live there. And centaurs and fauns don't seem very sociable. Again my people.

Holmfirth

Edinburgh, around Bruntsfield area or bottom of Leith at the shore.

Agree it does sound like Forest Row

Stroud, Frome, Hebden Bridge, Tewkesbury

I felt like Sidmouth had that vibe when we went about 5 years ago.

Totnes is the obvious one, along with all the others mentioned. It's not that far from Exeter airport which has flights to quite a few European destinations.

Someone mentioned Shoreham, which is a few miles west of Brighton. That's not a bad shout as it's a much smaller town but has a disproportionate amount of stuff going on - loads of fitness/tai chi-type classes, an arts centre, lots of nice cafes, regular markets, and a fantastic shingle beach that is a nature reserve. And it's cheaper than Brighton or Lewes (I mean, it's still expensive, this is the SE after all) but is still near enough to enjoy both of them.

(Friend moved to Shoreham few years ago and I've got to know it well - would consider it myself for retirement)

Scotland....thinking up near Findhorn which is very well known for its more alternative scene.

Hay on Wye
Oxford
Wilmslow
Harrogate
Isle of Wight

Trying to think of medium sized busy places with indie shops and lots of yoga type places and international people who have relocated there and experienced living abroad. Also with amenities to suit for the next twenty years or so. Local hospital, transport hub, walkability, lots of culture and social clubs… regular festivals for older people too!

Which country would she prefer? Wales, Scotland, England, N Ireland?

Glastonbury
Totnes

Both of these are really good choices.

Glastonbury and Frome were my first two thoughts, but she would consider Wales, she could also look at Abergavenny, Crickhowell or Hay on Wye.

Frome, Stroud, Glastonbury, maybe Bradford-on-avon. If you'd not said avoid cities I would have said Greenbank in Bristol and bits of Bath. Very much depends on budget and where she's used to living and how posh she is. Malvern if she's very posh

Never knew hebden bridge was so popular.
Whitby’s nowhere near a big airport unless you class Teeside or I guess Newcastle. Not exactly buzzing in winter and very much struggling with locals being able to afford reasonable housing.
And Harrogate is just affluent and very middle class, hardly alternative 😂

Malvern isn’t posh 😂 it’s just a normal place. House prices aren’t insane or anything and probably actually cheaper than lots of places in Bath or Bristol.
yes you get some well off very middle class types but you get that everywhere.
Most of the tai-chi types in Malvern are quite hippy, there’s a very active XR group, lots of grass roots charity stuff, work with refugees etc. I would say overall it’s very down to earth it’s not posh and snobby.

I agree with you and I know Malvern pretty well.