Page 3 | To want to retire to Devon (from London suburbia)

hildaogden99 · 2023-04-21T07:22:56+00:00

Have lived in same London suburb our whole lives. Until recently we liked living here (nice house, nice neighbours, easy access to London but on the green belt too, everything on our doorstep). However, over the last couple of years (since Covid really) it has REALLY changed. Overcrowded, flats being built on every inch of land, horrendous traffic, road rage, increasing crime and a rapidly increasing number of horrible, rude entitled people ( I work with the public so perhaps have noticed it more). We're at the stage where we just want to escape as we just don't like living here anymore. Can't do anything for about 4 years. Will be 60 then and I'm hoping DC will be settled by then. DC1 is 20, already has a job and hopes to buy a property. DC2 is only 16 and going to college for 2 years from September but am hoping by the time we go will know what direction they're going. We're thinking Devon. It's not alien to us as have been many, many times and love it. DH spent a lot of his childhood there and is still loosley in touch with family friends there. In fact, PIL retired there but sadly both died not long after moving which put us off for a long time (lightning striking twice.!?). SIL is also thinking of moving there too and BIL has a holiday home there. We'll obviously do our homework over the next few years and carry on visiting as much as we can but would be grateful for any views. Would this be a crazy thing to do? What We're worried about: Not fitting in/making friends One of us getting ill/dying and the other being left alone with no family close by Missing the convenience of London Picking the wrong area - we do know it pretty well (esp South Devon) and know we want to stay away from the big tourist areas (like Torbay) but don't want to be isolated either. Would also like easy access to our beloved Dartmoor & the coast. Any tips? Was rather put off by this article but rest assured I'm nothing like her 😂 [[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4535684/SHONA-SIBARY-moved-family-Devon-hated-family-broken.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4535684/SHONA-SIBARY-moved-family-Devon-hated-family-broken.html]]

Coffeeandbourbons · 21/04/2023 12:24

I wouldn’t call Plymouth a large city and it’s absolutely dire

ohsuzannah · 21/04/2023 13:05

What an awful snobbish article in the DM! Disgusting woman who actually left two of her children behind
No way would I be guided by this!

Original poster

hildaogden99 · 21/04/2023 13:06

Thank you for your responses. I don't see ourselves living in a remote village but somewhere near a big town or even Exeter where we can get the best of both worlds. I like the sound of a village near Exeter and also being on the train line so can can hop back to London from time to time (Will miss the West End theatres!). Looked online at Topsham (lovely but ££££) and Pinhoe (much cheaper, what's the reason?). Will need lots of research and trips over the next few years. We know the Torbay area best - don't dislike it but know how rammed it is in the summer. Have been in the winter and think I might even prefer it, appreciate it can be bleak but so can anywhere in the UK in bad weather. See there are a lot of new builds going up, not adverse having spent my life in fixer uppers but wouldn't want to live on a big new development either.

OP posts:

Candleabra · 21/04/2023 13:23

I’d be worried about: poor transport links (nightmare roads, one train line, expensive buses). Basically reliant on a car. Closeness to hospitals becomes important as you get older (there aren’t many big ones in Devon). Being far away from family. No friends in the area, and no default way to become involved eg job, kids etc.

ancientgran · 21/04/2023 13:42

Theelephantinthecastle · 21/04/2023 12:19

Plymouth?

Show quote history

Well I suppose it depends how you define large but apart from that people in Exeter wouldn't spit on Plymouth. I find it quite funny how much animosity there is between the two cities but I suppose they are very different.

ancientgran · 21/04/2023 13:48

Candleabra · 21/04/2023 13:23

I’d be worried about: poor transport links (nightmare roads, one train line, expensive buses). Basically reliant on a car. Closeness to hospitals becomes important as you get older (there aren’t many big ones in Devon). Being far away from family. No friends in the area, and no default way to become involved eg job, kids etc.

Actually the hospitals are one thing I have found positive in Devon. The ones I have had treatment at are Torbay and RD&E and both have been very good. Last time I was in Torbay the woman in the next bed was on holiday from London and said how pleased she was that the health crisis had happened here rather than in London. I have heard more negative stuff about Derriford but then you hear negative stuff about most places.

ancientgran · 21/04/2023 13:51

hildaogden99 · 21/04/2023 13:06

Thank you for your responses. I don't see ourselves living in a remote village but somewhere near a big town or even Exeter where we can get the best of both worlds. I like the sound of a village near Exeter and also being on the train line so can can hop back to London from time to time (Will miss the West End theatres!). Looked online at Topsham (lovely but ££££) and Pinhoe (much cheaper, what's the reason?). Will need lots of research and trips over the next few years. We know the Torbay area best - don't dislike it but know how rammed it is in the summer. Have been in the winter and think I might even prefer it, appreciate it can be bleak but so can anywhere in the UK in bad weather. See there are a lot of new builds going up, not adverse having spent my life in fixer uppers but wouldn't want to live on a big new development either.

I think the positive about a big new development is there would probably be lots of newcomers around you so might be easier to fit in. We looked at some new builds a few years ago in Marldon, sort of on the edge of Torbay and they looked really nice. Used to be a nightmare to get out of Torbay at busy times but with the new road to Newton Abbot and on to the M5 it is lots better now.

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 13:51

@Batcountry8 I know that garden centre well! DM covets a statue of a stag in there but can't justify spending 4 figures on a garden ornament. I go there for the quiche and cocktail pasties! But going to the one with the coach trips and the roaming peacocks tomorrow because the DC think it's heaven on earth!

Back to OP though, I have retired neighbours who have got rid of their car and moved here from elsewhere in Devon. We have a few doctors surgeries in walking distance and the local hospital is 4 miles away. (Torbay)

We could get to Plymouth in an hour it's not that bad and I go ocassionally to the theatre or cinema. I go to Exeter and Bristol for those reasons too. London is 2.5 hours from here but I never go. I suppose we also have Truro and Taunton within easy reach too.

I have loads of different options on Deliveroo and Just Eat although it annoys me Las Iguanas is collection only.

I have also lived in Dorset and I had the same problems there as I do here in terms of finding work and making friends. And I chose a very rough area where crime was rife. My DB lives in a more rural area and loves it but it takes him about as long as it takes me to get to London.

Qhaecciarr · 21/04/2023 14:01

Can you trial long-term renting in the off-season before making a move down to see how much you enjoy it even in the winter?

I'm Devon born and bred, and love living rurally but after almost a decade living in London it was an adjustment even for me to move back down here, and I knew what I was in for. Dip your toes in the water before making it a full commitment and you're more likely to know if it's the right thing for you.

ColdMeg · 21/04/2023 14:04

My In laws did this. They moved from a London suburb to where DH and I live, and where I am from, and it is semi-rural.

I did tell them to rent for six months to see if they liked it, and warned them of the differences, but they didn't listen and just went ahead and bought a house.

What I would say to anyone intending to move to a drastically different area of Britain is that you will be essentially moving to another country. People may speak the same language, but pretty much everything else will be different.

The things that most shocked my in-laws were to do with the climate. They didn't realise how wet or cold things would be in winter. They didn't realise you had to dress differently. They didn't realise they would need high tog quilts and fleece throws and warm boots and gloves and a warm, reliable, decent car to get anywhere.

They didn't realise the extent to which everything grows and greens because there's no pollution, and that you have to be on top of it for health and safety reasons. They didn't realise how dark it would be at night, and how, on a nice day between October and June, you have to get outside and take advantage of it.

They didn't realise that our local culture has evolved to be the way it has for very good reasons (I think they just thought we were yokels with odd, overly careful ways).

It hasn't gone well.

Ifnottodaywhen · 21/04/2023 14:20

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 09:56

@Batcountry8 Hi!

Yes there aren't many of those about which was a highlight for me.

I live opposite a museum which is in an old church, and there's a huge chain supermarket over the road which I always thought was a bit rough and never shopped there but ours has a little stream running past, an equestrian shop and posh hairdressers next door and a Costa in store so I thought it was very upmarket at first! It didn't take long for the novelty to wear off but it adds to the character of the place really.

If you're local that definitely gives it away!

In my parents village there's no shop , the bus service is twice a week the pub only opens when they feel like it and they have a helicopter pad for the air ambulance on the village green. That kind of remoteness was not for me!

My mum lives up the road from that museum. 😊 I'm further out, near the store that looks like a castle and is a bit batshit to visit. 😉😁😂

Summerhouse2013 · 21/04/2023 14:21

hildaogden99 · 21/04/2023 13:06

Thank you for your responses. I don't see ourselves living in a remote village but somewhere near a big town or even Exeter where we can get the best of both worlds. I like the sound of a village near Exeter and also being on the train line so can can hop back to London from time to time (Will miss the West End theatres!). Looked online at Topsham (lovely but ££££) and Pinhoe (much cheaper, what's the reason?). Will need lots of research and trips over the next few years. We know the Torbay area best - don't dislike it but know how rammed it is in the summer. Have been in the winter and think I might even prefer it, appreciate it can be bleak but so can anywhere in the UK in bad weather. See there are a lot of new builds going up, not adverse having spent my life in fixer uppers but wouldn't want to live on a big new development either.

Topsham is quaint, picturesque and right near the water, so lots of people keep their boats there. It's about a 10 minute drive from Exeter, and yes, is very expensive.

There's nothing wrong with Pinhoe, it's just an area within Exeter that isn't 'pretty' like Topsham is. It still has good shops and bus links.

Another lovely little village 1 mile out of Exeter is Ide, it has a couple of pubs, a foodstore. It's very close to Exeter but you have the quiet village feel.

Another thing I forgot to mention was we have the RD&E (Royal Devon & Exeter) hospital within Exeter itself. I don't think you can underestimate having a hospital right on your doorstep in times of emergencies.

Psalmbodytolove · 21/04/2023 14:29

Do you mind if I send you a PM, op?

Twoshoesnewshoes · 21/04/2023 14:30

pinhoe is all right, just a rather built up suburb, Topsham is very pretty, self contained, rather posh and you can cycle the canal path to the hospital or Exeter centre, so it’s pricey.
whimple is a nice enough village just a couple of train stops from Exeter central and also easy drive to lovely coast.
I live on the edge of Dartmoor. I’m in a village, just one shop and a pub, primary school, but GP in the village, 6 buses a day into exeter, 25 minutes drive to Exeter, 15 to a large supermarket, - it’s possible to be rural but near larger facilities.
I love it, it’s so beautiful, but I would never want to live in London so….
also, yes, there can be some unfriendliness to ex London and Home Counties, it’s true.

Grimed · 21/04/2023 14:31

Pinhoe is cheaper because it's nothing but houses with no personality and you can't even walk into town. St Thomas is better, you are by the the Quay, the people are working class and very friendly and you can walk to town in ten minutes and there's plenty of nice cafes and bakeries. If working class bothers you go a bit further out to Alphington but definitely avoid Pinhoe.

Zebedee55 · 21/04/2023 14:34

Think carefully. Village life is very different. Also take into account, especially as you get older, less fit, that rural areas tend to lack services and facilities. If you can't drive, you are stuffed.

We tried it and then moved back home to a nice London suburb.

Nevermind31 · 21/04/2023 14:38

I live in a lively area of London, and we have a few people here from the suburbs who moved here in retirement. Because you don’t need a car. Public transport. They can afford to take an Uber if they need to. There is so much going on - generally for free (dance, art, yoga, film, book gardening clubs, languages etc). Easy to get to airports to go on holiday. GP, dentist, hospital, pharmacy all nearby…
it made sense once they explained it…
i think moving rural as you grow older needs to be thought through… what if you cannot drive anymore? Are not as healthy? How often can family visit?

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 14:38

@Batcountry8 I'm going there tomorrow. It cracks me up everytime I visit because it hasn't changed (or been cleaned)since my first trip there in 1985 when we went for something to do on a very soggy holiday at Finlake!

My kids absolutely adore the place so I'm being dragged there! My favourite thing is watching what other people are buying.

OP, you can get a 3 bed victorian terrace fixer upper round here at the moment for well under 200k.

Ifnottodaywhen · 21/04/2023 14:43

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 14:38

@Batcountry8 I'm going there tomorrow. It cracks me up everytime I visit because it hasn't changed (or been cleaned)since my first trip there in 1985 when we went for something to do on a very soggy holiday at Finlake!

My kids absolutely adore the place so I'm being dragged there! My favourite thing is watching what other people are buying.

OP, you can get a 3 bed victorian terrace fixer upper round here at the moment for well under 200k.

Is this the castle place? I both love it and hate it. I can always get whatever random thing I'm looking for but parts of it are like some post-apocalyptic landscape. 😁 I do like sitting in my garden and listening to the steam train and peacocks though. 😊 And dd aged 4 loves going on the train.

Although for the first time I went up past the garden centre and realised it is LOVELY where they've set up little hpuses/gardens etc. They had an Easter hunt there.

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 14:57

@Batcountry8 yes that's the one. Is the loo roll really that cheap that you must buy enough to fill a transit van?

Seriously though I do like that part of town although I just applied for a really nice job at the golf club and my application got ignored but it must be nice living round there. So I'm cross about that.

It's a nice place to live in general really.

Batcountry8 · 21/04/2023 15:02

BeastOfBODMAS · 21/04/2023 09:59

@Batcountry8 @mrsnec I know, I am not far away either!

See I've got potential new friends now!!

@BeastOfBODMAS

Any clues where you're at?

@mrsnec

Yep thought so. Is it a museum? I thought it was an antiques shop thing. I was very pleased when large supermarket got the Costa!

I don't go often but was in town Wednesday. Wilko and dept store.

I'm about half hour south.
We have an estuary. We have a Costa!
There's a train station at Totnes, which is about 20 mins away.

We don't have a castle or a royal naval college.

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 15:09

@BeastOfBODMAS either A V posh seaside town with a nice spa hotel that has a turntable in the car park.

Or possibly the town my parents used to live in with a gourmet restaurant they're always banging on about on Saturday kitchen that's on an Industrial estate?

Batcountry8 · 21/04/2023 15:18

I think my posts are getting muddled with others, possibly because I've quoted a few local user names in my replies?

No matter.

I am familiar with the peacock turrets.
Absolutely hilarious place. Love/hate.

I like that I can choose what type of day out I want.

Yes everything is a drive but I'm used to it.

I do Plymouth for shops. Totnes for different shops and the best pizza ever. Tho I don't think I would live there, it gets a bit much!
Torquay to pretend I'm on the front on holiday in a carry on film.
Beaches to pretend I'm on holiday.
Dartmouth for it's beauty.

Oh and Dartmoor.

Winter weather is tedious anywhere.

Batcountry8 · 21/04/2023 15:21

mrsnec · 21/04/2023 15:09

@BeastOfBODMAS either A V posh seaside town with a nice spa hotel that has a turntable in the car park.

Or possibly the town my parents used to live in with a gourmet restaurant they're always banging on about on Saturday kitchen that's on an Industrial estate?

Did u mean me?

I don't know Saturday kitchen lol, tho I've heard tell of a gourmet place. We have an excellent Indian restaurant?

It's not the v posh seaside town.
I never go there in high season.

Very pretty tho.

tinselvestsparklepants · 21/04/2023 15:23

Do you rent or own? If you own could you consider renting your house out for a year and trying it out? Then you know you can return if you want to.