AIBU to hope for a fresh start by the sea on £250k

[RussetDreams]

I am mid fifties and want a new start. No family support. AIBU to think I can find a house by the sea or in a low-crime market town with a maximum budget of £250k? Any ideas?
YABU - budget is too low
YANBU - these places exist

Deal

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89707350#/?channel=RES_BUY

Deal keeps coming up on this thread and now I feel I should visit. I’m OK with living in a small house in the right location. Thank you!

What does ‘this thread is three days only’ mean? I know there’s usually a time limit on the poll, but not the thread itself as far as I’m aware?

I’m not sure - I put it on AIBU for more visibility and it said 3 days only. I wasn’t expecting so many responses, but they’re all very helpful and I’m making a list in case it disappears, hope not.

@RussetDreams if you still need to work that is a major consideration tbh.

Unless ofc you have a role that you can continue with, for which you can be fully remote.

Otherwise can you say broadly what you do? A number of the places suggested are areas with relatively low employment prospects.

Ah now I understand, three days only for the poll. Hopefully the thread continues, it’s much more helpful than Reddit where some of the threads are old. People’s opinions and house prices can change quickly over time.

That's lovely and more accessible than many parts of West Cumbria, being not much more than half an hour to Carlisle and around 2 hours to Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle.

OP are you able to go on some research trips? Spend a few days in promising looking areas and imagine what it would be like to live there. I suppose you could also look at renting in the first instance, or see if you could be a housesitter?

I have a job that is fully remote.

I'd really recommend Felixstowe in Suffolk. It's quite varied - there's the container port and the estuary at one end, then the beach and pier with a new beach street food market. Then further along there's the quaint older part with pretty beach huts. At the far end there's another estuary with bird life and a lovely walks. The town is pretty vibrant with loads of cafes and it's only a short bus or train ride to Ipswich with a big hospital and 1 hour trains to London. Like a lot of seaside towns there are poorer parts, but there are also lots of jobs and money coming in from the port.

North Norfolk. Heacham, Hunstanton, Cromer or Sheringham are all nice seaside places where you could get a nice house for your budget OP

There are much nicer places than Rhyl.

Have you thought about Norfolk or Suffolk?

Southsea or Hayling island (nr Portsmouth, Hampshire)?

I’ve never been to either, but I am open to most places.

You definitely need to do research trips, OP. There are reasons why cheap places are cheap, and you need to be sure they're reasons you can live with. Wigton in Cumbria, for example, which came up a few posts ago, has a lot of lovely period property at very affordable prices but the reason is that there's a polymer factory there and the whole town has a bad egg smell hanging over it.

I won’t put that one on my list!

Yes, one to avoid.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/167325962#/?channel=RES_BUY

Manobier is really lovely. It's a friendly little village with the most beautiful sandy beach. Close to Tenby, Saundersfoot and Arberth. It's a fabulous part of the country.

Ooooh that Manorbier cottage is CUTE! How lovely to own that <dreams>

But the thing is about living there is that there is no library or swimming pool any of the other amenities the OP wants. Not in Manorbier. In Tenby yes but then that’s six miles away. Manorbier itself is a tiny village rather than a market town tbh. I would think it would be isolated and lonely in the winter as it is the kind of place that has a lot of holiday cottages.

ETA I looked again and it's not in Manorbier anyway. It's part of a B&B development in nearby Jamestown. Again, OK (tho on a main road) but not really big on community of residents I suspect. Think this may be an issue with some places.

@clary Ah, I didn't realise it wasn't real Manobier. Also, point taken about the lack of amenities in the immediate area- you would certainly need to have a car if you lived there.

TBH, the lack of people around would be a selling point for me as I'm a miserable sod!

Isle of Wight!

Somerset coast is just in budget as long as not too close to Bristol. Weston super mare is definitely on the up currently with families moving down from Bristol. Has a marine lake for swimming (free) and main county library for n Somerset. We go there on Thursdays sometimes for bike night.

Gorleston-on-sea… much more for your money compared to North Norfolk it close enough to day trip… everything you need and easy links to Norwich which is indeed a fine city!

I live right next to the sea in a village in Fife.
It is doable, and very peaceful.
Sea starts where my garden ends.
Personally I would look into Scotland, OP. More for the money imo.

Do you still need to work? If you're going to have passive income like a pension, you can still move to France quite easily - their income criteria for non-active visas aren't that high.
Sorry - I can see you did answer the work question.