....to think that retiring away from the city is bonkers?

[NewGrandmummy]

Inspired by another thread about moving away from London with small children, I wonder if anyone else has done as I have done, and actually moved back to London (or another major city) as preparation for retirement?

I truly don't understand the 'let's retire to the seaside/a rural smallholding/a tiny village' that seems to be in so many older people's minds. Why do that at a time of life when you will most likely have to give up driving at some point? How will you get to the supermarket/doctor/dentist/hospital/cinema/pub etc?

I'd love to hear from those who've moved out of London/a city for retirement and regretted it, or those who, like me, are moving towards civilisation (rather than away from it) as they get older.

We’ve just retired and are moving from a small village to some where very much more rural in NE England. I am 57 and my husband is 61. We’ve decide it’s now or never for us. But we have also decided that we will move again on 14 years or so to a small townhouse in nearby market town. We acknowledge that we won’t be able to manage our rural idyll into our 80s and we’ve made peace with the fact it’s going to mean another move.

I live in a village. I have a small One Stop shop and a small co-op in walking distance. There’s a gp surgery ten mins walk away.

there are hourly buses into city . There’s a train station two mins walk from my house with hourly trains. 9 mins into the city centre

I think it’s as age proof as possible to be. I could move into the city but it could still be a ten min walk to a decent size food shop or gp surgery.

Dd lives in Manchester City centre in one of the big skyscrapers and has a 20 mins into walk to her dr, 20 min walk to a supermarket and the nearer small Sainsbury isn’t as good as my local village shops.

I think it's great that you love where you live, but, I don't know anyone over 50 who would want to live in the city, makes me think maybe you don't know a very wide variety of people? Since many of us over 50s are living very happily in cities, surrounded my community, and can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else.

DH and I are planning on living rurally when we retire but not in the middle of nowhere. The village has around 600 people with a shop, pub and hotel. We could do all our shopping in the village if we had to but there is a regular bus service to the nearest town a few miles away and an hourly bus service to the city. Two major supermarkets deliver to the village and there is a help a neighbour service.

I think anywere is fine, town, city or country when reasonably fit and healthy both physically and mentally.

If/when physical or cognitive decline come then anywhere can become difficult to manage. You can be as isolated in a city as in the country.

Depends
WE will probably retire to a specific seaside town that has excellent transport links(including a train station) and everything we could need within walking distance
My Mum actually retired away from the country, she sold her house to a couple who were retiring there, it was quite remote and she thought they were nuts!!!

@Meadowfinch

I've just retired. I live in a rural village with my friends around me.

I live here because I like:

Fields and trees
Clean air to run in
Birdsong
Safe roads to cycle on
Lower stress
Lower crime rates
More available GP & dental services
Lower costs
More space for friends & rellies to come and stay
Less traffic
Stronger community

All of the above. And may I add the river, and the canal onto this list, and also the quiet and the PEACE?! I can walk for an hour and not reach a main road, or see a single person.

After living in cities and towns all my life up to a decade ago (in my late 40s,) I had had enough, and so had DH, and we opted to move out into the sticks.

I would never move back to a town now for all the tea in China.

Lots of people who have lived in cities all their lives want to continue doing so. And they don’t suddenly hate it on their 60th birthday. It’s home for them. I think a sudden change at that age could be a shock to the system in either direction, rurally or to more urban living.

How well do you know London? Which parts have you lived in?

There is no real village inside London like there is elsewhere even if you think it is called village and has to you a village feel

using the same magnification - London fills by screen with built on land grey on the map and the odd small dot of green park, whereas my home town is a small dot in a sea of green and a couple of other grey dots at the edge

it’s different and that’s why some people prefer London / not London

I hate being in the city so absolutely definitely wouldn't retire in the city as I'd be miserable.

If I couldn't drive I'd use public transport and taxis.

I'd love to live in London again, but moved out to raise a family( cost!) but am really quite happy in the suburbs of another city. I travel to London regularly, it's still 'home'.
I'm a country person myself but left at 17. I do love it,just would not live there again.

Agree, DMIL retired at 50, moved to the countryside and only now, at 75 is she thinking of moving back to London.
25 years of a lovely life where she wanted to be. She'd have been miserable stuck in a small flat just because of what ifs.

I'm curious of those on the thread saying they plan to move back closer to services and a city have the financial means to do so? Even if you are freehold on your rural home, the value of it isn't going to come up to the value of a home in a city. Can you bridge that gap? Are you sure?

My parents have got stuck with this.

I moved from the city to rural area when I got pregnant and really hope we can stay here and I can work remote. You have to drive around yes, but it is so much cheaper and calmer..

Absolutely, both my husband and me are retired (72 and 67 respectively). We love the country and animals. I’m noise sensitive and hate industrial and traffic noise. The TV programme Escape to the Country is property porn to us, but we’re too sensible to make that move because easy access to doctors, dentists, hospitals, a supermarket that will delivery to us and a few other shops will become increasingly important. As will being able to quickly access a taxi or uber when the time comes to give up the car. We don’t live in a city, but in suburbia in the North East.

I love watching Escape to the Country but half the time I'm like, "That's not the country, that's a village! Not rural!" Or you see older people who want land but clearly have no idea how much work that land is going to be to upkeep. Or they're pretty old and you just know their grown children are going to have headaches in years to come due to the isolation of their parents. At least the village ones are a bit practical.

A mistake I have known people make is to assume that all their family and friends will want to visit frequently. That they will be able to show off their new lifestyle.

Some people might visit initially but the dreams of DGCs visiting every holiday dont materialise.

The retirees can make their choices but cant assume that friends and family want the same.

I think op doesn't know what they're talking about

Adroitly argued, Brokentoes 👍🏻

You are welcome.

I lived in a v v rural location for 12 years and we had the Tuesday bus, which often didn't turn up. The only people who retired there were very very wealthy and at no point gave up driving. I don't think retiring out of the city = incredibly rural though.

NimbleTaupeTiger
wereabouts do you live ? Sounds perfect balance !

What do you think is outside of London? 😆 I live at the beach and can walk to town and closest shops are 1m walk. There is a bus stop right outside. Do you think everywhere is just fields?