....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.

Escape to the Country used to regularly have older couples looking for something with character and very remote "after a health scare".
I always remember my much older colleague who had a heart attack at his parents house, and a two hour ambulance trip to the nearest cardiac centre. They all moved closer to hospitals after that and its stayed with me. My local hospital is 15mins away, is a bit shit but will keep me alive and transfer me to a specialist centre if needed.

I was born and raised in Manchester and absolutely hated it. I would regularly tell my mother that I was going to move to a remote island and live with animals when I grew up. My parents are proper city folk, love cinemas and eating out and shopping as a past time. I have always detested that way of living.
I do now live on a very remote island with lots of animals. I have fresh eggs from my hens every morning and keep a well-stocked pantry for when the winter storms hit. I love it and would never leave. Lots of people here live well into their 90s and usually (though not always) die at home.
I walk miles along the shore most days and regularly meet a neighbour who is 81 and regularly cycles and goes jogging. She looks younger than my mother, who is only 67 but in poor health from a lifetime of being sedentary and eating a terrible diet.
Lots of people here keep themselves very fit because there is more opportunity to do so (perfectly safe for a woman to go jogging in the dark, for instance) but also because they want to stay here.
Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Unfortunately that’s not always the case. There are some (members of my family) who become unable to drive and then rely on kind neighbours to take them to medical appointments but other than that, never leave their home, and become increasingly insular because of it. And that’s not good for mental health and longevity.

I agree with this. I watch the programme and find myself wondering how great those acres are when you can no longer look after them.

We are in a small town. Not perfect, GP is convenient but crap. The hospital is a 40 minute drive away and bounces between inadequate and requires improvement.

The problem with being in a large rural county is that services are stretched.

On the plus side we have a large allotment which we will be able to give up bit by bit when we struggle to manage it.

Not everyone wants city life.

Yes I see the point - not ideal to move to the middle of nowhere with no transport and doctor and shop etc. But not to leave the city is extreme ….. there are plenty of villages and towns with pubs and shops and cinemas and doctors - you can have both worlds.

You do realise that civilisation exists outside of London, don’t you? Moving out of London does not mean into the middle of nowhere … there are plenty of cities and large towns where people can go to the doctors and supermarket!! Buses even exist for those who can’t drive!

I live at the seaside, work full time and have two hospitals nearby.

The OP clearly references other cities. Rural villages often don’t have either buses or readily available taxis. The one I loved in had one bus a day each way in summer and I taxi for all the local villages. Not one company. One taxi.

I agree completely although my family moved from one isolated village to another…
Now they’re stuck there, one road into the village & if that floods, you’re fucked. No buses, only one of them can drive but not after dark, they are very reliant on their neighbours.
At 80 & 85, they’re desperately looking for somewhere that has shops & a GP & better car-free transport.
I grew up in the previous isolated village. All of us young people left, never to return, and have moved to towns & sometimes cities all over the UK.
They regret it. For the first 10yrs it was great, they just didn’t consider they’d get old. Ideally they should’ve moved 5 years ago. They looked down their noses at their friends that moved into towns but now in their 80s, those friends have a far better quality of life than they do.

Friends grandparents a few years ago moved from their big detached about 20miles from central London to Central London.

They love the fact they can walk to the west end or hop on the tube. See a show, go out for dinner and walk back in the hustle and bustle of London life at 1.30am and feel perfectly safe.
An array of food shops, cafes and parks are there without the need to get in a car. They said they felt fitter just by walking everywhere.

It’s not a choice of London or the sticks though … there are many many other options which are a middle ground.

Totally agree, OP. I want to be somewhere I can walk to the GP, pharmacist and food shops, and a cafe/corner shop where people will notice if I don't come in for a couple of days and check up on me.
I also want to make the most of my free bus pass (I'm in London) and trundle about town for nothing going to galleries and gardens etc.

You don't have to choose between London and Nowheresville-by-the-Sea.

I agree a little, I’ve the idea I’m going to move to a town, one I know and know people in.
I live further out now, which is lovely but you can’t really walk anywhere, it would be a struggle to walk to bus stop and there is infrequent public transport. I’d end up booking my groceries on line and going nowhere.

Some people have no other choice financially if they want to retire and be able to pay their bills. I’m retirement age and even if we wanted to live in London, we couldn’t afford it.

I feel far safer here in a small town than in London, Manchester and certain other big cities as there’s almost no antisemitism here. I want to have a peaceful retirement!

My nan moved out of London to the arse end of nowhere (and I mean that literally) for quite a few years, the isolation got to her so now shes moved to a small town 20 mins drive from my uncle. She's much happier being in civilisation from a convenience stand point but she doesn't like being back in a town as she loved walking around the fields etc. I'm glad she moved though.

I don't think any of us (extended family and myself) would ever go back to London though having grown up there.

I think we're talking about living in a city or town as opposed to rurally, not making it a choice between rurally or London.
I personally love London and intend to stay here, but if I didn't I'd want to live in another city or a town for easy access to shops, GPs etc.

There are way more options than London or isolated rural. Big cities, small cities, big towns, small towns, big villages and small villages. I live in a small town, I can walk to doctor, dentist, supermarkets, library etc. Plenty of places to eat, have coffee. I can be in the nearest city by bus in about 40 minutes if I want theatres or galleries. I have most of what I need on my doorstep but also am part of a community and have trees and green spaces on my doorstep too.

I agree - so many posters hooked up on the OP’s inspiration for the thread/experience being London when she clearly says ‘or other city’. And in fact it’s about moving away from ‘a city’ as per the title.
The general idea behind her question is clear. It’s not saying it’s London or complete cultural desert without civilisation. I’m confused why so many are latching on to that and not the general idea of the thread.

Seriously? Your preference is that everybody should move to London, rather than the whole country deserves to have equal access to good services?
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As someone who works in a hospital I can see both sides.

I worked somewhere fairly rural, with average public transport between the bigger towns, but rubbish public transport to the villages. Even if you are paying for a taxi yourself, as people age, they may need carers, and it can be hard to source paid carers if you are in a remote location.

The neighbours now may be the sort that are helpful (but how helpful - to the point of intimate personal care helpful?) but in 20-30 years they may have their own health issues/infirmity, or may have moved/died and your newer neighbours may not be as helpful. It's probably different for people who are part of the village for decades, but also may not be the same for "newcomers" who come there to retire.

I moved out of London when I retired. I miss it a lot, but it's still there to visit. If I'd stayed in London, I couldn't have afforded a nice little house and to decorate it and furnish it exactly as I wanted. My asthma would have got worse.

Am I the only one trying to guess where everyone lives? Especially the ones that have a rural/seaside idyll combined with non-overwhelmed GP surgeries, great transport links and not-too-far-away centres of medical excellence. Spill!!!

I’ve been looking at coastal/seaside towns but so many are areas of social deprivation with scruffy B&Bs, once-nice hotels now falling into dilapidation etc… And the ‘nice’ places are full of Airbnbs, 2nd home-owners and extortionately priced housing.

To be fair to the Op , I live in a village and we have 1 bus a day out and one back . If you want a taxi you have to book days ahead and it costs a fortune. Uber is not an option here. We are early 60s and will be moving to our nearest city before we are 70.

My parents retired to London age 60. They are now in their 80s and what independence they retain is entirely due to being in the city. They can go everywhere by tube and there are several hospitals to choose from that they can get to themselves. And obviously all the other conveniences are a short walk away. I believe it keeps them healthy as they barely drive now and use public transport. I think it’s the best thing they ever did. Esp with their freedom pass, it costs nothing.