Which city would you ideally move to?

[Coldupnorth87]

Me and DH are currently looking after a raft of older people and it does get you thinking!

We will need to move from our unsuitable house in a very small town with poor healthcare options and we think we'd probably want to move to a quiet area in a bigger city?

Flexible on budget, depending on how the cookie crumbles, possibly a pretty good one. Probably not London, more north than south, so Liverpool, Carlisle, Newcastle, Edinburgh? Belfast?

No DC, not much family, some healthcare issues, so want to futureproof at some point. Have other friends now trying to move in their 80's and having seen PiL making a right hash of retirement location, want to consider this earlier rather than later. Do work (a bit) but not location dependent.

Open to suggestions.

Would consider going abroad somewhere but that's obv more complicated.

We are thinking of Nottingham as it has all our ‘needs list’ and a lot of the ‘wishes and wants list’.

Could you start to write up a list of need and wishes, it might help you narrow down your search.
eg you may want easy access to an airport!

Glasgow!

Generally cheaper than Edinburgh and fantastic

What kind of people are you? What do you like to do in your spare time?

Currently we are stay home, dog people....but I think we need to get out more. 😁

I do a fair bit of exercise stuff, DH likes walking. We have the mankiest swimming pool on the planet here, so bonus points for a fantastic leisure facility.

We lived in Edinburgh before but I wouldn't want to live in a flat again.

Quiet with garden & good transport.

Think a good list is required, as pp have suggested. 😎

Belfast is a nice size, friendly, with OK house prices¹ and transport. Plenty of activities going on, quite outdoorsy considering the weather. But you won't get as many visits from existing friends as you would if you stayed on the same landmass - the extra hassle of flight or ferry is a barrier. And because Northern Ireland is small (and has funding problems from regular Stormont shutdowns) the heathcare options are limited. Not a lot of specialist centres, and longer waiting lists.

¹ Although you still need to check where you're buying. If somewhere seems too good to be true, there's a reason.

Don't need to worry about visitors...probably the only person that does very occaisonally visit loves going to both N.I and the Republic.

These are our criteria:

A nice market town or on the outskirts of a lively but small city., with lots to do, good culture, good shopping, independent restaurants etc. Not a remote village with no amenities. No driving in the dark or the ice down muddy, single track country lanes.

A decent selection of supermarkets to choose from.

No more than 20 minutes from a hospital with an a&e

On a bus route, or near a railway station.

No more than 2 hours from a decent airport.

3 hours max on the train into London.

1 hour max from the coast.

Not so far north that the weather is always shit.

3 hours max on the train into London

Well that rules out Belfast.

Some bits of Norfolk might suit - there are some lovely market towns around Norwich, like Wyndham.

Northern Ireland is great but still have their stupid Catholic/Protestant bullshit.

Cardiff is great. Decent quality of life, friendly.

We're done with city living, but now live in a market town (12,000 people) somewhere very beautiful with:

• tonnes of amenities (restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, leisure centre, doctors, supermarkets)
• a train station into a city 40 mins away
• stunning countryside all around which can be accessed without driving
• loads of social clubs and activities happening locally
• a pedestrianised town centre, which gives it a safe and relaxed feel
• amazing road connections, with 70mph dual carriageways in every direction to link us into nearby towns and cities

This will work perfectly for us in old age, if we're fortunate enough to make it. If one of us dies, the other wouldn't be isolated.

I think cities can attract more selfish behaviour, with a high turnover of renters who aren't as invested in the area, so you would have to be very careful about where exactly you bought in a city. I say this as someone who lived in a city for 15 years before moving here.

I might sound self absorbed but I wouldn't swap my home city for any place in the world. If I did have to move anywhere else it would have to be another working class northern town or city. You couldn't pay me to move down south. Reverse snobbery aye

Based on your list I would say Newcastle - it's affordable, loads going on, some lovely suburbs.
Liverpool is similar (but somehow just more crime).
Carlisle has very very little going on.
Edinburgh is gorgeous but very touristy and expensive.
But personally I would move to a nice town nearby (eg, Hexham or Morpeth).

cardiff is lovely with Penarth/Cowbridge ticking your outskirts of a smaller city criteria. We love it here.

However, NHS in Wales is in a dire state, so much worse than across the border where we have families. Sadly, I wouldn’t suggest anyone of age relocating here for this reason.

My first thought was Milton Keynes. Has hospital, good shopping, train station, theatre, near London. Lots of parks, countryside around etc.

We think Northumberland would suit but it's the area we know least.

Agree about the Welsh NHS, people here dread going into the local hospital, which is always in the press for bad outcomes.

Durham?

Never been to Durham.

We're sort of stuck with the caring responsibilities atm but we do need to go places, I think.

Hexham might be a good idea or somewhere around there?

Have you thought about Manchester area? There are nicer and not so nice bits but lots going on. Maybe somewhere like Poynton which has a lovely villagey feel but has great train links into Manchester and lovely Peak District countryside within a short drive

What about York? Small city, lots of greenspace, safe, lots of nice dog walks, very good transport, not far from wider countryside and seaside. Easy to walk around as it’s flat- lots going on and lots of dog friendly pubs/ cafes. Really friendly. Has hospital close to centre and a larger county hospital in Leeds. Only downside are the house prices but depends on what you’re looking for. Maybe you could do a shortlist and go for some weekends away? You’d at least get some nice trips in!

This thread has bern very helpful. Thanks for all the ideas.

I think wandering up to see some places is the way to go. Currently doing some family crisis mgt but it's good to plan. 🙂👍

I'm a carer for frail DH and am thinking seriously about where I shall go when he is no longer around. Somewhere I can walk the dog every day is probably my priority at the moment, without getting in the car. I don't mind driving for shops and doctors as I do at present. Looking at villages outside a big town with 'bus route! I'm mid-60s.

York, Shrewsbury, Newcastle, Manchester would be on my list.

Sheffield! Easy access to Peak District, friendly people.
Or Maybe Norwich - nice small city, or Exeter- proximity to nice beaches.