Moving to Wales: would appreciate lots of info!

[MoreMor]

Due to a unique set of circumstances (mostly work) I might have the opportunity to move to Aberystwyth. I've been to North Wales many times and to Cardiff but not to this part of Wales. The fact that is seems isolated isn't an issue for me - kind of what I want actually; quiet and away from everything. My main worry is that being single in my 40s I might never meet anyone and end up single forever. Also, having not visited yet, I don't know what to expect. I live in the south of England at the moment; I've had enough of one place.

Definitely need a change, I just don't know how different it would be. But the sea and watersports are my favourite thing, hiking, the countryside, etc. I like having drinks with friends in country pubs. Eat out and wine. That kind of thing.

So I'd love any info about it, and lots of info would be great.
How lonely might I be? Are there any men there? Will I make friends my age, who might be single?
What kind of social life could I hope for, being single?
Is it deprived at all, or rather nice? Is it mostly safe?
Does the TV show Hinterland present an accurate picture? (Aside from all the murders, hopefully).
Does it rain a fair bit? (That's fine, just curious).
Need to learn Welsh? (Also fine, but I might struggle).

Thanks in advance :-)

Edit: Just one added question; if this didn't work out, are there other parts of Wales that would be better but that offer the same in terms of the sea and countryside?

I live in North Wales so I don't have experience of Aberystwyth. I'm not sure how studenty it is, owing to the University.

Wales is beautiful - anywhere along the coast, you generally get the sea and hill walk/countryside feel. North Wales especially - owing to Eryri.

I'd learn the language if I were you - I think it's a personal choice (with varying opinion from Welsh people). I pushed myself to learn owing to having a Welsh husband and daughter.

Hey, I'm in Swansea but spent a few years living in Aberystwyth when I was younger.

To try and answer your questions:
How lonely might I be? Are there any men there? Will I make friends my age, who might be single?
Aber is a small town of about 14000 people, so you're not going to get as much choice as in somewhere like Cardiff or Swansea, but that also means you've not got as much competition. It's certainly not some tiny village with 2 eligable bachelors and thats your lot.

What kind of social life could I hope for, being single?
It's a big enough place that you'll have a choice of local pubs, be able to find things like book clubs etc. Its a university town so the population skews young, but there's certainly not a dearth of single people your age about

Is it deprived at all, or rather nice? Is it mostly safe?
Depends where you're coming from. Its a seaside town that's past its heydey, and it can seem a bit forlorn in winter when the students have all gone home and it's a bit of a ghost town, but I really liked it in spring to Autumn, and in summer its got quite a nice vibe. I certainly never felt unsafe there (although I'm male, so other peoples mileage may vary)

Does the TV show Hinterland present an accurate picture? (Aside from all the murders, hopefully).
Not seen it sorry

Does it rain a fair bit? (That's fine, just curious).
Yes, it does rain quite a bit. Aberystwyth isn't quite as bad as Swansea (which was the wettest place in the UK for a long period. Personally it doesn't bother me, I don't mind a walk in the rain.

Need to learn Welsh? (Also fine, but I might struggle).
No, not at all. The majority of people in Aberystwyth speak English as their first language. Its not until you hit north Wales that you end up with Welsh being the default language, and even then 99% can speak English fluently.

To answer your other question about other areas of Wales that might be suitable, I can recommend Swansea. It's a lot bigger that Aberystwyth, so plenty of people to meet, and while the city center is nothing to write home about (Like most town centres at the moment, theres a lot of empty shop fronts), the surrounding suburbs are mostly quite nice. And you have Gower on the doorstep, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Its a peninsula full of gorgeous beaches, walks through woods, windswept moors. Its a lovely place and only a 20 minute drive from most of Swansea

Thank you both for your replies- much appreciated.

Bumping this to ask anyone else for insights…

No idea but I bloody love Hinterland!

Not lived there. Depending on where you live now, you will probably find it rains a lot. It's a small town and will seem a bit deserted when it's not term time.
Roads and public transport out of Aberystwyth aren't great.

I lived there about a decade ago but as a student so different experience to what you'd be looking for.

It's a nice town, during term time about a third of the population is students so it is very studenty and there's a different vibe between term time and holidays so if you're going to visit I'd bear that in mind depending on where you're going.

The university is a big employer so there should be a lot of working age people there and I'm imagine the scene for meeting people in your age bracket would be OK. Some coastal places end up with a large proportion of elderly as people retire there but that's not really an issue in Aber.

There's loads of pubs there (more per person than anywhere else in the UK) and I've heard from friends that have been back that the food scene has really improved.

Regarding the language everyone can speak English but there are people whose first language is Welsh and will feel more comfortable speaking it. Especially people who are elderly and live rurally. So I'd say it depends what your work is as to whether you'll need it, I met a PCSO who was learning and I know the council like people to be speakers. Regardless learning the basics will probably earn you a lot of goodwill from people.

It rains a lot, I'd apply that to all of Wales. Storms can be bad on the seafront.

The locations on Hinterland are accurate but I'd say that's about it. I used to live a few doors down from the police station (which isn't actually a police station).

It's generally very safe, when I was there some organisation (maybe UCAS?) used to have a rankings of uni's by how safe the area was and Aber was safest in Wales and third safest in UK. I used to walk home alone late at night and never felt unsafe. The only thing is there is some drug use issues but I wouldn't necessarily say any more than any other similar town.

Travelling to there is rubbish. The train only goes east to Shrewsbury, if you want to go anywhere else it'll be a bus. There's been various talks over the years of opening up old lines that are no longer functioning but based on funding I can't see it ever happening.

It's lovely but the small population might make it difficult to meet men.
I think that learning Welsh is a brilliant way of meeting new people- There's a lively Welsh language social scene and being part of it could be so transformative to your experience of Aber. Have a look at the Say Something in Welsh website.

I grew up in Aberystwyth and one day hope to return home. I am biased but I think it is an amazing place to live. Due to the students there is more going on than in other towns the same size I would say. The scenery is beautiful, yes it can be bleak in winter but there is a beauty to the bleakness too.

Shopping wise it has improved I believe since I was there as there is an M&S but it isn’t great if you love shopping. Lots of pubs and cafes though.

I was young when I lived there so not sure about the number of single men in their 40s but both my parents managed to find new partners there after they divorced.

A while ago now but I often walked home from nights out, drunk at 3am and never felt unsafe.

It’s a stunning journey to Shrewsbury though.