Retiring to Dorset on my own - advice please!

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I have lived in London for 30+ years and do not want to get old here! I have been single for several years and now late 50s, so pretty much resigned to being solo for good! I have always wanted to live by the sea and would like to make the move while I’m still young and fit enough to establish myself somewhere new. I have zoned in on Dorset, for the scenery, lifestyle and also being a reasonable distance for family and friends to visit.

Am currently doing recces/research trips to various areas. Am mainly thinking of Bridport/Swanage/Weymouth areas. I drive and my current work can be done remotely, so I don’t need to commute. Happy to live outside town centres to be somewhere quieter as long as I have access to a town for shopping and facilities.

Would love to have a sea view but not a deal breaker. Main criteria are:

• near to sea
• good walks
• road links to a motorway
• things to do/places of interest for visitors
• good restaurants

I would also like to be somewhere that has community events so I’m not socially isolated: food festivals/pilates/social activities. I love theatre so arts facilities would be a bonus.

If anyone can advise on the suitability of Bridport/Swanage/Weymouth localities for a single, active lady starting retirement, I would be most grateful. And there may of course be other places that fit the bill that I don’t know about! TIA for any advice.

Bridport is lovely. Quite funky, hippy vibe. A decent amount going on. Further ‘down’ in Devon, Sidmouth is lovely. Quite an elderly population but that is changing. Wonderful sea and walks. And lots of festivals. My favourite. I have friends there and visit a lot.
Lyme Regis also fab but more mobbed with tourists and very hilly! Weymouth has lovely seafront and buildings but is quite ‘poor’ but possibly coming up. I also like Portland. It’s quirky and some amazing houses but less vibrant and also some deprivation.
But you will find everywhere out of London very different. But that’s no bad thing in some ways!

Sorry not much experience of these places but I did consider retirement at the coast. One thing to think about, unfortunately, is any future hospital appointments in the future. Can you get there easily on your own etc you don't want to have to take a taxi for an hours journey there and back. You may not always be driving.

Excellent point, thankyou. Absolutely agree and this is something I will bear in mind.

Bridport is lovely, I've been here 10 years, and it has so much of what you are looking for. However, the bus services are not brilliant, so do take that into account with your plans. You'll need a car, I'd say. And Dorset does not have any motorway links.

@DoloresDelEriba thank you so much, this is all so helpful! I am considering Lyme Regis and that’s probably as far along the coast as I’d want to be. But I have also heard from others that it is packed in the summer, and now you’ve mentioned it being very hilly, it might be hard work as I get older!

Sidmouth wasn’t on my radar, so will definitely investigate, sounds lovely!

I was originally very excited about Portland, loved the idea of being on a little island. But have read several disparaging comments elsewhere about people being very insular and ‘weird’, and I understand there is going to be a huge waste incinerator there too, so have some doubts.

Really appreciate you taking the time to offer your insights, and I will check out the places you have mentioned.

Thank you @mazylou Bridport definitely seems to be a strong contender. I do drive but of course, you never know if you’ll be able to drive in old age. But I also have to be realistic that public transport will not be what I’m used to!

I’m heading to Bridport at the end of this week for a few days to do a recce, so am getting very excited now!

Just in time for the Community Fair on Saturday!

Have you considered Poole? Good transport links with buses, train station, close enough to get to the M27 etc and has Bournemouth Airport closed by too. Lots of areas that are close enough to the water. I love Swanage, one of my favourite places.

Swanage would mean that you could get across to Bournemouth on the Chain Ferry and have better transport links ( slow in the summer though. Very pretty ! Bridport and Weymouth are no man’s land from a health perspective . There is Dorset county hospital in Dorchester but it doesn’t have every speciality .

Have you thought about Christchurch or Milford on Sea? Better road links …

Sidmouth has everything!
Beach is pebbly so not great for small kids and sandcastles.
Has a Waitrose and good selection of shops including a nice small department store.
Good regular bus service to Exeter.
Busy in summer but they all go home by teatime!
Lots going on all year,
Go take a look!

consider Poole - good communication links , a reasonable distance to M27 / M3 and good train links into London and nice beaches. Wide selection of supermarkets. Plenty of good areas for walking and wildlife and around the harbour is a SSSI which means development around the harbour is very restricted so the scenery is protected. Does get busy in Summer, but that’s the same for anywhere near the coast and in Dorset. Also close to the Main Dorset hospitals : Royal Bournemouth and Poole - helpful as we get on in years 🙂

My friend is in Christchurch, sailing club and lively beach, quite and better than Bournemouth beach.

Milford on Sea or Barton on Sea would have what you are looking for with Lymington or New Milton close enough for easy shopping.
The New Forest is then on your doorstep as well as non touristy beaches.
New Milton has a train line to London Waterloo as does nearby Brockenhurst which is further into the New Forest.

Thank you. Hadn’t considered Poole yet but that all sounds good. I’d probably look at villages or outskirts of a big town like that so as to be away from the hubbub but it sounds like it would tick a lot of boxes. I’ll check it out!

Thankyou. I spent 3 weeks working in Swanage a few years ago and loved it. I wasn’t driving then and it was a nightmare by public transport from London, but the ferry and road links sound promising.

Access to health services is definitely something I need to consider getting older so that’s given me some food for thought.

OP, I've lived near Dorchester for nearly 25 years and know Bridport and Weymouth well.

There are NO motorway links nearby, ( an hour to Taunton, M5, or an hour to Ringwood, M27, M3...)
However, Poole is great for ferry to France, Plymouth ferry to Spain...

Bridport is by far the 'nicer' vibe. Quite arty, bit Boho, has, what I'd call "good self-esteem". Good eateries, some nice quirky pubs, lovely market each Saturday up South Street, some nice antique shops.
Weymouth hasn't got good self-esteem. But many love it, it's got the old Victorian-type Esplanade, a great beach and it's own charm really.
But it has a big country lines drug problem, ( actually, this exists in Bridprt too, to be fair).
There is more evident poverty, the high street is definitely grim. GP surgeries are over-subscribed there, and even more on Portland. There are good community clinics though and DCH ( Dorset County Hospital) is good ( in Dorchester).
Swanage, I know less well, but is a really pretty, happy kind of place, with Festival-type events and, again, a good sense of self-esteem. Also, excellent for the South West Coastal path, Corfe Castle, Durdle Dor etc...good eateries, (excellent fishmonger btw).

What you've heard about Portland will be echoed by many, I think and there is definitely some truth in it, but some swear real allegiance and love it.

Good luck, I think, if it were me, I'd be favouring Bridport, but have great fun visiting and researching.

You may find it a bit of a culture shock to move from London, but it sounds like you're ready for change.

Oh, one last thing, be prepared to do most of your shopping online, no John Lewis nearer than Bournemouth just forget about ANY big shops that you'd get in London easily. I was brought up in London but I get quite wide-eyed whenever I go back, at the sheer availability of everything.

Best of luck

Hadn’t heard of Milford-n-Sea, but will add it to the list, thanks!

I know you said you want the sea but Poundbury in Dorchester might have the community vibe you’re looking for.

Oh, just to add, Weymouth has got good train links to London, Bristol, Gloucester etc...

Try Southbourne , has everything you mention and more !

@Oneearringlost thankyou so much for all that info! Really appreciate it. Weymouth and Portland are slipping down the list, even more so thinking about the county lines and low self-esteem; I’m looking to leave all that negativity in London! But I definitely need to consider Poole.

I already know Swanage a bit and really liked it. I’m going to be busy doing my research and due diligence on all these places!

Ooh, never heard of Southbourne! I’ll check it out, thank you!

My friend’s parents retired to Southbourne. Such a lovely location. Near Christchurch, beautiful Hengistbury Head, miles of beaches. Also easy reach of a hospital as a PP mentioned that. Also near New Forest and good road links. I’d go there in a shot if I could afford it.

Dorset is the kind of County that you need to visit at all times of the year before you commit. Portland for example can look beautiful on a sunny day, but a wet and windy day in February will put you right off.
I personally wouldn't rule out Weymouth. Yes the town centre is lacking, but so many are these days, I think there is a certain charm to it.
I like Wareham. It's not by the sea, but not too far in land. It has community spirit, some interesting arts events and reasonable transport links.