Moving to Wales

[YanTanTetheraPetheraPimp]

We’re hoping to move to Wales and are looking at Llandrindod Wells. Where else should we be looking? Not keen on Cardiff, Swansea etc, prefer to be north of the Valleys etc.
We’re retired and want to be ideally within walking distance of a reasonable sized town because I don’t enjoy driving (DH does drive at the moment), with plenty of places to walk the dog, and the opportunity to make new friends.
At the moment we’re in south Gloucestershire.
Any helpful ideas very welcome

I love Llandod but it’s just so far from anywhere. I know you aren’t keen on Swansea or Cardiff but both have large hospitals. I’m in Swansea and have great healthcare choices. I don’t know what sort of thing you are looking for but there is a village just outside Swansea called Craig Cefn Parc which has a rural feel but is on a main bus route to the regional hospital. It’s pretty close to two large suburbs with supermarkets etc.

Carmarthen might fit the bill for what you're after. It's a decent sized town surrounded by amazing countryside. It's right at the end of the M4 and has a trainline so not entirely isolated. There's also a decent sized hospital there.

The elephant in the room will always be that you're cashing in on a lower value property area for your retirement, but if you make a point of making your home somewhere that you engage with the local community that may not be an issue in how you're viewed by the locals.

How about places around Shrewsbury? Either side of the border. Not too far from major hospitals, a lot more public transport and general infrastructure, and this part of Wales is not predominantly welsh speaking, which does make a difference when people move in from England. Beautiful landscape, great walking, canal, river, and an hour or so from the coast depending on where you choose.

I'm a paramedic in a rural part of Wales, and I would absolutely encourage you to fully inform yourself on what is on offer in the NHS where you are considering living, and also the reality of how the services is actually delivered currently. For example the only cardiac catheterization lab in the North is in glan Clwyd (near Rhyl) this covers patients as far away as the llyn peninsula, that is a very long way to travel for emergency treatment when you are dying (same distances involved for radiotherapy). The trauma network for the North takes you to Stoke, mid Wales generally go to Swansea but may end up in Birmingham. Other specialities in the North, go to Liverpool (neuro, burns, paeds, NICU etc).

Obviously we all live with this and happily get on with our lives, but don't move here if you are not happy to accept it.

My favourite part of Wales is Pembrokeshire (I am from Wales, but not there) but I don't think I'd live there. My (Welsh, but non welsh speaking aunt) has moved to Anglesey and 3 years on finds it tricky to integrate (however covid has made some impact on this). It is beautiful but involves a lot of driving for any medical type stuff.

I live about 40 mins from Llandod… why are you contemplating it? Do you have experience of it outside tourist season and areas? Massive drug issues in the town, employment is mainly in the incredibly badly run county council HQ, the aforementioned county council is dismally run and badly underfunded which doubles the impact on the already stretched services (many of which are becoming non-existent), it features highly in deprivation scores, DA measures and is a specific area of concern for the substance misuse area planning board.

If you don’t drive but fancy Wales I’d look more South Wales or North Wales, mid Wales is the forgotten land when it comes to public services, it’s pretty but not as idyllic when winter sets in, trains grind to a halt and buses are rarer than hens teeth.

Llandrindod is not a reasonably sized town and if you don't like driving it is not the town for you, it's in the middle of nowhere with shocking public transport, you have to drive everywhere.

It's a popular town to retire to but you need to realise how isolated it is and how limited the health care options are, women have to go 40+ miles (that's mid wales miles, shocking, windy, single carriage miles, so will take over an hour) to give birth if they want anything more than pethidin. That's the same journey you'd need to make if you have a stroke.

I would go somewhere north or south, or Aberystwyth where you'll find more civilisation.

Pretty town though.

@YanTanTetheraPetheraPimp if hospital amenities are something you’re factoring in to this move, then Cowbridge is a lovely, affluent little town and only 30 mins from Cardiff by road (about the same by train I think). It feels very different from Cardiff though and is near the coast too, very idyllic and pretty. I know you wanted north of the valleys but it seems like everyone is mentioning medical facilities so I thought I would mention Cowbridge.

Please don’t feel guilted in to living somewhere you don’t want to live. If I replied negatively to every Hackney-based poster on here merrily chatting about moving to the ‘affordable’ part of London I grew up in, pushing the prices up in to the millions with their inner London property money and making zone 4 a distant dream for many of us born and bred there, my fingers would be worn to bloody stumps. You are looking for a house to live in and enjoy, you will be paying council tax and shopping locally, pumping money in to the local economy. Comments about pushing house prices up and alienating locals should be reserved for those in the buy-to-let market IMO, or buying holiday homes.

There's not a huge housing shortage in Llandod either, it's quite affordable so there aren't youngsters clambering to get on the ladder to the extent there are in so many other places.

Scotland is prettier

How very dare you!

Llandeilo is a good shout - there is a station which connects to Swansea. Around Carmarthen as well as it has a well connected station. Carmarthen is a pretty medium sized town

There's a growing resentment over incomers wrecking communities. It's not just about pushing up housing prices, it's also badly affecting the language. I went to St David's in Pembrokeshire earlier this year and no one in any of the shops could speak Welsh with me. 20 years ago it was the opposite.

The upthread comments about gentrification are very offensive and the subtext seems to be 'places where the those Welsh serfs are being saved by English incomers' Lucky us.

In practical terms, Welsh public transport is dire, it rains a LOT, especially in winter and the NHS is dreadful, worse than England.

Add to that the potential for not fitting in (let's face it OP, you're looking for how Wales could serve you rather than vice-versa, it's not like you're bringing skills or kids who'd learn Welsh and perhaps help keep a local school open) and it's probably best to stay put or find somewhere more urban and close to a good hospital.

OP - I’m not one to talk. Where I live makes Llandod look like a metropolis! but, as the paramedic noted - if you choose to live like this, then you have to accept on some level that you “might not make it on time”.

I’m glad others have mentioned the drugs, I didn’t want to be too disparaging about the place as m&d moved a few years ago and it might’ve changed - but in addition to that, it has a “run down” look and is allegedly filled with “problem families from Glasgow”.

Can’t remember the last time I heard Welsh there.

50% rich English pensioners going to yoga classes and drinking expensive coffee in veggie cafes - 50% trying hard to make ends meet.

Problem families from Birmingham ffs. Talk about smiting an entire population! 😳

Having spent a good bit of time in Wales for long and short periods I would avoid anywhere too Welsh if you hope to be included in the local community.

I think being accepted by the local community anywhere has a lot to do with an individual’s personality. I haven’t had any issues on the acceptance front. Although, some locals do wince at my pronunciation. Something I intend to work on in my retirement.

It's not just about pushing up housing prices, it's also badly affecting the language.

Llandod hasn't been a welsh speaking area for decades and decades, potentially not since the Victorians, the accent isn't even especially "Welsh". The area has always had a very high English population and tourism.

I personally wouldn't move there I'm just back from holiday and found the whole place alarmingly deprived, isolated and wet.

You absolutely cannot judge our entire country on one holiday. Some places are isolated, like any country, but there are many busting towns, cities and villages. Some areas are deprived, like any country, but many, many more are wonderful places to live with lots going on and beautiful scenery.

OP, if you can't drive then I would definitely recommend Abergavenny. It's surrounded by mountains and countryside, a lovely market town, little theatre, bookshops, wonderful market and lovely people. There are also good rail links to Cardiff (if you wanted a theatre trip for example), and a very good large, hospital.

You wouldn't need to drive and Nevill Hall Hospital is right there. I've used that hospital frequently and I've nothing bad to say about it.

And by the way, thank you for choosing our beautiful country. I hope you'll feel welcome.

@AlphabetAerobics the sheer scale of the drug problem is enough to put anyone off these days I’d have thought; it was bad a few years ago… then it got worse

The council offices are all but abandoned mainly these days as well as the council has developed a new ‘mobility working’ model which essentially means people that used to need to live close to county hall don’t have to so they’ve run away in their droves over to the Dolfor hills and now work from home.

The Metropole hotel does a good martini and the Commodore Hotel is a mind-blowing hoot if you need somewhere amusing to stay for a conference though

There is room in Wales for people who don’t speak Welsh-many locations have a majority with English as a first language, many of whom who are born and bred in Wales and have been for generations like some of my family. Pembrokeshire is a case in point. I’m not complaining about Welsh-I live near a predominantly Welsh speaking area and I love to hear it-I’ve also never faced any unfriendliness or rudeness from people either-people are pretty much bilingual and just speak to me in English. All I would say is someone may not settle as well in Welsh speaking areas if they don’t speak it just because it is harder to mix with the local community who have grown up speaking their first language. There’s also a bit of ageism going on here-the idea you can’t contribute to local communities unless you’re young is quite frankly ridiculous. Most volunteers in areas such as hospitals, schools etc are retired people. There are many rural areas all over the UK which are suffering from an exit of youngsters due to affordability and employment reasons. What are we going to do about older people moving to such communities? Ban than?

A great deal to think about.
Certainly I don’t intend to swan in and drain local resources, I fully intend to do more volunteering and learn Welsh for a start.
I’m definitely not a rich pensioner and I’m not capitalising on cheaper housing, the opposite in fact if anything.
Add to that the potential for not fitting in (let's face it OP, you're looking for how Wales could serve you rather than vice-versa, it's not like you're bringing skills or kids who'd learn Welsh and perhaps help keep a local school open) and it's probably best to stay put or find somewhere more urban and close to a good hospital
I never for one second took this attitude towards Wales! And actually I would hope I have plenty of skills that I might be given the chance to use, far more than staying here in the oh so nice Cotswolds.

Thank you everyone, plenty to ponder over.

We’ve been researching and visiting for 12 months.
I had considered Abergavenny - can’t put my finger on why it just doesn’t appeal.
Brecon- personal reasons no way
Cardigan - a long way from everywhere and heaving with tourists
Aberystwyth- very expensive, little housing other than apartments
I want to be able to integrate and contribute to the community.

Monmouth is lovely and close to lots of good facilities :)

Or Usk.

@YanTanTetheraPetheraPimp

I have been holidaying in Wales for 45 years +, now my parents are dead I have no ties in England and for the first time in my life I want to live where I chose rather than where I have to. Up to now I have been confined by NHS and Third Sector work/elderly parents and at 68 I am putting myself first for the first time in my life.

I appreciate the housing shortage, it’s no different here because of second homes etc., in fact it’s worse where I live in a pretty Cotswold village because the local business landowners are buying property for their wedding business guests and will out-price in order to get what they want.
I live somewhere with a very poor infrastructure, virtually no bus service, I have to drive to get anywhere and I want to move before I am forced to because of either my DH or I having ill health in the future.
I have very carefully thought through this for some time, it’s not on a whim.

Yes it is different here, because we are a different country, with a different language and culture, this is not the same as gentrification. I feel slightly ragey when people who have come here on holiday, and are moving from affluent parts of England, decide to move here because they say they like it, while trashing welsh communities. Shameful actually. If this was happening to any other indigenous population it would be seen as the tragedy it is.

It’s not a moral issue to move to Wales. Not unless, as a native Londoner, I get to prohibit non Londoners from buying property or living there!
We all pay tax - it goes into the communal pot and is shared out between the 4 nations. And anyone from any of those nations has a right to live where they choose without being guilt tripped.
I wouldn’t live in Llandrindod - I’ve been there a few times and it seems like a place in decline.