Where to retire to?

[StrumpersPlunkett]

Dh and I know we don't intend to grow old here, I grew up by the seaside and miss it.
I yearn to be by water, love big lakes, rivers or the sea side.
However, as much as we love Cornwall it takes a very long time to get to family who are spread from East Anglia to Newcastle and The Lake District.
We have a healthy budget ( I think) of about £600,000 and would like 3-4 beds and a good size garden.
Prefer to be walking distance to a village.

If you feel you know where might work for us please can you share.
Thank you in anticipation.

you have a budget and it sounds like location along the east coast - Yorkshire - would work in terms of distance from family

what is walking. Distance for you and and what do you want in the village ? At retirement age - I’d suggest no more than 20 mins walk and the village to have a store and a doctors and pharmacy

North Yorkshire area sounds like it would be a good location between the three areas where you have relatives. Or a bit further down the coast like East Yorkshire? Som somewhere like Whitby, robin hoods bay, Bridlington, Scarborough areas ?

Northumberland or North Yorkshire

:-) thanks I love the Yorkshire coast.

Rutland

The risk with being walking distance from a village is that’s the prime area for a house building company to put a big newbuild estate. I think I’d rather be in the village with neighbours already there. Also maybe easier to meet people?

West Cumbria? If you don’t mind further inland, Sedbergh and Dent are lovely, and only a shortish drive to Windermere and then the coast.

Another suggestion would be Hexham or Corbridge, both close to the Tyne and easy access to Newcastle and the Lakes.

Alternatively, you could find a place near a reservoir. The Ladybower Reservoir is huge and in a pretty area of North Derbyshire, close to Sheffield and Chesterfield.

These are great. Thank you.
we’re really open minded and gave a few years before retirement so going to get some long weekends booked in in different areas to see how they feel.

Flamborough. Love it there, absolutely stunning bit of coastline. I was on holiday there recently and told my son he could stick me in a nursing home with that view and I would be happy!

Frinton on sea - has a real community feel, lots of clubs and events plus one street full of cafes, restaurants and every type of shop you need.

Hastings or St Leonards, very creative, incredibly friendly and welcoming places. So much live music and art, everywhere you look. Mardi Gras, Jack in the Green, Carnival Week, Pirate Weekend, Bonfire Parade. Folk musicians or skiffle bands in all the pubs, lots of pagan traditions. East and West Hill with Old Town nestled between the two. Rock a Nore fishing quarter, fish and chips and pubs everywhere. 2 funicular railways, historic working fishing fleet, underground skatepark and the World Crazy Golf Championships 😍 We moved here almost 3 years ago and have made so many friends (we’re in Hastings Old Town). Also now retired but doing more then ever before (moved from Yorkshire)

Formby?

You might be better thinking about the things you will need as you get older.
You may have to give up driving so think about transport
You will have more medical appointments
You may need someone to clean
You may need social services or private carers

Being in a rural area away from transport and limited health & care options is very difficult. Cornwall and Cumbria are both super aging populations causing huge pressure on the services you may want in 10-15 years.

Seeing first hand the pitiful existence of lonely old people who retired to the nice place in the country makes me want to move to a place with easy access to services and reliable transport.

Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton. In Devon and not too far from M5 for M4 connections.

I am with @Unescorted, retire near amenities and visit the lovely places. If you are too frail to drive to the lovely places, you are too frail to drive to the supermarket, Dr, hospital, and clothes shops.
Choose a home ina town with good health care, good supermarkets and a good community that runs lunch clubs and so on.

A family member moved to Saltburn on the North Yorkshire coast and the love it,

My dream would be Brighton ❤️

ooh more lovely suggestions, thank you!

We've always lived in the SW. Lots of people move here in search of the peace and tranquillity that living in a coastal town or village close to the coast brings. I can't blame them, it's lovely. About 5 years ago we sold the family home and moved into a 2 bed bungalow in a village with all amenities in the village (shop, 3 pubs (though 1 has since closed), doctor surgery, regular bus service, village hall with lots of activities going on (yoga, craft activities, badminton, table tennis, tea dances etc) some 5 miles from the coast (and our adult children & GC).

DH is 72, I'm 65 and we were considering our future needs and abilities. A large house & garden may be great now, but what about in 10 or 20 year's time? We thought about the cost of maintaining a large house and garden, heating it, maintaining fences/hedges/lawns when we become less mobile. We needed to be on a bus route with a regular service so that we can get to the doctor should the local surgery close, hospital appointments, shopping, social activities etc should/when we no longer be able to drive.

I'm sorry, but you also need to consider how you would be able to manage the house and garden should one of you die leaving one of you alone - this was also a (sad, but practical) consideration that we made when moving. Good luck, but I'd stay within easy driving distance of your children as you may need them to support you one day. 😘

Thank you so much for your reply, the problem we have about staying close to children is that our parents are still alive and neither of our two sons live anywhere near each other.

When I say a good size garden I am thinking mowable in 20 -30 mins. Not acres 😁

I hear what you're saying about 20 minute's mowing, but what used to be 20 minutes (in our current house) means that DH, with his arthritis in back, knees & shoulders, is now 2 sessions of 20 minutes with a long break between while he curses & swears & me rubbing ibuprofen gel into his achy parts. Eventually I do it, which, as I still work is not at all convenient(!) We're looking at converting more lawn into beds with perennials as don't want to turn what garden we have into a dessert of 'easy care' paving or, even worse, plastic 'lawn'.

North Yorkshire, Whitby/Scarborough area

thanks for this suggestion...

I grew up in the area and would love to go back.

I absolutely love this area and also grew up in North Yorkshire. I have been mulling this over too (although I’ve got a while to go!) and I would be concerned about the number of second homes in Whitby and whether this impacted the sense of community. I think Scarborough would be a better bet and also has a hospital, although I think it might be a bit deprived as many seaside places are.
Would a river do? Bridgnorth on the River Severn is absolutely lovely and has a great community, or Monmouth? Friends parents retired to Monmouth and were immediately swept up in the community.

a river would absolutely do.. I haven't ever been to that area so we need to get that on the weekend break list to explore.

My PiL went to Scarborough Whitby and Filey this summer for a few weeks and they said Whitby felt lovely but Scarborough and Filey felt faded..