Another Relocation: South West from NI. Advice welcome!

[SWcurious]

We're in our 50s and, after almost two decades of happy Northern Ireland living, are considering a return home to England to be nearer family - and we need help identifying places in the South West to look at. It will be a tough move for us, as we have a pretty good situation here, and property is much more expensive over there.

We have family in north Somerset (Wells area) and we are looking at Somerset and Devon as options. We're looking to be in a slightly less rural situation than we are now (driving to get the milk, all our neighbours are cattle) so we are thinking a village with short-ish drive to a small town.
We want to be within a reasonable commute to a hospital (ideally, no more than an hour) as I'm on biologics and have semi-regular check ups. We don't want to be on top of family either, just more accessible than we are now. Main family in North Somerset but there are others in Bideford and Looe I'dlike to reconnect with.

We both work from home and like walking so inland is fine but, ideally, we'd like an easy-ish commute to the sea (we're both coastal rowers and would value the opportunity to continue this hobby plus we have beach-loving dogs). We'd like to avoid second home land, we want to be part of a community.

As much as I love Cornwall, I suspect its a bit too far away but I'll be delighted to be on its doorstep.

We're in the early days of considering whether this move is feasible, its not urgent but for a number of reasons, feels inevitable. We think, once we sell up here, we'll have a budget of around the £300/£350K for 2/3 bedrooms. Zoopla suggests this is feasible if limited on choice. I'm not a fan of new builds, we currently live in an old stone cottage which we renovated. I realise, we'll not get like for like, as we live in a much cheaper area, but we're hoping to find something similar if smaller. Any areas to look at or pointers welcome! Thank you.

Yes, quite! The casual ageism was something to behold 🤣

You can buy a 3 bed in places like Heavitree/st thomas in Exeter for that - may be on the small side but perfectly fine! Exmouth too has some relatively affordable spots - you just won’t get an A rated new build or in somewhere like Topsham!

What are you actually looking for? Perhaps it would help to explain if you are actually only looking for a five year billet. You descried a significant move in your fifties to be closer to family. Is that not meant to be a long term move?

You are entirely free to live in a self sufficient shed at the end of a goat track on Dartmoor if you don’t care about services but that doesn’t negate the comments of posters with direct experience of dealing with those services in the area, at the point when sudden changes happen.

And yes, those sudden changes can appear in the sixties, even more so after that, even if you are fit, hale and hearty in your fifties. Many of us know this from family experiece.

Its a lot less amusing when someone in previous good health, no contra indications is hit by a stroke or debilitating form of cancer in their mid to late. fifties. This is the age at which health luck can desert you with no previous warning.

As I said - anyone is still free to move to isolation away from services, its stupid not to bear in mind from your fifties onward you are increasingly likely to need the services when you least expect it. The SW in particular has a demographic problem and shortage of services for an ageing population.

I’m selling a characterful Victorian terrace in your budget in Wells 😃 and can vouch for it being a fab place to live!

Maybe somewhere like Honiton or Ottery St Mary. Ottery had a small hospital but the RD&E is just along the A30. Not too far from the Sidmouth or Seaton (I know nothing about rowing).

Thanks, that area is on my list!

Why not read my original post? All the details, if you want to be helpful, are already there. If you need more details, feel free to ask specifics.

I'm not being stupid, as you appear to be alluding to. We're not looking to live in the middle of nowhere or demanding others look after us in our old age. I'm being pragmatic about a big move whilst also trying to find a style of life that suits us now. If and when those needs change we'll pivot like everybody else. The idea that a house, to be considered 'long term' or sensible must suit us when we get to our 70s (or suit an as yet undiscovered illness that will defintely appear in our 60s), is not an idea I agree with or find helpful. So I won't be responding further on this. And yes, I do think a couple of the posts here have been simply ageist. I assume written by posters who think 50-somethings are ancient and should only live in bungalows preferably next to a hospital. Feel free to scroll on by though.

Thanks. New builds is not our thing. We're both pretty handy - overhauled an old stone cottage over the last ten years. Smaller than what we have is fine and expected. Less work would be nice. We're going to take our time working out what our willing compromises are re: location. We're pretty rural now and we'd like to be closer to stuff. A sizeable village over a town perhaps. I'm not sure if I can give up the hope of being near the sea and a good swimming beach for an easier drive to family/cheaper propery but we'll see. Those kinds of decisions need time to percolate.

Heavitree/st thomas in ExeterHeavitree/st thomas in Exeter

Lots of Victorian/Edwardian terraces in both areas, but parts of St Thomas in particular can be dodgy. Also parking an issue in both areas

Ottery has some lovely cottages, some good shops including a decent sized Sainsburys & an excellent garden centre close by. It also has a traditional Tar Barrel run on 5th November every year which is a spectacle where the whole town turns out. about:blank History of the Tar Barrels | The Ottery St Mary Carnival Tar Barrelss Also Samuel Coleridge Taylor's father was the rector of the <very fine> church. Totally recommend Ottery.

However Honiton (famous for it's lace making) is bigger & also a good place with plenty of attractive cottages near the town centre.

On the subject of 'future-proofing' it's not such a daft idea. You may not always want or to be able to drive - says me who's in her early 60's & recovering from a knee replacement.

Thanks, these are great suggestions and lovely insights.

I'm not commenting further on future proofing because it's a becoming a bit of a derail and I've already commented on where my priorities are.

Edited to say: hope you recover swiftly.

One thing to mindful of is the roads around here - as in the more remote the village/town the more likely you are to encounter flooding/ice etc.
Theres a lovely village called Nynehead near us, but one of the roads to it floods regularly.

Thanks, that's a good thing to consider. We are on a country lane now and have that same issue.