Where would you live and why?

[BrightLightTonight]

Hi all

I have a massive dilemma - I am old, free and single. I am looking at retirement and have no geographical ties, so can move anywhere in the UK. My budget is around £300k.

Areas I have ruled out (no offence to people who live here) Cornwall, couldn’t cope with the tourists, Wales - far too hilly (I have dodgy knees), North East England - the one part of the UK that I don’t have any friends/or relatives. Scotland, probably too far north. The rest of the UK, I have friends or relatives within 2.5 hours.

I would like to live within 30 mins of the coast, in a friendly community.

Where should I move to? Help

It feels a little odd OP. If you won't move to areas where you have no friends or family near-by then why are you not getting the low-down from all your friends and family rather than randoms on the net?

Anyway, it feels like you would be best in a smaller market town - big enough with facilities but small enough to feel community. You may also want access to the railway network for when you don't drive. And you may want to be able to quickly get to a city for the things that support those needs like gigs, events, shows, etc. Try Honiton (close to Exeter). People are much friendlier than in the clique-y SE. Lots of property in your price bracket. Quick access to the coast at Sidmouth, Beer, and Budleigh.

Chichester isn’t that much inland - you can walk to the edge of Langstone Harbour and it’s a short drive to the Witterings, definitely within your 30 minute limit. The South Downs NP is on your doorstep. Has a great theatre and independent cinema, plus decent services and transport connections (although the A27 is poor).

Chichester is nice but - flooding, traffic and SE clique.

I would suggest East Anglia. In South Norfolk, near Norwich, you can get to the coast within thirty minutes. Similarly, Suffolk is lovely and many places are thirty minutes or less from the coast. North Essex has a beautiful coastline and, again, inland villages that are not far away from it.

I was also going to suggest Chichester. We are 6 miles from the beach but far enough away to
not be affected by tourists (or grockles as we call them)

I’ve moved back to Chi from Surrey. Compared to Guildford and the M25, the traffic here is nothing, even with Goodwood on

Yep. London and surrounds would be hideous but Google AI can help when asked:

"Traffic in Chichester is notoriously heavy and congested. The reliance on the A27 bypass and limited local routes means that both through and commuter traffic regularly creates long queues, especially at peak morning and evening times."

Thank you all - food for thought. Norfolk seems to be the popular choice.

And yes, Lytham St Anne is NW. - sorry 😄

Lewes? Easy access to Brighton/eastbourne/Seaford for beach, beautiful countryside walks, nice community. Or Uckfield, 15 mins further inland but maybe more options in your budget

Christchurch is lovely for those who want beauty, calm and a bit of culture without big-city stress. It’s scenic and easy to get around, with harbour walks, cafés, galleries and quite a strong arts-and-crafts community. There are lots of retired/social groups and a hospital snd trains station. Downsides are high house prices but £300k is do-able. Go somewhere interesting and with a bit of an attraction where friends and family wouldn’t mind visiting once you can’t travel so much.

@Novium is right. There’s water very near Chichester and it’s ideal for art, crafts, Novium museum, Festival Theatre, cathedral etc. The villages around, like Aldwick, are in walking distance of the sea. There are loads of places like that too. Littlehampton, Climping, Felpham, Rustington.

😂 Because AI knows everything! The bonus in Chichester is there are so many different routes that you don’t have to sit in traffic. I’m talking from experience, not what AI has made up

And while we’re at it, flooding? In central Chi? It’s not 1993. They’ve even rebuilt Sainsbury’s!

It was summarising West Sussex Council's own analysis. I think that I'll trust that .

Combe Martin in North Devon - very flat, next to the beach and a fantastic community.

Quieter compared to nearby towns of Ilfracombe and Barnstaple.

I would go East Anglia too.

Perhaps the West Country?

Passed through Beaminster and Crewkerne a while back, seemed pretty decent to me, really quite pleasant countryside too. Not too far from the coast and cheaper than most of the Southeast.

If you’re old, you need to think as much about practicalities as anything else: a home that is adaptable enough for potential reductions in mobility, good public transport because you may have to stop driving, a range of amenities such as shops and GP and some community/social activities within easy reach (walking distance, bus ride), and straightforward access (train/bs/affordable taxi) to wider social/cultural activities, a hospital etc.

We currently live rurally, but are now looking to move either to a small city or the edges of a larger one for those reasons.

Also, what kind of accommodation do you want? Do you need outside space? Woukd you be happy in a flat (with garden if necessary)? Because that changes massively where you can afford to look at.

Anyway, possible options: the Wirral. Liverpool. Southport. Lancaster. Everywhere else I like is hilly, I’ve just realised.

I’m going to be in a similar situation to you in a couple of years. My criteria is to be reasonably accessible to my kids visiting for a few days and vice versa. I don’t drive anymore though so train station is a must. So far on my list is Norfolk and Wiltshire. It’s really hard to know where to go when there isn’t work anchoring you to a place but you don’t want to be too far from family. I don’t have a big enough budget to live where my first choice probably would be (Bath).

Blackpool (hole) is horrific. It’s like some sudden ghetto. Avoid.

"I drive, I have a dog, I ride, I do art, I walk."

Bridport/West Bay is where you need to live.
Weekly market, beautiful walks to the coast, arty community, dog friendly.
£300k would buy you a sweet two bed cottage with a garden easy walking distance to town or the coast.

It's paradise for older folk.
Train station 10 miles away.

Don't you have a place in mind. Maybe from holidays, staying sonewhere with friends perhaps. Plucking sonewhere out of midair seems a weird way to do things. Especially as you say you want to be near your family.

West Kirby on The Wirral.
Views, supermarkets, independent cafes, beach (and marina) and easy access to Merseyrail for trips to Chester and Liverpool. Places like Wirral Country Park, Ness Gardens nearby. It’s as flat as a pancake but you can see the Welsh mountains. I contemplate a move there myself sometimes.

Just to throw another factor in, considering you describe yourself as old, I would want to be reasonably close to a good, large teaching hospital. Norfolk, for example, is lovely, but some of the smaller hospitals are not. And they will not have the range of specialist services that hospitals in bigger cities will.

Coastal Suffolk eg Woodbridge or Aldeburgh. Arty, coastal, good communities, lots of history, relatively easy trains to London and Cambridge for a city fix.