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

I also came to say Bridport.

And to add as posted too soon...very horsey, and miles and miles of well kept footpaths which are mostly flat.

Another vote for East Anglia. No hills to climb!

Eastbourne is much younger these days just out of interest. Ive been going there recently and its full of 30 something hipster types with trendy buggies gping for brunch (as well as the original.old people).

Is the whole of Wales hilly? Pembrokeshire is lovely but youd need to drive maybe.

Isle of Wight. It’s your budget that fits - you can get a cute little house for that. (And as you asked I’d live in a three bed house in Chelsea off Kings Rd but need at least £3m for that. It has everything - shops, restaurants, cafes, people watching, transport, and the extra special something).

Another vote for The Wirral or Bridport. The Wirral is great for dog walking, so many footpaths. Easy access to places like Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales. Also love Bridport.

I’d start by considering if there are any particular friends or family you’d like to be closest to and take it from there. I know 2.5 hours doesn’t sound a lot but it’s still a bit of a trek for a round trip.

Agree with the Wirral. I'm not sure the Isle of Wight has a decent hospital so would be on the avoid list for me.

I also have dodgy knees . Inflammatory arthritis. Not all of Wales is hilly . I have chosen a coastal town in north Pembrokeshire . Moving hopefully around September. Will you need a parking space or not bothered.

Eastbourne is nice, a different vibe to the past as it is becoming more trendy but still not very touristy. If you are looking for small, Lewes is also nice and close to other towns/cities. But not sure about house prices there. Or Seaford nearby is small but has a beach, good walks, lovely community of retirees who are big on nature and art. My partner’s mum is considering moving there. Also lots of bungalows if that would be practical

In your position, probably Bridport @BrightLightTonight for all the reasons given by other posters. We lived on the Wilts/Dorset borders around 15 years ago and loved that part of the country. It had a very peaceful vibe - like stepping back in time. We were an hour from the coast though.

Alternatively, somewhere close to the coast in either Suffolk or Norfolk (Aldeburgh is a personal favourite and somewhere we visted frequently when we lived in East Anglia - we've moved around a lot lol!).

I wouldn't personally recommend S.W Wales - we lived half an hour from the coast in Carmarthenshire for 6.5 years till 2024 and hated it. As soon as our renovations were complete we sold to come home to coastal West Sussex (Rustington area which is lovely). We found it very insular and lacking in stuff to do - our house was very rural and perhaps as you enjoy riding it might suit you better, but even finding nice dog walking locations wasn't easy where we were based. Several friends who moved to Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire at a similar time have also since made the move back to England which is telling, imo.

Lewes is fab but very expensive. We considered Seaford but there was nothing suitable there when we were looking (period characterful detached or semi up to 450k).

I would love to move back to Devon. It's where my husband is from and where we met. His parents still live down there. Plymouth is my happy place, you have the sea on one side and dartmoor the other. Unfortunately it's unlikely to happen. We are currently in the West Midlands and its the best place for me right now. I have Muscular Dystrophy, my consultant in Birmingham is one of the best in country, we have the Muscular Dystrophy support centre which provides free tailored physio specifically designed toward MD sufferers. There is little specialist care down there. My brother who also has it, lives in Swindon and has to go to Oxford for his care. It's a progressive condition so its only going to get worse and I need to stay in the place where I can easily access the support I need.

Norfolk - great community for artists; lovely beaches; historic and cultural Norwich; good walks. Holt is expensive. Cromer and Fakenham less so. Or maybe Bungay in Suffolk which is very arty and community-minded, not too expensive either and about half an hour from the beach at Southwold.

Oh and the reason why is because we both fell in love with the place and it felt like home. Everything walkable apart from vets and hospital and train station.i would choose the place you love. Visit as many places s you can.

I’m relocating to a new estate in Port Sunlight, right by the mersey. Beaches within 30 mins, Liverpool and Chester nearby. So many beautiful country parks on the Wirral, and beautiful North Wales within 30 mins. I’m buying a 3 bed detached for 330k, but there are cheaper options. Port Sunlight is a beautiful village with a rich industrial heritage, and there’s an art gallery and Port Sunlight River park which is 2 mins walk for me great for dog walks.

That sounds amazing!👏 got relatives in Wirral and they're not that impressed, going to show them your post..

So, bridport and chichester seem very well regarded. I guess it matters what kind of public transport and hospitals each place has, how much council tax is, what you get for your money. if it a spread sheet situation, I’m intrigued as to where comes out on top. I guess at some point you go spend a week in each top contender to see where fits your vibe. Fascinating journey to be on!
I often wonder where I’d go, too, when it’s time for me to downsize, so am following with interest. Lewes is often mentioned but afaics it’s super expensive and a place of two halves: the haves and have nots. Can’t believe someone trotted out the ‘Eastbourne’ trope. South coast now undergoing rebranding by the DFL’s, slowly but surely, it seems.

Friends in Lytham St Annes, in the north west 😉, tell me local hospitals are not as good as those which can be accessed on Merseyside.
So I’ll add to the votes for Wirral, to West Kirby, to Port Sunlight.

The Wirral is very wet if thats a consideration

The Wirral isn’t wet. It’s drier than the areas around it due to a microclimate and the rain shadow effect of the Welsh mountains

The Wirral is well priced. By the sea would be West Kirby or Hoylake.

North Norfolk

For retirement I would want to be near large hospitals and big NHS services, but not London due to property prices.

London. You wouldn't need to drive, you can use most of the transport network for free from 60 onwards, so you can take advantage of all the cultural events going. You are going to be near big hospitals. If you go south west London you can get to the big parks - Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Home Park, Wimbledon Common - and the Thames path for walking. You can join Kew Gardens. You could afford a 1 bedroom in one of the less fashionable areas.

OP you will have a more sympathetic and knowledgeable response over on Gransnet
than here, a generally younger demographic

Absolutely. I wouldn't have been seen dead in Eastbourne a years back. Now I really like it and am considering buying a flat there. And I live just outside of London. Sorry.