Retiring to the Isle of Wight

[EzLife]

Hi,

Semi-nearly retired and looking to move to the IoW.

Have visited and will do again next month.

Considerations:
Local shops, coast/beach walkable, ideally not too far from ferries, good GP and Dentist not far away - thinking should we be unable to drive in the future.

I appreciate there are downsides like fewer shops and ferries are £££ but the island has drawn me in...

What are your thoughts?

TIA 🙏

What draws you to the Island?

What do you like about where you currently live and would like to keep on your list of must haves?

What do you enjoy doing eg. theatre, walking, eating out etc?

I have an unfortunate tale since I last posted. My relative was recently rushed in to St Mary’s, I’m not going to splash her specific personal medical info online but no one was able to treat her and she had to wait for a consultant to come from the mainland. She ended up having a procedure done by him, no one on the island could do it. Because they didn’t want to compromise any treatment she wasn’t allowed any pain relief. As soon as he saw her she was straight on morphine.

I know not every hospital is a major general hospital but it’s the only one. If the weather had been bad she would have had to wait. I was speaking to someone and they said what about huge events like the Isle of Wight festival, about to start and has thousands. Any major accident or incident, there is no way they could deal with it.

How long have you spent on the island? At what times of year? I think you really want to spend a winter there before committing. Yes, the rent may be a sunk cost but it would be nothing compared to the costs of buying a place, moving and then deciding you don’t like it and having to sell up and move back.
As others have said, don’t get cancer!

10 years ago we planned to retire to the IOW after being there on holiday - fell in love with the place but we quickly realised that it was quite expensive and we’d get more value for our money on mainland.

Going somewhere on holiday is completely different to living there - we would be over there on our own - all our family and friends back where we are now.

We just decided to downsize and renovate a bungalow - and stay in Devon - still on the coast - and not a million miles away to get a ferry to the IOW.

Retire in 2026 so still working right now.

I would reiterate what others have said about health care. My BIL had to wait nearly a week to be transferred off the island for treatment after a heart attack.

He also had to travel to Portsmouth regularly when getting treatment for prostate cancer.

He is now moving off the island after having lived their his whole life and the health care issues are his whole reason for moving.

Thanks, good questions, I think I've mentioned the draws, there's pretty much most things we currently have except our location in the north-west which is handy for trips around the UK.

It will cover the main activities of fresh air, walks, nearby coast, golf, gyms, no large stores but we would get over that as part of the new challenge - biggest of course is healthcare.

Do those of you living in the IOW think it'd be good for a newly retired, divorced 67 year old woman with no family (other than my dog)? I don't drive so would want to be in a town with things like a cinema, shops and decent medical care and public transport (and ideally some single men 🙂 (I've also just read that the IOW hospital ranking has improved since the last review).

Have you read the thread, @BreezyEx? It would make more sense to be on the mainland, especially if you don't drive. I would look at the railway lines and bus routes, and choose somewhere near there. You could choose anywhere from Weymouth (no cinema) along the south coast to Sussex. If you're by Lymington, Southampton or Portsmouth, you've easy access to the IoW for day trips, but also have public transport and some big hospitals.

(I am at Portsmouth right now, by Clarence Pier, and I can see the Isle through the rain...)

I know a couple that retired to the IOW and bought a house in the mid 1990s and then there was a housing market boom on the mainland which meant they became essentially trapped there and lost a lot of equity. Then they became more frail and needed family support who were on the mainland but could no longer afford to move back. Just something to consider if buying and thinking towards the longer term future.

My family come from the Island and many of them still live there,

They are MASSIVELY pissed of with the amount of house building going on. Whilst the Island may be nice now it’s going to look very different in a few years. The roads are small and can’t cope currently.

As everyone has said the hospital situation is terrible. My uncle has been over for treatment in S’hampton but his blood pressure has been too high every time - unsurprising given the journey - car, ferry, taxi first thing in the morning.

I’m looking at visiting. Ferry is £100 for a day return with the car ! Absolutely nuts.

If you live there, you can get a special fare for a day return to Portsmouth. I saw it advertised when we went there. I would be concerned about hospital care for serious conditions as you get older.

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/25109829.isle-wight-ferry-users-stage-protest-cowes-town-centre/

I would advise you to look into this first. its been going on for a while. I live in hampshire and once paid £300 for a return ferry during the summer holidays. You do get a discount if you live on the island but its not enough.

I've visited the Isle of Wight a couple of times and one thing I will say is,it is not ideal if you have mobility issues. The streets are VERY steep in places, particularly around the Sandown area,which is where I went on holiday to a couple of years ago. So if you have any problems with getting up hills,I wouldn't recommend it!

The coastal owners stranded with unsellable homes

https://www.thetimes.com/article/0292e4df-d248-4ad9-bb56-44b079be3ca5?shareToken=738e5d6fb9e2d4e6a15681bae823be58

Thanks for the replies. It's very difficult deciding where to retire to as the many places I've lived have been related to work. It's also very different deciding on my own rather than as a couple. I want to move somewhere where I can feel part of a community despite being without family. I've always worked very long hours, but like going to the cinema, theatre, concerts and would like to join a choir and bookclub. I've lived all over, but currently live in the New Forest and feel very isolated due to the only other single people being very elderly widows. The IOW appeals to me for lots of reasons including loving the sea, nature and not having tons of traffic! However, while it's probably a good place for couples and families- I'm not sure about for me.

I really liked living in Romsey; I moved because of work. What about there? Or Ringwood?

We bought a house in 1986, the then owners moved to the middle of nowhere, no family. He died not long after and she was in a place on her own… We’ve been to the IoW and as lovely as it is the part we saw… I think as you get older you need to think of access to shops, doctors, hospitals, dentists and those type of things.

Thanks for this, certainly makes interesting reading, the high cost and reliability of the ferries is a concern as is the healthcare, which I will be discussing with locals when we go there for a recce…

Thanks for sharing, regret unable to read as I’m not a subscriber.

Thanks EB, looks lovely, tbh the £ difference between where we now live and IoW could create some decent equity for holidays etc., whilst appreciating there are negs attached to the reason for this...

Sorry, it is supposed to be readable. Says people trying to sell homes in coastal areas are really struggling with IOW one of the worst affected. Combination of reduced tax breaks and increased council tax for second home owners, less demand from WFHers, and changes to stamp duty means that those who have to sell such as elderly moving into care homes are stuck because the market has collapsed.

Many thanks for taking time for your original post, and for following up.

Interesting article, something I hadn't really considered; looking at this from a buyer's perspective it's good news, but I'm not getting any younger...

A tricky one; short-term not good news, the optimist in me looks at the longer-term too, when we may need to sell, things should have picked up.

So many pro/cons to consider, it really is in the balance...

🙏 #moreconfused

@BreezyEx I don’t think the Island is what you think it is. There is tons of traffic mostly on tiny A roads.
As someone else said the locals are often the “left behind” but even without that they aren’t interested in people coming over and telling them how amazing it all is. They’ve lived and breathed it.
I’m sure there are lovely communities in parts but I don’t get that impression from my friends and family. Because it’s all so close people like to keep their boundaries.

Have a look at a less touristy area Bishops Waltham, Swanmore , Droxford are nice villages with lots going on and not too far from coast or city.

Yes, add Wickham to that list and maybe Hambledon and Denmead. The whole Meon Valley (surrounds the A32) is full of lovely places to live.

I love the IoW but wouldn’t retire there for all the reasons already mentioned. I wouldn’t be thrilled if my parents did either to be honest if they expected support as they get older.