Living the Dream

Would you move to be some where that you loved for holidays? Or have to you already done it? I'm inclined to think that living somewhere is not quite the same as being on holiday there, and you have to be fairly objective about it. Being a nice place to be in the summer is one thing, but can the place deliver all year round?.

Have you given any thought to what you might need from a place that you would move to? I've always thought that I would move away from the South East to somewhere cheaper and less crowded. I have been giving it a lot of thought about what I would need, based on what I like about where I live now. There has to be trees and hills, nature and access to a cultural center for music and theatre would be pretty important. I like the sea and an easy drive would be nice, it doesn't have to be right by the sea. Bearing in mind that I am approaching pensionable age, easy access to healthcare, supermarket, good communications for travel, preferably on a bus route, are probably basic needs. So is a sense of community. A friend's experience of moving somewhere remote back fired when she needed better healthcare and access to services, when she could no longer drive, so I am bearing that in mind.

So far, I have considered North Devon, but the places that I would like to live don't offer much in the way of basic needs and communication. It's right off on a limb. The nature, trees, hills, countryside are wonderful, which is the attraction. Anyway, I decided probably too remote, but it is still on the list. At least I can visit from where I live now.
Suffolk is lovely. I have always liked it, and somewhere that is a short train drive from Ipswich would give me a lot of the other things that I would need and it might be a possibility. I haven't dismissed it yet.
Maybe the Lake District, but the kind of places I would like to live are probably too expensive and I am not sure how I would cope with the winters, being a southern softy.
The other option might be the North East, where I am now. I am so in love with this place, but I wonder what it would be like out of season. I love this beautiful coastline, the nature is just amazing, hills not too far away in the cheviots. I don't think I want to live right by the coast, but would prefer somewhere slightly inland with easy access to the coast. People I have spoken to suggest that I should look at Alnwick or Morpeth, both are on the main east coast railway line and would give the sense of community that I am looking for. So, later in the week, I'm going to have a look at Morpeth.

Interested to hear if anyone has done similar and how it worked out for you?

Mum at 60 ish moved to Devon a detached cottage in acres of grounds, got a part time Jon in hotel as receptionist and learnt to hate tourists lol
Then at 65 tripped in grounds broke her arm badly, blood etc and realised no one could hear her scream,a few hours later she managed to get to the nearest neighbour, horrendous, 20 years later she lives in a penthouse apartment in same village and loves the security of neighbours being near

Yup I did.. took off to Cornwall with my kids years ago.. got a job transfer, and took a few trips down there before committing to find a house to rent and schools. A very easy well organised move.The cost of living ended up being to high for me..a time before Lidl and Aldi stores ... Hours were fair but I needed more and I was paying a lot on childcare..I needed a night time job too tbh. 

Between work and kids we didn't get a great deal of time to enjoy the actual place itself as much as I'd like to have.. I used to go to the beach before my shifts and sometimes on an evening or on my day off with the kids.

All dentists were private not NHS.. the local hospital was in Truro for medicals..1 hour and 25 by bus.. and a very limited service..

Work was pretty easy to find in high season and then died at the end of the season, a lot of people become unemployed. My job was permanent but I needed more hours.

I found that family members that never bothered with me all of a sudden wanted to be my best friend in hope of a free holiday..which did one time end in a massive row because I still had a family to manage and routines to keep and a job to go to. And I wasn't a landlady I was juggling a job and children, but also expected to put up with everyone else too disrupting things and expecting me to accommodate them. I think I exploded one time when I came home from work and the kids hadn't had tea because everyone was waiting for me to make food.

I think as long as you plan, and have a car, and finances in tact for renting buying and absolutely a contingency pot you should be fine Minnie. You're not in the same position as me to have those issues. And we're in the internet age where you can easily keep in touch with anyone anywhere.

If I had the chance to go back now I would. But not without my daughter, and she doesn't want to move.

Have been to several places around the UK and overseas that were great but I think the novelty would wear off fairly soon. Better keep visiting than live in these places.

I've often thought about moving from here. I did have plans to move further south (seaside) with OH. Things didn't happen to make it possible.  I wonder now if that was a goid thing. I have my grand daughters 20 mins away, one son an hour. I don't often get to see the one 4 hours away sadly. I'm still open to moving 'somewhere' one day. This house is too big, and not mine. 

*good

I'd advise spending some time in winter in a place before you move there, rural winters are very different, not always worse but different, you can have short days and long nights depending on how far north you are, you can have the sun obscured behind hills and mountains in the middle of the day. Winds can be ferocious and it can rain for days and days. You need to be aware that you won't have some of the same choices in terms of fuel providers, as many rural places do'nt have mains gas and many have overhead power lines so power cuts can be frequent. You do need to be organised and plan ahead, when we lived in a very rural place, if it started to snow or snow was forcast, we'd go shopping, even if we didn't need anything, just to stock up on the basics so as we could sit out being snowed in for a week or two.

Having said all that winters can be great, in town you have grey skies, grey roads, grey buildings, everything just seems wet and grey, in the country theres still colour even when its raining, all the autumnal colours last right into late winter bleaching gradually to pale yellows, just before the new green shoots come through. I like to snuggle up in bed and listen to the wind, feeling warm and safe in my burrow. Power cuts are less fun, so I keep a good stock of candles and camping lights, we have a gas stove so at least we have hot water and food.

There are plenty of rural places that are on main public transport routes and many also have voluntary drivers who can be booked to take people to medical appointments. There are also many small towns and larger villages where there are shops, doctors surgeries etc. People tend to create thier own entertainment and there are often thriving groups for all sorts of things if you want them.

I will move back to a more rural area at some point, busy village life isn't really for me, it can be like the worst parts of living in town and country, personally I couldn't live in a town again, I think it would crush my soul. I've upped sticks and moved so many times and to so many places, it holds no fears for me in a practicle sense and I'm a natural loner so no people dosn't bother me, to many people, thier noise and smells do bother me.

Dont' allow yourself to get caught up in this, from the south =soft, posh and rich, its a load of rubbish and I'd avoid anywhere where that seems the prevalent attitude, because it will ruin a place for you far more than wind and rain.

Due to my medical conditions, I cannot move, even if I wanted to. It would be lovely to live in Canada, a laid-back country and Vancouver being the third most desired place in the world to live, according to statistics.

Something I've thought of doing often, and have done in the past. The only thing keeping me here now is kids and grandkids though I do often think of running off to the Highlands somewhere away from people.
How have I ended up back here after previous jaunts away? I don't know, there's something about this place keeps drawing me back....perhaps it's a feeling of home or perhaps just addiction to the place? I always come back to within 20 miles of where I was born.

Something I'd love to do. Not to a holiday place but nearer to part of my family. They want me closer, I want to be closer, at the moment it's just not working for us but one day - and hopefully soon.

I don't want to move to a holiday place though.  I want to move to somewhere that is nicer than the South East with more space and access to open countryside, but where there is still a sense of community and where I can be part of that community and continue to contribute as I get older.

Thankyou, wh, for your helpful and well thought out comments. Exactly the lines along which I am thinking.

Trevor, I won't be staying where I am, whatever. There is absolutely nothing to keep me there.

It may help if you make a list of the things you need/want and have a really good think, don't take things like good internet for granted, check those things out with estate agents and local groups. I think finding a nice house might be the easy part, finding the right location might be harder.

I'd like to move to Perranporth or Looe.. again the hospitals are an issue in those locations.. 

Take a look at Great Torrington, and check out The Plough Arts Centre

When I moved onto the boat the idea was when I retired I would just keep meandering along the canals, moving every week or so. That fell apart when the boat ended up needing more spending on it than I had or would earn, I eventually had to sell it.
But it works for some people - those better at handling finances than I am - and I met a number of people who were doing just that, moving from place to place whenever the fancy took them.
But beware, you still need a postal address for the licence and other such stuff., and if you did go down that route, get a boat with a solid fuel fire and heating system.

I used to know a few people with boats/longboats/barges who adore that lifestyle and live off grid..I've always wanted to learn how to manage one but the locks put me off.. if like a little boat on the coast..go around painting in it..  St Ives was my first choice for the art, if I ever returned to Cornwall.. It's such a beautiful place.. magnificent beaches .. again..hospitals ..issues..

One of the basic facts of life in terms of facilities etc is that both public/private facilities need a certain critical mass of population to make them viable - hence why around 85% of UK population live in or close to the larger towns/cities.

terry
From West Yorkshire
Male
2 days ago
When I moved onto the boat the idea was when I retired I would just keep meandering along the canals, moving every week or so. That fell apart when the boat ended up needing more spending on it than I had or would earn, I eventually had to sell it.
But it works for some people - those better at handling finances than I am - and I met a number of people who were doing just that, moving from place to place whenever the fancy took them.
But beware, you still need a postal address for the licence and other such stuff., and if you did go down that route, get a boat with a solid fuel fire and heating system.

I know quite a few who have don the same as you terry and given up due to the cost of maintenance and one more recently due to vandalism.

My impression is that living on a boat is often seen as a cheaper alternative to living on dry land - albeit the many costs and restrictions can make it challenging.

A retired singleton/couple with no assets and low income may well be eligible for Housing/Council Tax benefit for a one bed property.

I think you have to be very careful when looking for that greener grass. A few of my friends moved to places they enjoyed holidaying in only to find they were not same when living there.

Thats why you need to do your research and make sure its what you really want and to visit in winter, a resort thats full of life in the summer can be a very bleak place in winter.

Winter visit is a very smart idea. But maybe also one in high season so you can also get the feel of how popular the place is.. I remember nipping out for a loaf of bread one time and it took forever dodging the zombie apocalypse of tourists.. it was like that most days high season.. some people might prefer it dead in winter..but moving alone can be quite isolated either or, particularly if locals might not like outsiders... It could be hard to make friends.  

I've always argued that it's one thing visiting a place and yet another living there. Often many places are geared up for the tourist industry rather than locals.


TBH I have easy access to virtually everything. An award winning market and Tripadvisor Travellers Choice. The Hairy Bikers referred to it as "a farmers market before farmers markets existed. I can get things off there that just aren't available or difficult to get like saltmarsh lamb when it's in season and a huge range of cheeses and sausages. The fruit and veg is fresh with a lot available local grown. If you can live "season dependent" it pretty much caters for that as well as foreign fruit and veg. not available in many places.. There's Katsouris Deli, tools, clothes, keycutters, corn merchants, stalls that specialise for vegans and Helen's Kitchen specialises in Gluten free produce... You name it I'm pretty much served with things. It's not full of tourist tat even though it's on the tourist route when coach loads stop here. I think long distance coaches use it as a stopping point for drivers if they are going to Blackpool.


When I get into town I can jump on the Metro and get into Manchester City centre. There's China Town which caters for loads things and the town in the opposite direction to me serves everything Indian. As far as gigs and other entertainment is concerned most big ones come here just like London when they are on tour. If I do need to get to London I'm served by the Pendolino which is a 20 minute service and only takes 2 hours.


Where I live is a piece of heaven as far as I'm concerned steeped in history but it wouldn't be for everyone being in a rural location. I walk out of the back door and I'm next to woodland and can go over hill and dale as far as the eye can see. A short walk from my back door is Cheeseden Brook (My Hireath). You may have seen photos of it when Shammy posted some on fb when she had been open water swimming. I can sit on the vale in silence with not a soul in sight and watch the wildlife or go down to the brook where kingfishers skim across the water. There's wild fruit picked available in summer so. For instance I can pick loads of bilberries to make pies or freeze. Being a country boy if there was a food shortage I could probably top up by living off the land. Growing up here I know what I can use in many cases.


There's the steam railway as featured on the Lloyds bank ad. which takes you the Fitzpatricks, Britain's last original Temperance Bar (see Tripadvisor). I dare say there's times I might moan about things like public transport that I rely on being non-existent in the evening and night time but overall the benefits outweigh the negatives. Familiarity breeds contempt :-)