Fantasy retirement location….ideas welcome.

MrsMC and I are pondering the medium term future. It is likely that in 5 years time we’ll have no more family ties – kids or elderly parents – and we’ll be 60 so early retirement, downsizing and/or a couple of days a week part time work will hopefully be an option.

We’d like to be about 30 mins drive/1 hour ride from the coast, in a big enough town to have decent facilities for the active retiree. Decent walking, road/gravel riding nearby, bonus points for a trail centre within an hours drive. South coast/tourist hotspots likely to be over budget sadly.

Swansea

UK?

Or buy a place in one of the EU countries that grants you residency if you buy a house in the country?

I would be looking at somewhere where I’m not so reliant on using a car to get anywhere…. Once you lose the ability to drive it’ll majorly impact on your quality of life as some family members are now realising/experiencing.

Moray coast.
Forres maybe.

Do you have EU passports? Or the cash needed for golden ones? If not, south or west Wales coasts.

Or buy a place in one of the EU countries that grants you residency if you buy a house in the country?

I’m pretty sure that bird has flown now, Alpin. The requirements are now an investment in business.

Yeah, maybe now the case. I was sure that Italy would grant you residency if you bought a gaff.

Although we recently met an old American couple who had British citizenship and were living in Italy, but since Brexit could only stay 90 days in their house…..

Isle of Man?

North Wales coast always looks nice when I pass through it.

I looked into it for ****** and reckoned Portugal was the cheapest and fastest way to an EU passport. There are also some really nice places to live if you steer clear of the major cities and southern beaches.

https://getgoldenvisa.com/portugal-golden-visa-program

Sorry, should have said UK only – no EU passports or golden tickets

Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

An unusual choice but ticks all of those boxes.

In many ways, it’s a bit like going back in time about 20 years. The SuperValu store in town is really quite Continental in its range of goods.

Portugal was the cheapest and fastest way to an EU passport. There are also some really nice places to live if you steer clear of the major cities and southern beaches

Did you read the link you posted?

2024 Update: Portugal’s Golden Visa Program went through serious changes in October 2023. The changes have no retroactive effect on existing applications. However, the program ceases to accept real estate purchases and real estate related funds as qualifying investment options.

Want to buy a nice flat in Edinburgh?  fits your criteria perfectly.

Did you read my previous posts, robola? The link demostrates exactly what I pointed out.

Anyhow, Swansea, llanelli or even Aberaeron-Abersywyth if you’re prepared to learn Welsh.

North East, maybe somewhere like Alnwick?

Want to buy a nice flat in Edinburgh?

We’re up in a couple of weeks for the Fringe/Tattoo, MrsMC wants to explore Leith……

Do you speak Welsh?

Don’t speak Welsh, but willing to try and learn.

Northumberland certainly appeals as a potential option.

Do pop in and say hello old chap

Was up in Northumberlandshire for a few days last week.  I could defo live there (I’m I  Derbyshire) – SO Much quieter.

Someone makes a good point though – is this a 60-70odd move before going somewhere else, or til 90+ ?  Once you can’t drive, if public transport is shite or non existant, you can become very isolated.

Best mates parents moved from a rural place into a large ‘village’ (v small town really) in their 60s as they knew one of them had a degenerative condition that would prevent driving at some point.  So wanted to be in a place where they could still walk into the village/town centre, and be on a public transport route

Ipswich

We’ve been thinking the same thing for a few years. We’ve decided upon Coldingham in the borders. It’s a beautiful area – the beaches are marvellous.

Not far from Edinburgh and Newcastle, right on the coast, lots of walking (I’ll tell you about the cycling when I’ve moved – it’s so poor where I am that anything will be an improvement).

Coldingham is quite small, but there are decent size towns nearby if you prefer – Eyemouth, Berwick, etc.

… and if you’re near retirement age you’ll get a free bus pass!

I live in Carmarthenshire and don’t need to speak Welsh. In the last 35 years this has never ever ever been a problem. I can speak a smattering of the language and use what I can regularly and often.

If anyone feels that being an English only monoglot might be a problem please let me assure that I really doubt it.

Top end of the Amman valley btw.

Peebles ticks all your boxes.

Beaches like Gullane and North Berwick in an hour.

Active town.

Lochs for paddleboarding etc within 1hour.

1 or 2 trail centres…

Not to expensive.

A dog you can dog sit?

My parents retired to Settle in North Yorkshire and love it. Great countryside, can be in South Lakes in under and hour, same to the coast and  trains to Skipton and Leeds. Enough in the town itself in terms of shops, excellent GP (according to my parents at least) and very little need to drive unless you need to go to Airedale Hospital for outpatient treatment.

retired here, and we could sell up and move wherever we fancied, but daughter and grandson live with us, so forget that idea.  and anyway, that is not what i want to do.

my ideal way of spending my next 25 or so would be to cycle off the ferry in Rotterdam, loaded with a lightly packed saddlebag and nothing more, and to slowly cycle round and explore the whole of Europe, staying wherever i liked, until i decided a change.

cheap hotels and hostels would suffice, cheap food and beer would fuel me, and easy enough to return to home if needed.

Tayside…. easy access to Cairngorms and Fife/east coast/central belt, plus east coast mainline, hospitals,free prescriptions. Eastern  Borders is also a good shout though depending where you might be more remote from major hospitals.

Eden Valley is nice. Handy for Lakes, North Pennines, Bowland. Easy access to the M6. Fantastic road riding in all directions.

Was up in Northumberlandshire for a few days last week. I could defo live there (I’m I Derbyshire) – SO Much quieter.

We’re also Derbyshire – to be honest, only thinking of moving as we want to be nearer the coast.

We’re aware of the facilities/transport issue as we get older, hence looking for a town rather than a village.

Kids not a factor – first already moved away and youngest says she’ll have no ties here when she’s done with uni.

Ipswich has its attractions,  this season at least.

Lancashire/Bowland actually started the train of thought when we were up there on a uni open day.

Peebles/Borders certainly appeals but budget won’t stretch that far.

You have described Newcastle and the surrounds pretty well.

The coastline is brilliant. Tynemouth and then head north if you want less people and more castles.
https://www.visitnorthumberland.com/explore/destinations/beaches

Gravel all over the place. I can do loops from my door using the Wagonway network. I can get up here and back after work. https://maps.app.goo.gl/XjPmASBAVk5Nqw1w6

Walking in the Cheviots and along the coast. A short drive further and you can be on the edge of the lakes or the Yorkshire Moors.

Hamsterley is about an hour away. Thrunton closer for less managed steep stuff. Glentress 2h? Kielder 1.5h although its a bit rundown of late.

Newcastle itself has everything I’d want. Small enough to easily walk around but still has theatres showing big productions and nice restaurants.

If you are close to a metro station you can get around easily at fairly low cost. Trains and Airports also good for holidays and excursions.

It’s bloody freezing though and dark in winter.

It’s relatively cheap too for houses.

A small place in the UK and use the rest of the current house equity to buy a motorhome and cruise round Europe for three months at a time? Grey nomads.

That’s kinda our plan. A plot of land with a tiny house somewhere like central Italy,Umbria maybe, as a base and carry on travelling and seeing new places.

Having been through the similar process have ended up in Suffolk albeit in the sticks and acknowledging we’ll be moving again in our 70s.  So, from this part of the world I would suggest Woodbridge as a nicer option to Ipswich or Norwich to open up the north Norfolk coast and a nicer centre than Ipswich

We’ve mulled this over for the last twenty years. We are now 60 and still undecided.

Hexham is probably top of the list, but settle, Skipton also favourites.

Needs for us on top of out doors is a few restaurants, theatre maybe a local cinema

We met a retired couple from Essex on a campsite in Caen, they’d rented out their house seven years previously and were living in their L2H2 camper van like Alpin’s. They can now only do 90 days in Europe (they were still fervent Brexiteers which we just smiled at) and spend the rest parked up near their children helping out with grandchild care.

We also met a couple of retired South African cycle campers with Irish passports doing just what Ton would like to do, they did have panniers rather than just a saddle bag though. Clearly very happy.

Two months is about as long as I want to spend on the road at a time. Madame Edukator a month to six weeks max – she has a horse.

Bournemouth everyday of the week

Or Fife.

Moray is a good shout.

Clacton for value.

I’ll be honest, the south has got potential to be too hot for me in summer.

With very similar criteria we moved from Edinburgh to Aviemore. By the end of each winter I consider moving to somewhere a little warmer, probably Moray. Wed be swapping immediate access to the mountains and an hours drive to the coast for the opposite. While I’m still enjoying my riding so much, I reckon we currently have it the right way round.

Pretty much anywhere in scotland is half an hours drive to the coast unless you go proper remote Highlands.

We always talk about retiring to Dunkeld.  Love the wee place and visit often.

I’d say Settle but don’t want any riff-raff coming and spoiling the place.

So, not Settle.

(It’s far from the coast if that matters to you.)

North East, maybe somewhere like Alnwick?

Depending on what phase of your retirement you’re looking at – Alnwick (for example) has poor public transport and poor medical facilities so if/when things go downhill you’ll need to consider what to do next. Relocate to Newcastle?

I was thinking more about this – so many places in Scotland meet that criteria.

Galloway – Castle Douglas or Kirkcudbright would be winner for coast, hills, local shops, lochs and just a lovely place to live.

Anywhere from Stirling to Pitlochry on A9 ‘corridor’ area – so Dunblane, Auchterader, Perth, Dunkeld, Blairgowrie, Pitlochry all meet your criteria.

Then the Aviemore, Forres, Inverness “triangle” area. Pretty much any of the towns there.

Even Royal Deeside gets you out to Aberdeenshire coast – Banchory or Ballater are lovely and have facilities.