missingthemoors

Hello, been living in Canada for thirty years and the summers have finally got to me and i miss the english countryside sooooooooo much. I want/dream of going home and using my legs again (Canada is a land of cars!) and is so spread out I have never got used to it.

As i'm getting up there in age I want to go back while my health is still good so that I can enjoy all the hiking I USED to do.

Can anyone give me ANY information where to start?

Your forum has already encouraged me, everyone here is telling me not to do it but I have a gut feeling.

Thanks
sylvia

Jerseygirl

Hi Sylvia...welcome to BE.

It seems there are many of us whose thoughts turn to moving back home as retirement looms. I think you would be very interested in our Moving Back To The UK Forum. We have a great crowd of very helpful members who post in those forums...so if you post any questions you may have regarding the move home I'm sure you get some helpful replies. Take a look through the old threads and keep an eye open for a couple of 50's and 60's threads (particularly the first one)...there's great info in there. Also take a look in the BE Wiki.

We have a team of concierges who will act as your tour guides if you need help navigating your way through the many BE forums. You can find a list of our concierge's at the bottom right hand side of this forum's index page.

Any problems or concerns should be addressed to a moderator...you can find the mod's name at the bottom right hand side of each forum's index page. Moderators' names are in bold print and concierges' names are in standard print.

Please let me know if I can be of any further help. Good luck.

Sue

Hi missingthemoors,

Get yourself over to our Moving Back to the UK forum and have a chat with everyone there. They will know exactly what you are going through and will totally understand the anxiety you are feeling. It's only natural. In some ways moving back, after a long time away, is just as daunting as the move in the first place.

Honestly, you will find some kindred souls in the MBTTUK forum, who are really great at helping each other out.

Welcome to BE.

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the wonderful site of BE where you will find loads of information and even more helpful members.

Which moors are you missing?

Rosemary

Barnstaple

Hello ! We moved back to England after 23 years in Canada and, so far, have no regrets. May I put the following points to you for consideration:

Have you visited England lately/at all ? If not, may I suggest that you do visit the location in which you plan to live, just in case things have changed since you were last there.

Are you Canadian citizens ? If not, just consider whether you may wish to return to Canada one day and any difficulties you may encounter with Canadian Immigration officers if you are away from Canada for any length of time. Being a Canadian citizen means you have freedom to enter the country whenever you wish.

Assuming that you are Brit citizens, then you have the freedom to enter the UK and remain for as long as you like. On the day you return you may wish to establish the fact that you have entered the country and are then a UK resident once again.

As soon as you return, go to the local council (?) offices and get your name and address registered on the voters list.

Register with a GP; arrange a bank account. Consider contacting the Inland Revenue regarding pension arrangements etc.

Those are just some of the points which we covered while we were considering returning to the UK., and after we had returned.

We returned to England in February 2011 and everything is going great so far, with our furniture due to arrive "in country" on 2 July 2011, the day after we move into our new home.

Good luck to you, whatever your decision is. And consider a return to "the moors" before you may become too old to make it, as we did. One of my first visits was to my beloved Dartmoor. It hasn't changed in all the years that we have been away, and it was lovely to be back there.

I intend to cover some points which were relevant to us during our move back, covering such things as arranging to have our furniture shipped back,to our reactions at being back, which we hope will assist others in the same position.

Christian

Hello and welcome, Sylvia,

It doesn't matter what the local Canadians are telling you, moving back or staying is a very personal choice, so that the attitudes of others are immaterial. You have to consider what's right for you. (Aside from which, even a life-sentence is only 25 years, so it's not as if you haven't done you're time ... ... I've served here 40 years here last month myself, but at least I'm not bitter ).

All kidding aside, I always planned to go back, I wanted to retire home, but for reasons I don't want to get into here & now I don't see that as possible, or at least likely -maybe ... ? ... - but that's me in my circs. If you've the chance and the desire to go back, I think the advice you've been given here is spot on: Visit your proposed site of relocation, and before you leave Canada -if you haven't already got it- take citizenship. (Believe it or not, I only took it out after 38 years here, but better late than never).

Go into things with your eyes open, expecting some things have changed in 30 years, and that you've grown to like a few Canadian things as well. So long as you have a back up plan in the form of a naturalisation card, you're minimising risk, and if you could get a leave of absence from work as opposed to quitting, that would be even better, (though I know it's not always possible). And I can't imagine you'd get better first-hand advice than from the 'Moving Back To The UK Forum'. (Those folks are so generous with their knowledge and experience, as well as encouraging).

I wish you every success ... (now take that frown off your face ),

Best,
Christian

Did you have to go and mention Dartmoor? ... I'll only be home-sick for the rest of the summer now!

Rosemary

Me too, my area. Grew up on the edge of Plymouth and used to walk the few miles onto Dartmoor. When older could venture further into Dartmoor in a car and adored it. Can picture so much of it.

Rosemary

Barnstaple

So; let's plan to meet at Two Bridges, the lovely hotel there, where we were just last week, for a delicious cream tea........

Christian

Rosemary, when I still had Mum & Dad, we holiday'd every summer of a fortnight hiking out on Dartmoor ... we lived for it, my brother and I! Twentieth century Britain seemed a thousand miles away on Dartmoor, as if un affected by time like the mythical 'Brigadoon'. I miss Devon in general -I'm from the south but raised in the west country, and really only at home there. And I sure do miss real farmhouse Devonshire clotted cream!

Best, Christian ... and ta for the fond memories!

Christian

If I make it back -even on just a visit- it's a deal! Cheers!

Rosemary

Devon Clotted Cream..........the best there is.........miss it so much.

Please stop now.

Rosemary

judes

Got to disagree, CORNISH CLOTTED CREAM thicker, creamier and kinda yellow, love it, especially on cornflakes with sugar and the top of the full cream milk, yum yum

Christian

Yes, but in Devon, at least they'll sell to the English ... whereas in deepest darkest Cornwall, they want to see your birth-cert. as Cornish before they bring out the good stuff! ...

Jerseygirl

Hey guys...whilst my tongue is hanging out drooling of Devon/Cornish Cream (scones and strawberry jam cream teas) perhaps we should bear in mind this forum is for introductions only.

Christian

... I know ... I know ... point taken: ...