rebeccajo

I agree with NiHao. It sounds like you have always lived in urban areas. You'd probably be much happier if you can manage to relocate to one.

London1947

Have to move back to the UK to the rain the cold, the way of life, the dirty streets, the drunks, and the druggies, and the benefit cheates, benefit cuts for the elderly, and a Government that has no idea what the British people want, well actully they do they just wont comply.

Pistolpete2

I'm trying to think through what I've learned from this and your previous post to stand me in good stead as I prepare to head towards some small town in Devon, presumably close to you.

Happily, I'm already prepared to suffer council tax and have factored this into my budget. The renting side offers several advantages in that if ultimately one's choice proves misguided in terms of culture-shock or lack of things to do etc. etc., there is always the opportunity to move on to hopefully, by then, a better researched second choice.

If indeed the budget is tight for us as renters, and as retirees we have the flexibility to live just about anywhere, we should use that flexibility to locate where the rents offer the best value on balance, in terms of quality of living space and general lifestyle (weather, crime, things to do, transport links, availability of services). There are often-repeated lists of the best locations for retirement in England, which cover Craven and Eden in the North and much of Devon through to Dorset in the South so it is just for us to fine-tune the exact town that roughly meets our prerequisites. There are plenty of choices in these areas and others where renting is good value in spite of the popularity and most certainly far better so than in spots easily commutable to the big money-earning business centres, though Craven has good access to Leeds.

For me, the ideal is not to have to use a car as this gets away from the need for expensive fuel and insurance, a secure parking space clear of vandals, as well as the cost as compared with other modes of transport, particularly those that are free or discounted heavily for senior citizens such as local buses and off-peak rail. Public transport also means that the "driver" gets to see everything and can have a couple.

Therefore, this - good transport links by various modes, including cheaper air to the Continent - is right up there in my location choice so that I can get away fairly cheaply as and when desired, if just for the sake of it and because when we were working we could never get away for a decent period.

Even without a car, access to most supermarket orders can be dealt with through their delivery services, leaving probably only fresh-caught fish and cheap local fruit and veg to be man-handled.

All of this can be researched in minute detail ahead of time so that you can know exactly where the popular towns are and why, and then within them where the good value cafes/restaurants and friendly pubs are, where the buses stop, where they head to for your trips, where the farm shops and fishmongers are, how easy it is to get to the station and whether the location is well-served by train connections to "exciting" centres at reasonable day-trip cost, where the public footpaths are and whether there are plenty of interesting choices, what the slant is on the local population in terms of age-groups, et al so that the rental choice is as "painless" as possible.

This just leaves the compilation of a short-list of candidates according to taste which then requires an actual visit and hopefully reasonable duration short-stays to case the joints.

Am prepared for the cleanliness, anti-social behaviour, customer service stuff which can partly be dealt with in the shortlist. Crummy scandal-ridden government and corporations is everywhere and particularly as it relates to food sources. Probably more than many of us would care to know.

You didn't mention family & friends and I think to the extent that they are not a significant positive influence on our return we have to at least assess the likelihood that there will be reasonable social substitutes wherever we choose to settle.

sallysimmons

Yes, that's just what it's like for me every day. Can't walk down my country lane without falling over a benefits cheat and of an evening, the local pub is a nightmare. The choir practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays can get really rowdy.

Let's not act like England is one homogenous blob where everything is awful. Like any country it has good and bad bits, problems and amazing strengths. Seeing just the bad stuff will make you really unhappy and this is the only life you get. If you're worried about drunks and druggies, move to a place where that's not an issue (there are loads of them!). If you stress about benefits cheats, don't read the media stories that overhype a tiny percentage to make them seem like a majority. And if you don't like the government, get active politically. The only thing you can't do anything about is the weather and that's why we have wellies and jumpers

Or you could just moan and hate everything, but what good does that do you?

Perth

Mummy in the foothills

islandwoman120

Amen.

London1947

Have I just been patronized ? have I just been put in my place ? The point is Sally I do not walk around with my head in the sand. I was asked on this forum to give my opinion of my move back to the UK and you have my opinion. I could say more but I think i had better not. It would seem to me with this forum if you don't have anything good to say DONT ! AND KEEP YOUR OPINION TO YOURSELF..

treasuredr

Yes, I think you have unfortunately. I'd like to think that Sally doesn't mean to be patronizing but I've sensed this before.

It isn't always possible for people to move back to the "better" parts of the UK, there are considerations that restrict choice of location, family, work or finances. If the negatives that have been mentioned spoil your quality of life, then it's understandable that you are unsettled.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very patriotic and love the UK - it's my country of birth and I lived there for 51 years until life took me to the US, and I really don't like people knocking it, whoever they are or wherever they come from, BUT the truth is that for many, the negative aspects of living in the UK ARE important and shouldn't be dismissed so easily.

Although I am not moving back to the UK, I enjoy this forum and it's always interesting to hear the points of views on offer, BUT lets not knock people who find it unsettling to deal with aspects of life in the UK that are not to everyone's taste!

Pistolpete2

However, I would like to encourage returnees to ponder that the most popular places for the English retired folk to settle are typically also areas where in general the rents are far more reasonable if only because the locals are lower on the income scale and the incomers are typically the same and there is below normal access to higher-paying work. Landlords' percentage rental returns on property values are typically far lower in these areas.

So, I don't think that it is really necessary for retireds to have to be in a place that has suffered more than the average from the oft perceived degeneration of the English social fabric. On the contrary, if they are careful, they can find somewhere pretty idyllic with all the trappings that retireds so badly yearn for/need.

For sure the degeneration will still be out there spread around nationally but there is no real reason why it should be a thing we need to be pre-occupied with because it's simply not going to be the thing that causes the whole deck of cards to collapse. That said, if one's finances are proving to be very tight so that it is a struggle day in day out and one is in a corner it's hard to get out of, others appearing to be getting away with murder financially often quite quickly becomes the colour of a different horse.

London1947

I thank you for your kinds words and understanding something I don't think that Sally is capable of. I see her as someone that may have the financial resourses,family and friends at her disposal should the need arrive. So her view has been through rose tinted classes and has remained that way and I wish her all the luck in the world, however I also see her condecending and patronizing attitude to those that may not be as fortunate as her. Although when I was first going back to the UK I hung onto every word she was writing and thinking to myself what a kind understanding person, but after the last post of which played on my mind for the most of last night, my opinion has changed. What I have to live on Sally is S/S only so my views of negitivity are set as what I see in the UK are excatly what I put in my last post.

cheers

I don't think we should be name calling anyone. We have been down that road a few times in the past.
Maybe I don't take things seriously to be bothered by anything.
Maybe its a woman's thing?
Anyhow I really like Sally's posts.

Cheers

Sally Redux

Agreed.

London1947

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-fit-work.html

I'm glad you like Sally's posts. But my views are just as importent which were poo pood by Sally. It's not my intention to name call and no doubt many people have thier head in the sand. I know you can't always believe what one reads in the papers but this one takes the biscuit, and this is why i feel the way I do about the UK.

Sally Redux

Never happens in the US of course.