Helen1964

Dear all.
We're thinking of buying a small-ish house in the UK. We would have to rent it out for a few years but plan to eventually move to the UK and live there ourselves in retirement.
I've slowly come to the conclusion that the countryside and small towns are not for us and that we need to be on the outskirts of a city. We'd like somewhere affordable, with good weather (by UK standards), bike trails, bookshops, an arts cinema and an active branch of the Workers' Educational Association or similar. We'd also like to be within striking distance of the sea.
From what I've read, both Exeter and Norwich seem to fit the bill.
I"m heading over to the UK to check out Exeter this summer but in the meantime I would really welcome your thoughts on the comparative merits of these two cities if you're familiar with them.

robin1234

Both beautiful, liveable cities, in my opinion. Norwich is a big city, 215,000 population. Exeter a bit smaller, about 125,000. I think you're right, they both fit your bill as specified.

As a vibrant city, I'd say Norwich has more going for it, Exeter is a bit dull. Sainsbury Art Centre in Norwich is an absolutely superb art museum, you can keep visiting, they have at least a couple of world class exhibitions each year. Shopping is a big contrast. Norwich has an unbelievable amount of independent, funky shops. Exeter is more just national chains.

Years ago, I lived on the edge of Dartmoor, now I live in a market town just north of Norwich. Devon is hilly and steep, but North Norfolk has more gentle gradients. This makes it easier for retired age folks like me, walking and cycling. We have some beautiful long distance rail trails here, for instance, the Marriotts Way, Norwich - Reepham - Aylsham. Good surface, gentle gradients, beautiful countryside, tea shops and pubs galore. 27 miles long. Good, well marked footpaths and many long distance trails too. Grey seal colony at Horsey, just a few miles from Norwich.

Devonshire is superb too, and certainly more chocolate box pretty than Norfolk, but most walks in Devon have pretty steep gradients..

Both Norwich and Exeter are decent in terms of the housing market. Prices midrange, plenty of decent terraced houses in the £160,000 to £250,000 range in both cities. (For instance.) Sure, you can pay less than that or more than that in both cities.....

Helen1964

Robin, I was HOPING you would reply, because I know you're in Norfolk.
That's incredibly helpful. I can't thank you enough.

moneypenny20

I'd go Exeter simply because of the weather. Norwich & Norfolk are beautiful but that wind off the North Sea would kill me.

Helen1964

Oh no. Is it that bad?
I see that, according to the Met Office, Norwich is actually slightly sunnier and drier than Exeter.

moneypenny20

Really? I'm surprised at that. I prefer the countryside of Devon to the flats of Norfolk but it's a obviously a very personal thing. Nice choice to have though.

robin1234

Yes, definitely DRY. Obviously, it rains sometimes (like right now.) But fairly low precipitation compared to anywhere in the southwest. Moneypenny is absolutely right about the wind, it's frequent and persistent. I find cycling on a windy day is fine if you're on a lane with good hedges and trees, as soon as you get to an open stretch, it's wicked windswept.

Getting back to cycling, the lanes in Norfolk are fairly wide, good visibility, and very low traffic volume. Devon, by contrast, a goodly number of lanes are simply unpleasant / unsafe for cycling, because of narrowness, poor visibility, gradients etc. (A generalisation, I know.)

Helen1964

Re. wind, I've heard this before and had been considering Suffolk as it seems to get even better weather than Norfolk (and maybe less windy, at least away from the coast) but as I said, we want to live in a city. And I really don't fancy the sound of Ipswich.

robin1234

One place I visited for a day trip a couple of weeks ago is Bury St. Edmunds. I'd never been there before, so my impression is just based on being there for three or four hours. It's gorgeous. Very interesting cathedral, mostly modern but built around a medieval church nave. It's absolutely lovely. Other amazing medieval buildings and ruins. Very nice looking, lively shopping in the traditional, central shopping streets. Streets and streets of gorgeous Georgian and Victorian houses. Robust train service, on the Ipswich to Cambridge line. Housing seems quite moderate in price, surprising since you could live in Bury St. Edmunds and work in Cambridge (where housing is ridiculous.)

Helen1964

OK that's good to know.
Will check it out!

Editha

Personally, I find Norfolk, and the eastern counties generally, just too flat. But, Robin has a point about the gradients and walking in retirement. So far, I can cope with Devon's hills for walking, but for cycling, I've had to get an e-bike. I take the view that the hills are good for my heart.

I go to Exeter quite often. Although I'm on the north coast of Devon, Exeter is actually my nearest city. For a university town, it has disappointingly few bookshops. I don't know of one independent bookshop there, although there must be one somewhere, but there are a couple of of Waterstones.

It is not bad for shopping: all the major department stores and big chains have a branch, and there are a number of independent shops, although from the sound of it, not as many as Norwich.

If you like WEA type classes, you should look at the U3A.

Bipat

'Born and Bred' in Norwich, not lived there full time since childhood but visit regularly. Returned from a brief visit yesterday.
I would say that Norwich has everything!! Shops far better than Exeter, all the modern shops and so many old/world type--second hand book shops etc.
Roman wall, cobbled streets. The famous market, the churches, museums, the castle, two cathedrals-one catholic,one church of England.
The coast and broads accessible by road/rail/bus. Good rail service to London.
Sea swimming, still some unspoilt coastal places although stong currents.
Weather---well yes windy on the coast, probably Exeter is warmer.

Helen1964

Are you familiar with Exmouth, Editha? I've noticed house prices are significantly lower there and am just wondering what the town is like.

Editha

No, I'm not. Sorry. I've been through it, but only once. The whole coastline there is for monied retired folk. Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton are both charming towns, but from my viewpoint in north Devon, the property prices are eye-watering.

robin1234

I think there's an inexorable supply and demand logic with housing, in seaside towns as everywhere else. As Editha says, Salcombe & Budleigh Salterton are expensive. Exmouth, there is plenty of reasonably priced property on the market. And yet all three are gorgeous places, in fact you can walk from one to the others! I believe Exmouth is just a bigger town, with that chronic excess of Edwardian and pre war terraces and semis that you find all around the British coast, while the housing stock in BS and Salcombe is much more limited.

I love Exmouth. Access to Exeter by bus and train is good. Ferry to Starcross. Beaches. Pubs (The Grove on the esplanade is very nice.) Coast walks. I think there's a cycle path to Exeter? Not sure..