Benson55

I'm not looking at the inner town but the smaller places outside for retirement. Seems to be some nicer properties for reasonable prices.
Does anyone have any comments on the areas and what they are like to live in?
Thanks

J.JsOH

Hi, I am originally from nearby Spalding and still visit Spalding often.
Boston ? well, it depends, as always. Sure, prices are reasonable, it is near the Lincolnshire Wolds to get away from the agricultural flatness and near the coast too where there are traditional resorts but also wide open spaces.
Boston town itself, like Spalding is an old market town and nothing wrong with them in themselves, Edwardian etc buildings, although rather depressed in economy.
The matter that would make me not want to move to Boston is, like Spalding, it has had it's society and culture changed immensely by the influx of low paid agricultural labour from the eastern EU. Mind you, our home raised species of unpleasant people are worse than the immigrants. It just that it is weird to my ear that when I visit Spalding there are as many or more east EU languages as there are Brit. Many of the shops are east EU owned, selling their home products and I have been eyed with suspicion when I ventured to enter. That these immigrants spend their income in immigrant shops and or send their income back to their own countries deprives the local economy. I didn't mean to run on about EU immigrants but felt the need to express what I know.

Pick a nice village outside Boston, shop by car at out of town stores and you would hardly notice the EU peoples.
Lincoln is an attractive city, to me anyway.
I recommend that you look closely at public transport services , which can be very limited to the outer villages unless you plan to be reliant on personal vehicles throughout your retirement.
Boston has the major hospital for south Lincs. another in Lincoln and Peterborough Cambs is used for some services.
Boston and Spalding can appear very damp, dreary and desolate in the winter months, but big clear skies in summer.
There are no commercial flight paths thro south Lincs but the skies are used by military aircraft.

I would not move back to my origins in Spalding from the West Norfolk I currently reside. But maybe Louth, The Wolds, would have appeal if I was looking in that direction.
I have noticed that Bourne and Stamford in the south western corner of Lincs are very popular.
best wishes on your searches,
John

nun

It's ironic that these attitudes are expressed on an expatriate website.

J.JsOH

Huh? What 'attitude'?
Is my opinion about dreary winters and big skies of summer somehow inappropriate?
It confounds me that posters can't stick to the thread topic with positive comments instead of being negatively critical.

Benson55

Thank you very much for your comments I am obliged to hear from someone who knows the area.Its always best to hear from people in the area with fist hand experience. I am looking around the smaller villages within a 10 mile radius for a bungalow, not able to do stairs anymore. Rightmove seems to be the best site as it contains so much information and the good section is the street view, so one is able to look around the area.

Novocastrian

Agreed.

You don't do irony an ymore?

I happen to know the area well (although I've never lived there). Lifelong friends of ours lived in Waplode, a small town near Spalding, for about 20 years and we visited often.

The "despicable" "EU people" were a welcome addition.

J.JsOH

Despicable is a word out of your vocabulary, not mine.
I gave no indication of my opinion of the immigrants, merely a statement of fact that they are there.
Others choose to read inference and climb on their own indignant soapboxes according to their own biased views.

J.JsOH

You are very welcome Benson and welcome to BE.

Rightmove is a good site to look through. Properties seem to be advertised across multiple sites so whichever you prefer is fine.
A Post Office in a village would be a plus, many PO's have been closed.
Consider Sleaford for less isolation than might be the case in a village.

I have an impression that there are relatively many bungalows around the area.
With a strong RAF presence between Boston and Lincoln some of the villages can be in demand from our service personnel but it also means that properties are at a desireable standard.

You are welcome to send a private message to me for anything specific.

Novocastrian

Has it occurred to you that you are also, for the time being, an "EU person"?

J.JsOH

How is this helpful to the OP's request for information about Boston?

Benson55

Thanks for your advise.
I looked at Sleaford online and it does seem to be one of the smaller town areas which would be ok to me in terms of logistics and prices.
I am not a political person so I ignore all the business in that arena and get on with my own life.
If I can think of anything specific I will take you up on the offer to PM you.
Thanks

J.JsOH

Good to know you, glad I could help.
Yes, the political rantings do continue and are part of life here, on BE and in UK in gerneral but confined to particular populations.
Thankfully most normal people just get on with things and keep their own counsel.
I am off on holiday now, with no wifi, so will be out of here for a while.
Look for a Private Message from me.
John

J.JsOH

ps, if you were looking for property as far South as Spalding then the villages of Surfleet and Pinchbeck are fairly well connected traditional villages..

J.JsOH

Hello again Benson,
here is a little more on Boston Lincs and nearby. I had reason to drive up past the west of Boston last week on B1192.
Passed through Hubbert's Bridge, it might suit you. Arable farming harvest in full swing, tractors and trucks predominant although there is a pathway alongside the road.
Village is typical of Lincs, houses stretched out along the one main through road. Some other villages comprise only a few well spaced houses.
H's Bridge has a pub, many have closed in other villages, an asset which would be good for a newcomer to make connections with locals.
Also a railway station.
Plus Golf Course if you like that and I saw motor boats alongside on the river.
Looked at a Rightmove ad for a bungalow in Hubbert's Bridge, they about £100k cheaper than around here. I note there is no city gas, heating would be by open fire / elec / oil.
Hope this helps.
John

Benson55

Hi I checked out Rightmove and saw there were only three properties sold last year in Hubberts Bridge. Soo I guess it must be a town where folks don't move or the housing stock is low.
But you are right in that there are nice outlaying areas where places are cheaper priced, retirement areas I guess like Wyberton and Fishtoft.