Perth

It seems I change daily with where to go too! No place we have to go back to, so the UK is open to us. My only stipulation is being near the sea too, as far as landscape. But we want to be without a car, so need to be near a small city to have everything we need within easy reach. Have a short list, but just can't seem to pin it down. I've said it before but I think that sometimes people with a home or family to go back to in one particular area have it a little easier.

sallysimmons

I sympathize with your husband's desire not to move again. We left the US, moved into a temporary rental, moved again into a one-year rental and now finally just moved into a house that we bought. I usually like change, but after this last move I swore that I'm not going anywhere until they wheel me out in a pine box!

It must be so hard to choose when you don't have a strong attachment to anywhere in the UK. I knew I wanted to be in Yorkshire and even that presented so many choices that we felt overwhelmed at times. If you're looking at the whole country - or even one half of the country - I think it would be daunting. I hope you do find that elusive place - although of course happiness doesn't really come from a place, but from inside ourselves.

bandrui

You sound just like me . I actually feel quite happy about the idea of travelling for a bit because it's hard to get a feel for a place until you are actually there. Eventually I will find a place that says "This is where I want to be."

We are really very fortunate. Others are bound by family, etc. but I really relish the opportunity to actually select where I want to live. As in any decision, when the time is right, the right place will be there. In the meantime, I love exploring options and finding out about different places on the net. I know more about the UK now than I ever did when I lived there!

What I have found out on my many travels is that synchronicity plays a part and how fun it is to be open to the opportunities that present themselves.

bandrui

So I guess there are 3 of us in this same situation!

The UK has such great transportation options that I am sure you will find that special place.

When it comes to seaside, I don't mind being close to one of the typically English seaside resorts, with pier etc. but my preference would be to also be close to lesser populated beaches, for long walks without crawling over bodies and deck chairs . I too would like to be a bus ride away from a centre but it doesn't have to be a large one; the bigger places would be good for daytrips, market days, stimulation, etc.

mickok

Make that four! My wife and I are moving in May and we're still not completely decided. We also have no family ties, would like to be close to the coast, in less populated places, and with good public transportation (we are determined to live without a car after a lifetime of car dependency in the US).

For us the north of England is far more attractive than the south and our problem is choosing! The areas we've looked closely at are Lancaster/Bare/Bolton-Le-Sands, Newcastle/Shields/Sunderland region, Scarborough area, and Bangor. Each has some attractive characteristics. All offer good walking and transport, community, less strain on the wallet, and opportunities to contribute. For the quietest coastal areas, consider Northumberland, Yorkshire and Wales.

And of course, underlying all the decision-making is the knowledge that, in the end, we will find our our happiness in the ordinary things in life, and in what we bring with us, our attitudes, openness and wisdom (or lack thereof!) . The funny part is knowing all this but still having to actually come to a decision! We're planning to take a month to look around. Another factor for us is that, having two dogs, we're not seeing many good opportunities to rent, which leaves us wondering whether we should rush into buying a house soon after arrival.. I guess this is all part of the adventure but it sure adds to the stress of moving!

Pistolpete2

For want of anywhere better to put it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...arrogate-video

Sorry about the Skoda prelude!

Enjoy the other recipes - crab, pasty, chicken tikka/tagine etc.!

cheers

Thanks Pete.
I'm going to feel like an outsider because I come from a different economy and when I look at those prices I feel like a child looking in the window of a sweet shop.
A lot of people in England, not all, make good money so they think nothing of those prices but me---???
People have written many times on the forums and they advise not to compare prices with what you would pay in the US but I can't help it.

Beccarose

I feel pretty similar. It's difficult having a whole country to choose from and not really having any idea how to narrow it down.

Pistolpete2

Indeed not really fair to compare prices either.

San Francisco has the highest minimum wage in the US at $10 per hour which roughly equates to the Uk minimum wage at current exchange rates. Add a differential of say 12% for the higher rate of VAT (20%) compared with sales Tax (8%??) and voila:

https://www.miette.com/

Not so cheap either.

No part of UK borders Mexico either (SFAIAA), which is a bit of a problem in terms of back room wage and supply (flour - also heavily subsided agriculture in the US, Common Agricultural Policy in the UK) costs.

Pistolpete2

As has been said before a number of times, I think, it's hard for us British expat returnees to make up our minds where we want to settle and we have a pretty decent idea of the lie of the land in different areas so our search areas are usually better defined to start with but everybody is different as are our priorities which can tip the balance, even amongst our group, so we can recommend to others as much as we like but at the end of the day it is each to their own.

As perthhomeschool has said, it is harder for us retireds with no ties still because we are more flexible and therefore it is really utopia that we are looking for or we just don't think we have done ourselves justice.

As a result, a good percentage are looking to rent first and do further research once we are merrily ensconsed on that basis rather than buying right away.

I think that the key items are:

Local costs including housing, access to jobs, access to family & friends, access to good schools, access to transport links, access to London, crime and yob culture in the area, perceived general friendliness in the chosen area, access to the sea and areas of beauty, perceived better weather, perceived local inhabitants of a common ilk, access to good social resources and culture.

Some might have one or two on this list as major priorities to the virtual exclusion of all others. Hence not an easy task to generalise as it is so subjective and it's very much I'll know it when I see it so you do indeed have to see it.

There are quite a few posters (returnees) across the spectrum of BE who have been in the UK a fair while and have become disenchanted with the place due to the perceived negative cultural/social changes since they left the country some time back. One could say that in their case, their approach to the move might have been somewhat lacking or misguided and this could have had a bearing upon their ability to re-blend/assimilate. If indeed one is looking only to an initial shorter stay, maybe a vacation mentality is in fact a better approach to make the most of things and avoid any possibility of culture shock.

Here in St Lucia, anyone we pass on the track road we greet with a look-in-the-eye good morning or hi etc. and graffiti, tattoos and rings through body parts, hair multi-colour and other abnormalities/normalities/expressions are very very few and far between in spite of other major negatives derived from grinding poverty, so some UK acclimatisation might indeed be necessary.

cheers

I found out yesterday that homes for rent supply the type of house that I'm looking for. Strange that.

sallysimmons

For my money, the North East coast trumps the West in every way except that it's a bit colder. Northumberland is so beautiful and the Yorkshire coast too - Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby etc. The North West coast is OK, but doesn't have the cliffs and the little villages toppling down hills. Plus if you're on the Northumberland Coast you have the whole of inland Northumberland to explore, not to mention Scotland and North Yorkshire, and if you're on the Yorkshire coast you have the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. (But I suppose if you're on the West Coast it's not too much of a drive up into Cumbria ...)

But it is colder and dryer than the West Coast where it rains more but tends to be warmer.

My mum was just down in Norfolk visiting the coast and she was so disappointed. She said she had been spoiled by the Yorkshire coast - she was expecting dramatic cliffs and rock formations and it just wasn't the same. I told her she could have just gone to Whitby and saved herself a lot of hassle

Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose

sallysimmons

I walk 3-4 miles every day up and down the hills around my village and say 'hi' to every person I meet. They greet me with a smile, some know my name now (after only 4 weeks), and not one one them has tattoos or pierced body parts or multi-colored hair -although it wouldn't bother me if they did. They're a very safe, rural, "conservative with a small c" lot.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm actually living in Britain because my corner of it bears no relation to the fears expressed on this forum. My neighbours all have kids who are polite and well-behaved, the young people in the area are quiet and don't cause any trouble, and the young guys down the pub are buying each other drinks, not getting into fights.

If that's not the case in the areas you're looking at, look again. No one should live with crappy neighbours if they don't have to.

cheers

You need to come back to Brooklyn for a refresher course in liberalism because you are slipping from being around the conservatives I recon.

cheers

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-25444950.html

This is what I'm looking for or this one.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-37479814.html

and another

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-26606514.html