Thoughts - thinking of moving to North Wales

cepheus

I'm thinking of selling up in the SE of England and moving somewhere cheaper. Working from home I could move anywhere, but I have some folks in the NW of England, and a cousin in the Wirral who I get on with best.

There are a lot of contrasting issues in my mind.

Everyone specifies the importance of links. Well I drive and don't travel much, I like quiet, and good communications drives up prices making property poor value, so what's the point? That said it would be useful to have a good Internet connection and nearness to medical facilities might have some benefits now I'm nearing retirement.

My inclination was Anglesey having an interest in Astronomy and dark skies, and surprisingly clear weather for the west, but that's not vey important. I would probably get a dog, but is North Wales the best area for dog-walking considering the number of sheep?

The other factor is friendless of locals. To be honest North Wales hasn't the best reputation, but I'm not sure if this is true and I guess a lot of English have moved in already.

I was looking through this thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/49678633#Comment_49678633

Looking through Zoopla at the locations suggested, the properties are surprisingly expensive for North Wales, would it be a lot cheaper away from the coast? Once again Anglesey looks better value, presumably because of poor links.

Has anyone any thoughts or similar experiences?

pollypenny

Hi, Cepheus. North Wales is a lovely place to live, but Anglesey is not easy to get to, as you said. The A55 is a pain most of the time.

Regarding friendliness, it depends on the attitude of the incomer. Some can be seen as patronising the poor little locals, like the idiots who moved opposite my parents and called their house 'Miner's Cottage', in a mining village.

There can be a bit of resentment at the whole downsizing to make a profit bit, too.

Otherwise, if you are friendly and try to join in with the community you'll be fine.

cepheus

A google search on Angelsey seems to be all about the Royals!!!

Wales' happiest place to live is Anglesey

Three-quarters of people surveyed in Wales rated their satisfaction with life as medium or high, with people giving an average score of 7.4 out of 10.
Overall, Wales has the third highest proportion of people who are dissatisfied with life out of the UK regions, after London and the West Midlands.

On Anglesey, around four-fifths gave a medium or high score for their levels of contentment and happiness.

Albert Owen, MP for Ynys Mon, said the island was a pretty contented place.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/wales-happiest-place-live-anglesey-2028050

seems people are happier were I live here in Berkshire but not in London
http://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?viz=MAP&q=select+col2+from+1t-Oe9rPa3qPYfvymfMrtQjd1AlEgjGvumWH_-Tc&h=false&lat=54.647583135654926&lng=-3.74697998118495&z=6&t=1&l=col2

cepheus

Just been speaking to an English person who lives near Amlwch on the North coast of Anglesey. She doesn't think language or culture is a difficulty. However, then I learn that she has horses. It suspiciously sounds like a large property out in the country!

FatAndy

Today was a classic example of why I wouldn't want to live on Anglesey. Both Arriva and Virgin stopped running trains between Bangor and Holyhead at 1.00pm so you couldn't get to Anglesey by train. Then a bit later on there was an accident on the A55 near Bangor which closed the road. The problem is that along most of the A55 there are other roads that you can detour onto but the stretch just east of Bangor has no alternative at all. So Anglesey was simultaneously cut off by both road and rail. Admittedly the weather conditions played a part and they were a bit freakish but this isn't the first time Anglesey has cut off like this. Also the island is a bit flat and featureless and there's little there. The Empire Cinema in Holyhead has just reopened and there is a Waitrose in Menai Bridge but that's about it, even the Royals have b*ggered off back to London.

Personally I wouldn't want to live anywhere west of the Conwy tunnel. There are some nice areas around Llandudno (try Deganwy or Llanrhos) which are quiet but handily placed for both transport links and facilities (including Llandudno hospital). What we really like about the area is that in the summer after work/school we can make a spur of the moment decision to go to the beach or go for a stroll down the Pier, knowing that most of the other people we pass will have paid £500 to spend the week in a hotel in order to enjoy the same lifestyle we take for granted .

It's a very anglicised area as well so not being able to speak Welsh won't ever be a problem. You'll find plenty of places to walk a dog, the only thing to watch out for is that Conwy Council have employed a private company to carry out litter patrols so you'll need to clean up any little deposits or risk getting slapped with a fine.

If you didn't watch it Griff Rhys Jones did a program about the area that was broadcast earlier this week - it might provide a bit of inspiration.

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/a-great-welsh-adventure-with-griff-rhys-jones/series-1/episode-6

toozie_2

FatAndy wrote: »

Today was a classic example of why I wouldn't want to live on Anglesey. Both Arriva and Virgin stopped running trains between Bangor and Holyhead at 1.00pm so you couldn't get to Anglesey by train. Then a bit later on there was an accident on the A55 near Bangor which closed the road. The problem is that along most of the A55 there are other roads that you can detour onto but the stretch just east of Bangor has no alternative at all. So Anglesey was simultaneously cut off by both road and rail. Admittedly the weather conditions played a part and they were a bit freakish but this isn't the first time Anglesey has cut off like this. Also the island is a bit flat and featureless and there's little there. The Empire Cinema in Holyhead has just reopened and there is a Waitrose in Menai Bridge but that's about it, even the Royals have b*ggered off back to London.

Personally I wouldn't want to live anywhere west of the Conwy tunnel. There are some nice areas around Llandudno (try Deganwy or Llanrhos) which are quiet but handily placed for both transport links and facilities (including Llandudno hospital). What we really like about the area is that in the summer after work/school we can make a spur of the moment decision to go to the beach or go for a stroll down the Pier, knowing that most of the other people we pass will have paid £500 to spend the week in a hotel in order to enjoy the same lifestyle we take for granted .

It's a very anglicised area as well so not being able to speak Welsh won't ever be a problem. You'll find plenty of places to walk a dog, the only thing to watch out for is that Conwy Council have employed a private company to carry out litter patrols so you'll need to clean up any little deposits or risk getting slapped with a fine.

If you didn't watch it Griff Rhys Jones did a program about the area that was broadcast earlier this week - it might provide a bit of inspiration.

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/a-great-welsh-adventure-with-griff-rhys-jones/series-1/episode-6

We weren't totally cut off the Menai Bridge was still open.;)

Anglesey is beautiful, love it here, have lived on the Island all my life.

FatAndy

toozie wrote: »

We weren't totally cut off the Menai Bridge was still open.;)

The bridge might have been open but that's no help if the A55 is closed so you can't get to it .

And the Britannia Bridge was closed so there was a 50% deficiency in the number of bridges available!

toozie_2

There are other ways of getting to the Menai Bridge other than down A55!!

I actually managed it, without swimming or taking a boat;)

But I agree 50% deficiency! Maybe wagon drivers should take head not to drive high siders-which are probably empty over the bridge in gale force winds!

FatAndy

toozie wrote: »

There are other ways of getting to the Menai Bridge other than down A55!!

That's technically true but from where I live, and by extension from a large chunk of the UK, the A55 is the only realistic option. If I wanted to get to Menai Bridge last night while the A55 was closed I'd have to go down the A470 to Betws-y-Coed and then back up the A5 to Bangor. That's a massive detour in terms of both mileage and time but it would also meant having drive through the heart of Snowdonia along twisty mountain roads in a hurricane :eek:.

I think I'll stick where I am, I've already spent enough of my life sat in queues on the A55 when I worked in Bangor and Caernarfon. Never again!!!

greenface

As a Caernarfon holiday home owner who lives on The Wirral have you thought about doing both . Houses around Wirral are mainly decent and well priced . Plenty of areas surrounded by beaches and parks for walking and quiet time . Gwynedd is mainly stunning with some great places to stay and the right side of the Menai for Anglesey ha . A fab train journey along the welsh coastline if you dont drive too. Chester to Delamere area is really nice too . If you want anymore info feel free to ask , cheers GF

cepheus

Yes the Wirral itself sounds attractive, well outside Birkenhead and the flood areas. People warn me about remoteness of Angelsey. However at present I rarely travel more than 5 miles from my home, although the three times of year I do it's a 500 mile drive round trip up to the North West and back which is horrendous.

One advantage were I live in the South East is that it has a diverse landscape including large forested areas. Bizarrely, forest seems to be far more sparse in the North Wales coastal region