Please help me find somewhere affordable to retire.

Pensioned_Off

AdrianC wrote: »

I'd be getting hold of a map of the country, something like a large wall roadmap, the kind of thing you used to see in offices for marking up sales reps territories, and a marker pen.

Go round it all, marking off the bits that are too far away from the coast, too expensive, too 'orrible, And see what you're left with...

I've had the old UK atlas out and then used that for Rightmove searches and the 'too expensive' is easy to spot BUT it's the 'too 'orrible' that's the stinker - it's not that easy to tell.

Places can look fabulous in estate agent speak but actually be in a rough area.

Obviously once I've narrowed the possibilities I can go and stay for a week to have a good drive around but before I can do that I need some local knowledge and pointers to concentrate my search.

Lleucu

if you are thinking about Wales this tool is really useful as it shows deprivation on a ward level http://wimd.wales.gov.uk/explore?lang=en#domain=overall&z=11&lat=52.324&lng=-2.989 please note it includes access to services so lovely isolated areas do sometimes appear rather deprived. There is a similar tool for England. http://dclgapps.communities.gov.uk/imd/idmap.html.

If you are thinking of Wales, think about learning Welsh also there are many nearly free activities around community activism, volunteering, these will help you join the local community. In our town, we need help with a Food Bank, hospital transport, the Girl Guides, tree planting,litter picking, karate just the name a few .. but you would struggle to get a house for £90k in most parts of Mid and West Wales.

moneyistooshorttomention

Pensioned_Off wrote: »

I've had the old UK atlas out and then used that for Rightmove searches and the 'too expensive' is easy to spot BUT it's the 'too 'orrible' that's the stinker - it's not that easy to tell.

Places can look fabulous in estate agent speak but actually be in a rough area.

Obviously once I've narrowed the possibilities I can go and stay for a week to have a good drive around but before I can do that I need some local knowledge and pointers to concentrate my search.

Try Googlemaps Street View and have a "virtual drive round" any areas you are contemplating. It doesn't give the full picture so to say - but it does help give a pretty good indication. Unless its a very small place, then you will need to pick a variety of locations to "drive round" to get as good a picture of a location as possible. I was in a fair-size town yesterday thinking "Should I have picked this one instead?" and then a bus I was on went round what was obviously a Council estate and I was there thinking "Blimey...I thought my home area had some bad ones....but this....:eek:" and if the only bit of Street View I had seen was for that particular bit of the town - errrrm.......make that a definite "NO chance". Having said that - I am still looking for the nicer bits of that town and haven't found them yet....:rotfl:and Googlemaps Street View wont show many of the "nicer" bits of an area (ie because its inaccessible by car). I'm finding many of the more attractive bits of current area by taking a bus to as-near-to-as-possible and then setting off walking up minor roads and down footpaths.

Towser

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23234033

bbc Interactive - Where can I afford to live? Is this helpful?

OP have you got a shortlist in mind?

cattermole

justme111 wrote: »

Indeed why to limit yourself to Britain... You have to weigh up inconveniences of having to get used to other way of living versus not struggling financially that much

Because with serious medical problems, it's pretty much a no no long term.

Unless you can afford private health cover or are working in the country under retirement age you are just not covered in places like France, Spain etc. if you are living there. Portugal for example provides no free medical care to anyone even it's own citizens.

bouicca21

Also you have to be pretty fluent to be able to discuss a medical condition in a foreign language.

RedheadFred

Another plus for Wales is free prescriptions - I don't know how much of a difference that would make to you, but thought I'd mention.

moneyistooshorttomention

RedheadFred wrote: »

Another plus for Wales is free prescriptions - I don't know how much of a difference that would make to you, but thought I'd mention.

Whilst that's true - I believe people needing frequent prescriptions can get a "season ticket" for the year that will cover all the cost of their medication?? (from memory - I don't think it was that dear either).

I cant speak for what the NHS is like in other parts of England to my own - but....errrrrm....I am seriously "not impressed" with my encounters with it to date since moving here. Though - a Welsh person I was talking to after my latest "encounter" with it told me "It is worse than the English one and gets worse the further west you go". My encounters so far have included a noticeable amount of "buck passing" (as one health professional passes you to another level/distant location and you find out that the first one would have dealt with it if they had been doing their job properly - just as you originally suspected).

I'm already investigating my options re how to get my healthcare and have done some swopping and some looking up of private facilities just to get what I'm used to.

rich11

Allerton Bywater West Yorkshire

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-36534993.html

RAS

Or Kippax - higher up so less likely to flood.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50898853.html