Relocating to Wales

ceb1995

I grew up in north west wales, the living costs are pretty low, you could get a 2 bed house where my family lives for £500pm.
I'd agree with others regarding hospitals, the one near bangor for many is the only a&e for miles and they moved many outpatients to there from other places (to the point i met people who had stayed in b&bs overnight to get to an appointment, it's that bad, moving to north west england made me realise how bad it was). My grandfather got cancer and had to travel 35 miles to get his chemotherapy for example.

Gp appointments were never easy to get either. Sure the free prescriptions are handy.
Transport is another issue, sure north west wales has better buses and trains that it used to, but if you live near a request stop. you'll be lucky to get a train an hour and the buses are double the price of where i live in the north west. So ideally you need a car, as getting to shops can also be an issue if you dont live in a big town.

moneyistooshorttomention

StaffieTerrier wrote: »

While this is true to some extent, the urban areas of Wales tend to be a little small than areas of England so it's less distance to travel to urban areas from the countryside. I live on the edge of a village (there 6 houses beyond mine before you're in open countryside) yet I'm only 20-25 minutes drive into the heart of Cardiff. My house is 50% the price of the equivalent in Cardiff.

True.

Imo it's best to think of Wales as being basically rural - apart from Cardiff, Swansea and Newport (South Wales). It's just the extent of how "rural" it is where you're looking at....

Admitted - my viewpoint is that of a city person - as that's where I've moved from.

If moving there from a city or large town - then it does need to be borne in mind that "everyday existence" will take rather longer than you've been used to (eg things like a LONG bus journey to a hospital for instance - instead of walking to it). Also buying a lot more of the goods one buys by post instead of walking into a shop in passing. It's astonishing just how much extra time goes on these things - until one gets a handle on it and figures out ways to minimise that. Yep....just about to phone up a chain store again later today and place an order for several things at once (instead of popping in when I'm passing anyway).

moneyistooshorttomention

-taff wrote: »

Living off the land is bloody hard work, and with your partner suffering from a chronic condition means eventually, this work will probably fall to you.
Don't go biting off more than you can chew.

On that front - I've only been chatting earlier today to someone that is now moving "back off the land" (ie from a smallholding to a standard house with garden somewhere more accessible). Now this person is somewhat elderly - but they are very far from the first person I've come across since moving here that is in this position.

In my current area I see a succession of people from middle age to "retired at retirement age" people buying a smallholding. This may or may not work for them personally. I have noticed that I've not yet come across anyone in their 80s/90s/etc still happily running a smallholding and planning on staying there. Doesnt mean to say there arent such people - I just may not have met them. After all - the pioneers of self-sufficiency (refugees from McCarthyist 1950s America) carried on up to 90/100 odd from what I recollect from their books. But there is quite a tendency to "move in" here from what I've noticed....

moneyistooshorttomention

cbsexec wrote: »

I live in Wales and love it. But - you need to think about travel - to work, to shops to hospitals. Some areas as stated are easier to get around. Houses are much cheaper to buy and rent in the Valleys and it is easy to get to Cardiff, Newport and Swansea from there (more work in those places). And the scenery is stunning.

My point exactly - ie all the travel.

But the plus side is not having to "fight your corner" to try and preserve every square foot of space against fracking/over-population/terrorism/over-development/you name it. In most of Wales you can "relax your guard" against those things on the up side but have to "up your game" re the travel on the other hand.

I do agree with Davesnave re spending several months renting here in advance if you can. You will be very surprised at just how different things can be within the same country - until you try it. Some things will be pluses to you and others minuses - and its up to you which way you think "the cookie crumbles" in that respect. I was astonished personally by just how different things can be - considering that I've just moved elsewhere within the same country. I would have been expecting it if I'd moved to a different country (eg France, Spain, etc) - but outside the "bigger/more urban areas" here then things are very different in a variety of respects to what I'm used to personally.

EDIT; Of course - it's entirely possible that people would also find it very different if they moved, for instance, from a Southern English city to a Northern English village - and so I have no way of comparing just how different that would feel to me personally.

Lord_Baltimore

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The Welsh Assembly is one of those employers that these days requires staff to speak Welsh (at least those dealing with the public anyway). There's a recent law that says public sector bodies must deal with the public in Welsh if a member of the public so chooses - and hence that legal requirement.

Prynhawn da Money
The Welsh Assembly (properly known as The National Assembly for Wales) and The Welsh Government are separate bodies. Both have used translation facilities extensively for eons . Wasn't the new legislation to allow Welsh Ministers to present in Welsh in the House if they chose to do so?

moneyistooshorttomention

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

Prynhawn da Money
The Welsh Assembly (properly known as The National Assembly for Wales) and The Welsh Government are separate bodies. Both have used translation facilities extensively for eons . Wasn't the new legislation to allow Welsh Ministers to present in Welsh in the House if they chose to do so?

I have read this morning that there is going to be an element of that - on a specifically Welsh committee in Parliament (ie speaking in Welsh). I think the 1990s is when all this started from what I can make out - so not my own definition of "eons". To me "eons" would be - well maybe over a 100 years? (ie certainly outside someone's lifetime). I've still not figured out what the difference is (is there one?) between the "Welsh Assembly" and the "Welsh Government" personally....and find it far less confusing to mean "Parliament/10 Downing Street" when I refer to "the Government".

....and we'd probably have to agree to differ on our opinions on that one......

oldposter

We aren't city people at all to be honest and the hustle and bustle is exactly what we are wanting to get away from. Granted, things like hospitals, GP's and the like need careful consideration but things like giant supermarkets and retail parks are something that we want to distance from.

We would prefer to shop local, but in the towns that is virtually impossible because all the small businesses are being pushed out. The thought of being a bit isolated and peaceful is exactly what we want

We both drive, so transport isn't too much of an issue and again - we will definitely be renting as we have zero option to buy.

Edit: We would be more than happy to learn the Welsh language, in fact we would both like to do so, whether it be needed or not

moneyistooshorttomention

Then most of Wales should suit you...

Gigervamp

One of the problems with Wales, is the winter. If you're in a rural area, you're more likely to get cut off by floods or snow, especially if you're in mid-Wales.

I live just outside a village, on a hill in South Wales. During the winter of 2010 when we had a lot of snow, my husband couldn't even get down to the village in his car, so was unable to get into work, whereas some of his workmates who live in towns, and even have to travel on the motorway, were able to get to work. He could have walked into the village, but the buses and trains had been cancelled.

As has been mentioned, hospital appointments can be tricky. I have cancer and when I was diagnosed, I was given the option of having treatment in either Cardiff or Swansea. I opted for Cardiff as it's a bit closer than Swansea, but it's still 25 miles away.
Another lady, who was having chemo when I was, had travelled 60 miles.

Rental prices are increasing. Around my area, the average for a 2 bedroomed house is about £550 a month, and they're in town/villages. You might have trouble finding a landlord who will allow you to keep chickens, a lot don't even like cats or dogs.
A house suitable for your smallholding dreams will cost more than your budget, and as you're renting, will be hard to come by, I would think.

ChasingtheWelshdream

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The Welsh Assembly is one of those employers that these days requires staff to speak Welsh (at least those dealing with the public anyway). There's a recent law that says public sector bodies must deal with the public in Welsh if a member of the public so chooses - and hence that legal requirement.

Having only just moved here I am happy to be corrected. However, I work for the County Council in a public facing role and have no Welsh skills.

I must answer the phone with a set Welsh greeting, but can then continue in English. However, should the customer wish to speak in Welsh, there must be someone available for them to do so.

On the medical note, even though we are in a town, we had to travel 45 minutes to register with an NHS dentist.