Where to live in Northern Ireland?

Oliviasmom

I have a caravan at the foot of the glen. A beautiful part of the world. I shall retire down there.

sugarfree

Ballycastle perchance?

sugarfree

Miss_Floopster wrote: »

. With a view of retirement, we bought a place in a lovely area in North Belfast QUOTE]


I don't know North Belfast at all, but it did occur to me that my husband might like it as he could cycle up to the Cave Hill.


Which areas are good to live in up there? Are there cafes, shops, etc.?

BigAl94

Situation deteriorating dramatically https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/alarming-50-rise-in-number-of-northern-ireland-people-waiting-over-a-year-for-hospital-treatment-37579797.html

sugarfree

Right, will have to see which bits of us we can have pre-emptively removed or replaced before we come.

Max0010

Hi Sugarfree
I think those before me have covered everything, but I may be able to add something useful.
I'm semi retired and live on the North Coast.
I've lived in most areas of the province. Plus Dublin, Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, London and several countries abroad including the US, France and Canada.
It may be helpful to list what each of you want to be close to. Close as in a twenty minute drive.
If you're not too bothered about high culture, like classical music, art shows etc and you have no pressing need to be in a city, I'd suggest that the North Coast is about as good as it gets in Northern Ireland.
Portstewart is basically a retirement community, with students in term time. You'll probably find like minded people who have lived in GB or abroad and retired to the Triangle.
My grandfather and his wife had a good system. Every year they went to the Med or the southern US from January until late March and had the best of both worlds. I'm aiming to build a similar lifestyle over the next few years as I can't abide the winters here.
Tourist numbers have grown hugely. Partly the Game of Thrones effect. But, this area never feels congested to me. Not compared to holiday jams in GB. Northern Ireland is still off the beaten track to most tourists.
The scenery is what makes it, as you know. If you want something different, you can get the car ferry from Magilligan to Greencastle when it runs and instantly, you're on the wild Atlantic coast.
I miss classical music, art shows etc hugely. But, I can hop on a plane to most GB cities and come back the same day, or overnight it.
Dublin is virtually on our doorstep now, with motorways or dual carriageways the whole way.
If you live in a middle class area in most of NI., it'll be mixed. Most places don't fly 'flegs' anymore and the marching season passes with minimal drama. Apart from some interface areas.
Health care is an issue. But, I'd suggest it's no worse here than anywhere else in the UK.
You can get by without private health care, I believe. Coleraine has some excellent GP practices.
If you need more advanced care, your GP can prioritise you. Or, it's very easy to go private in places like Lithuania for example, where their private system is cheap (to us) and excellent.
My own direct experience of Coleraine hospital is it has some excellent consultants. The food is very good. The nurses and support staff are very good too. A private room is only about £25 a night.
There's excellent care in the RVH obviously for more serious issues.
The elephant in the room as it were is the politics. It's depressing beyond words, if you think about it much. We remain a very dysfunctional society. Two systems for education. Mostly divided mainstream sports. SF is determined to manoeuvre NI into a united Ireland and this colours everything they do.
The DUP are determined to oppose the inevitable for a few more generations and this colours everything they do. Fortunately as time passes, religion becomes less important. But I don’t see segregated housing, peace walls, divided education etc changing anytime soon. With these and other artificial divisions, don't expect politics to be anything other than tribal, in our lifetimes.
Living on the North Coast, we can spot a 'townie' easily. They are usually quite stressed looking. Easily annoyed by others. Expect things to be 'just so'. It's the typical town and country divide.
Things do move at a slower pace in the sticks. You're expected to take time to chat and exchange pleasantries, before getting down to what you really want to talk about.
I know Norfolk pretty well and I'd say that the North Coast is not unlike the more rural parts of Norfolk, away from the Broads.
Nowhere gets really congested here. Even during the summer. Apart from places like Carrick a rede (sp?) which gets utterly bonkers, compared to how it used to be, a decade or two ago.
But for ten ish months of the year, you can have beaches to yourself, including Whitepark Bay and this huge availability of space is something I hope we never lose.
One bit of advice. Letting agents and estate agents here are generally pretty hopeless. With one or two exceptions. There is a limited rental market for long term lets. It's mostly either student oriented or holiday let's. Avoid the student areas in Portstewart. If you end up in a cul de sac with student houses, you can end up having a miserable year. Start looking well in advance.
Very best of luck. I hope a move back here works out for you both

BigAl94

Not true to say healthcare is no worse here than anywhere else in the UK. https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2018-08-30/ni-patient-waiting-times-worst-in-uk/

sugarfree

Max - that is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for. Thanks very much.
I’d forgotten how head-bangingly awful NI politics is but you’re right of course. I will just have to find a way to block it out. I was back in NI for a month a couple of winters ago, caring for my ma after a hip replacement, and whenever we started getting on each other’s t*ts I used to take her post-surgical “grabber” (thoughtfully provided by the NHS) and head down to the beach to pick up litter. Perhaps I could apply the same technique to NI politics.
Maybe it’s just the caffeine kicking in on this cold, dark morning in deepest France but, looking back at all these posts, I’m getting a warm, fuzzy feeling towards you all and wish I could sweep you off to the Loaf cafe in Crawfordsburn for tea and scones. Even Big Al who’s seriously got me wondering which bits of myself I should get chopped off before I move back.
Incidentally, when Mum got better and I contacted social services to see how to return the “grabber” and other post-hip replacement paraphernalia they’d given her, I was told they didn’t want any of it because it cost more to disinfect the equipment than it was worth. Imagine if SF/DUP politicians channelled their energies and sheer doggedness into tackling issues like waste and the question of why vast swathes of the population are grossly overweight (which can’t be helping the health service either). We’d be the new superpower nation.

sugarfree

Max0010 wrote: »

Nowhere gets really congested here. Even during the summer. Apart from places like Carrick a rede (sp?) which gets utterly bonkers, compared to how it used to be, a decade or two ago.

I remember when the only way to access Carrick-a-Rede was through a steeply sloping field. I used to slither down over the cowpats. Happy days.

sugarfree

I realise of course I am being completely delusional. Big Al would never come with me for tea and scones. He’d be across the road in the Crawfordsburn Inn. Downing pints and getting obstreperous.